Latest news with #QubitsJapan2025
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Quantum Leap: Rivals eye full-scale quantum computer finish line before 2030
Welcome to the latest edition of 'Quantum Leap' where The Fly decodes news and activity in the quantum computing space. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. VISIONS OF 2030: After a series of recent technical breakthroughs, the creation of full-scale quantum computers may be possible by the end of the decade, Richard Waters of The Financial Times reported. Back in June, IBM (IBM) became the latest to claim its path was clear to a full-scale machine, believing it could build the machine by the end of the decade. This has intensified its race with Google (GOOGL), which announced last year it cleared on of its largest remaining hurdles on creating one and said it was on course to finish by the end of the decade. QUBITS JAPAN: D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) announced that it is hosting its first-ever Qubits Japan 2025 quantum computing user conference in Tokyo on September 17. Themed 'Quantum Realized,' Qubits Japan 2025 will feature presentations from D-Wave executives, customers, and thought leaders. The event comes as D-Wave's bookings in the APAC region are up 83% over the past 12 months. CFO TRANSITION: FormFactor (FORM) announced that Aric McKinnis, currently its VP and corporate controller, has been appointed to serve as the company's new senior VP and CFO. He succeeds Shai Shahar, who resigned from these positions effective August 8. Shahar will remain a FormFactor employee as senior VP, executive advisor through December 31. R&D HUB: Sealsq (LAES) unveiled the progress of its Lab, a next-generation research and development hub focused on the convergence of quantum computing, and cybersecurity now expanding into artificial intelligence. With a total of $30M investment capacity, the Lab has already invested in quantum technology startups like ColibriTD and made the acquisition of semiconductor design service specialist IC'ALPS to develop solutions for semiconductor manufacturing and post-quantum security. SCALEUP X: Arqit Quantum (ARQQ) announced that it has joined the 2025 cohort of Tomorrow Street's Scaleup X program. The collaboration provides Arqit with access to Tomorrow Street's global network and ecosystem, creating opportunities to scale its technology across Vodafone's (VOD) ecosystem. Andy Leaver, CEO of Arqit, commented: 'We are thrilled to join Tomorrow Street's Scaleup X Programme. In the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, there's global recognition of the urgent need to adopt quantum-safe encryption solutions. The ability to engage with Tomorrow Street's ecosystem provides a major opportunity to accelerate commercial deployments and deliver next-generation cyber security to customers across telecoms, critical infrastructure and enterprise sectors.' NEW CHAIR: IonQ 's (IONQ) board of directors has appointed CEO Niccolo de Masi to the additional position of chairman of the board, effective immediately. As a result, Peter Chapman has stepped down as executive chairman and as a member of the board. EARNINGS RECAP: Shares of Rigetti Computing (RGTI) dipped 3% after the company's Q2 results fell shy of expectations. Net loss in the quarter included $22.8M of non-cash losses for the fair value change in the derivative warrant and earn-out liabilities. 'It's our view that superconducting qubits are the leading modality for quantum computers due to their ability to scale, and their ability to achieve gate speeds more than 1,000 times faster than other modalities like ion traps and pure atoms. Rigetti's superconducting qubits leverage technologies, like chiplets, that have been maturing in the semiconductor industry for decades, enabling Rigetti to use well-established methods to scale to higher performance and qubit counts,' CEO Subodh Kulkarni commented. D-Wave reported mixed Q2 results, beating revenue expectations, but missing the EPS mark compared with analyst consensus. Bookings for the second quarter were $1.3M. 'Our second quarter results show consistently strong performance across a multitude of technical and business metrics,' said Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. 'During the quarter, we brought to market our sixth-generation quantum computer, signed a memorandum of understanding related to the acquisition of an on-premises system in South Korea, completed physical assembly of the previously announced system at Davidson Technologies, introduced a collection of developer tools to advance quantum AI and machine learning innovation, and ended the quarter with a record $819 million in cash. We're confident in our ability to continue delivering long-term value for our customers, partners and shareholders.' Piper Sandler raised the firm's price target on D-Wave Quantum to $22 from $13 and maintained an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm notes the company reported June earnings in which revenue was slightly above expectations into the print. The company is currently benefiting from the availability of its Advantage2 system and general quantum computing traction which came online in the June quarter, the firm told investors in a research note. Similarly, IonQ also experienced a mixed second quarter. Cash, cash equivalents, and investments were $656.8M as of June 30 and $1.6B pro-forma as of July 9. The balance increased due to the $1B equity financing. CEO Niccolo de Masi said, 'I am pleased to report that we beat the top end of guidance for Q2 revenue by 15%, and strengthened our balance sheet via the largest equity investment from a single institution in the quantum industry. We also made very tangible progress towards delivering our #AQ64 application performance benchmark, with strong indications that it will be achieved in the near term.' ADDITIONAL ANALYST COMMENTARY: DA Davidson downgraded IonQ to Neutral from Buy with an unchanged price target of $35. IonQ continues to invest heavily for what the firm believes will be 'the next big technological paradigm of this generation,' but risks associated with the business have notably increased given limited clarity relating to the roadmap and near-to-medium term profitability, said the analyst, who is moving to the sidelines based on 'various moving pieces and limited visibility.'
