Microsoft enters $100M partnership with Canadian firm after quantum breakthrough

cointelegraph.com:

Canadian quantum computing firm Photonic has emerged from stealth to raise $100 million for its all-silicon quantum computing platform. Among the investors is new partner Microsoft, who will co-develop quantum networking solutions with the startup.

The investment and partnership come as numerous experts in the industry laud Photonic’s novel approach to quantum computing as a “breakthrough” for the field.

We're joining forces with @TeamPhotonic to enable future quantum networking over long distances—and to integrate Photonic's scalable quantum computing offering into Azure Quantum Elements. Learn more: https://t.co/S8nTpNuEIY #AzureQuantum

Photonic’s technique involves building quantum computers using silicon spin qubits with a spin-photon interface — in other words, a computer that uses qubits made of light to perform quantum computations on silicon hardware.

Related: IBM, Microsoft, others form post-quantum cryptography coalition

In quantum computing, a qubit is analogous with a binary computer’s bits. However, whereas a binary, or classical, computer can only perform calculations using ones and zeros, a qubit can tap into exotic features of quantum physics called “superposition” and “entanglement.” These quantum states allow qubits to compute in a way that would resemble a binary bit being able to use ones, zeros, ones and zeros, neither ones nor zeros, and other even less intuitive combinations.

A spin qubit takes things a step further by adding electron spin. And, by developing a qubit with a photonic spin interface in an all-silicon hardware solution, Photonic believes it has found the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to quantum computing.

Stephanie Simmons, founder and Chief Quantum Officer of