C12 is asserting that it just lately raised an €18 million funding spherical ($19.4 million at as we speak’s trade charge). Initially based in 2020 as a spin-off from the Physics Laboratory of the École Normale Supérieure, the corporate has been engaged on a novel course of to create quantum computer systems primarily based on carbon nanotubes.
Whereas the idea of quantum computing isn’t new, it’s nonetheless very a lot a piece in progress. Many scientific groups have been approaching this subject from completely different angles. The aim is to create a quantum laptop at scale and that may execute calculations with a low quantity of errors.
However wait, why do we’d like quantum computer systems within the first place? Computer systems as they exist as we speak are totally primarily based on digital transistors. And we’ve change into actually good at making transistors smaller so we will pack extra transistors in a single chip. In consequence, computing energy has progressed at an exponential tempo over the previous 60 years.
And but, the present laptop structure has its limits. Even when corporations begin constructing greater information facilities, some issues merely can’t be solved with conventional computer systems. It’s also unclear whether or not Moore’s legislation will stay legitimate within the years to come back.
That is the place quantum computer systems might show helpful.
“If we want to create a model — an exhaustive simulation of a chemical reaction — to know how new drugs are going to interact with our cells, that’s not possible with a conventional approach,” C12 co-founder and CEO Pierre Desjardins (pictured proper) advised TechCrunch.
“There are a whole host of optimization problems to be solved, whether in transport, logistics or manufacturing. They are impossible to run on a conventional computer because there will be too many variables, too many possible scenarios,” he continued.
Matthieu Desjardins, his brother, has a PhD in quantum physics and acts because the CTO of the corporate. Sooner or later in our dialog, Pierre Desjardins even referred to as his brother a “scientific genius.”
And since it’s 2024, there’s even an AI angle that ought to persuade you that quantum computing analysis is vital. “Today, training a large language model also means consuming an enormous amount of energy,” Pierre Desjardins mentioned. “And quantum is also a computing method that uses much less energy.”
Find out how to construct a quantum laptop
C12’s two key variations with the opposite groups engaged on quantum computer systems are that it makes use of a special materials — carbon nanotubes — and it has a selected manufacturing course of — a nano-assembly course of that’s now patented.
“Today, I think we are the only ones in the world to control this very special process, which involves putting a carbon nanotube on top of a silicon chip. And what’s absolutely fascinating is the scale. The diameter of a carbon nanotube is 10,000 times smaller than a human hair,” Pierre Desjardins mentioned.
Analysis groups working for large corporations like Google, IBM or Amazon are at the moment specializing in a special course of. Most of them are utilizing superconducting supplies, reminiscent of aluminum, on prime of a silicon substrate.
Based on C12, whereas this technique has led to early breakthroughs. Nevertheless, utilizing aluminum isn’t going to work at scale on account of interferences as you begin including extra qubits. Whereas quantum isn’t mature but, C12 believes it’s engaged on next-generation quantum computing in comparison with these aluminum-based processes.
The corporate has arrange its first manufacturing line in a basement close to the Pantheon in Paris. On this facility, they manufacture carbon nanotubes, management these tubes after which combine them with the silicon substrate.
“It’s now up and running. Today, we produce about one chip a week, which we then test in our mini data center,” Pierre Desjardins mentioned. However don’t anticipate to see a quantum laptop simply but. “We are still really just validating fundamental elements,” he added. The corporate is specializing in chips with one or two qubits for the second.
Emulating quantum
As analysis and growth work progresses, the C12 workforce can be engaged on its enterprise ecosystem. Like many quantum corporations, C12 has created an emulator referred to as Callisto. Emulators let builders write and run some quantum code on a classical laptop.
They’re not going to get the outcomes they might get with a quantum laptop, however at the least they are going to be able to hit the bottom working when quantum computer systems can be found.
“We are currently focusing on two verticals, the chemical industry and the energy industry. The chemical industry uses it to simulate chemical reactions and the energy industry uses it mainly for optimization problems,” Pierre Desjardins mentioned. Particularly, the startup has a partnership with Air Liquide.
And if we return to the funding spherical, Varsity Capital, EIC Fund and Verve Ventures are investing on this newly introduced funding spherical. Present buyers 360 Capital, Bpifrance’s Digital Enterprise fund and BNP Paribas Développement are taking part as soon as once more on this spherical.
There are 45 folks from 18 completely different nationalities working for C12 as we speak, together with 22 PhDs. With the just lately raised capital, C12 plans to signal extra partnerships with industrial companions. However the firm additionally has a analysis aim.
“The other goal is to carry out, for the first time, a quantum operation between two qubits that are located at a long distance from each other,” Pierre Desjardins mentioned. By lengthy distance, he means “tens of micrometers” from one another. It doesn’t appear to be a lot, however will probably be key in terms of scaling quantum computing.