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
D-Wave Announces First-Ever Qubits Japan 2025 Quantum Computing User Conference
D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) ('D-Wave' or the 'Company'), a leader in quantum computing systems, software and services, today announced that it is hosting its first-ever Qubits Japan 2025 quantum computing user conference in Tokyo on September 17 to support growing interest and adoption of annealing quantum computing technology across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Themed 'Quantum Realized,' Qubits Japan 2025 will feature presentations from D-Wave executives, customers, and thought leaders that showcase how D-Wave's quantum technology is already delivering tangible value today. The event comes as D-Wave's bookings in the APAC region are up 83% over the past 12 months. APAC customers are increasingly exploring, adopting, and using D-Wave's annealing quantum computing technology to solve complex challenges spanning artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning and business optimization problems. D-Wave's recent customer highlights in the APAC region includes: Japan Tobacco: The pharmaceutical division of Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) has signed a new agreement with D-Wave to facilitate a pilot project related to the companies' joint work in quantum AI drug discovery. The pilot marks the next step toward production deployment based on the success of a completed joint proof-of-concept earlier this year. That proof-of-concept project used quantum computing technology and AI to enable JT to produce novel, more 'drug-like' molecular structures beyond those found in the training datasets for the quantum-hybrid generative AI system. NTT DOCOMO: NTT DOCOMO Inc. (NTT DOCOMO), Japan's largest mobile phone operator with over 90 million subscribers, announced a quantum optimization pilot in 2024 that resulted in demonstrable mobile network performance improvements. Using D-Wave's annealing quantum computing solutions, NTT DOCOMO found that it can reduce congestion at base stations by decreasing paging signals during peak calling times by 15%, potentially leading to increased efficiencies and lower infrastructure costs. NTT DOCOMO's network signal optimization is now available throughout Japan, and the company is exploring new quantum use cases. Yonsei University and Incheon Metropolitan City: In June 2025, D-Wave announced a strategic relationship with Yonsei University and Incheon Metropolitan City to accelerate the exploration, adoption and usage of quantum computing in South Korea. Under terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the three organizations intend to work together to advance mutual research and talent development for quantum computing, provide access to D-Wave's quantum computing technology, and collaborate on development of use cases in biotechnology, materials science and other areas. In addition, the MOU facilitates the organizations' efforts towards the acquisition of a D-Wave Advantage2™ system at the Yonsei University International Campus in Songdo, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. 'Asia — and especially Japan — is becoming an important epicenter of quantum computing innovation, development and adoption,' said Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave. 'Japan is the birthplace of the original concept of quantum annealing, first proposed by Hidetoshi Nishimori and Tadashi Kadowaki. Fast forward nearly 30 years, and we're seeing first-hand how this powerful technology can address some of business's and science's most computationally complex problems. We're thrilled to bring together the quantum ecosystem for Qubits Japan 2025 to continue fostering this important dialogue in the region.' Qubits Japan 2025 will feature notable speakers including: Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave; Trevor Lanting, chief development officer of D-Wave; Hidetoshi Nishimori, professor emeritus at the Institute of Science Tokyo; Dr. Masaru Tateno, chief scientific officer (CSO) of Japan Tobacco's Pharmaceutical Research Center; Takumi Hattori, data scientist at NTT DOCOMO; and Masayuki Ohzeki, entrepreneur and professor at Tohoku University. To register for the in-person Qubits Japan 2025 event, visit: About D-Wave Quantum Inc. D-Wave is a leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems, software, and services. We are the world's first commercial supplier of quantum computers, and the only company building both annealing and gate-model quantum computers. Our mission is to help customers realize the value of quantum, today. Our quantum computers — the world's largest — feature QPUs with sub-second response times and can be deployed on-premises or accessed through our quantum cloud service, which offers 99.9% availability and uptime. More than 100 organizations trust D-Wave with their toughest computational challenges. With over 200 million problems submitted to our quantum systems to date, our customers apply our technology to address use cases spanning optimization, artificial intelligence, research and more. Learn more about realizing the value of quantum computing today and how we're shaping the quantum-driven industrial and societal advancements of tomorrow: Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements and may not be indicative of future results. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, among others, various factors beyond management's control, including the risks set forth under the heading 'Risk Factors' discussed under the caption 'Item 1A. Risk Factors' in Part I of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K or any updates discussed under the caption 'Item 1A. Risk Factors' in Part II of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the SEC. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release in making an investment decision, which are based on information available to us on the date hereof. We undertake no duty to update this information unless required by law.
