First photonic quantum system installed in a UK public sector facility
Quantum computing company Orca has completed the installation of its PT-2 photonic quantum computer at the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC).
It is the first photonic quantum system installed in the UK public sector, with Orca stating that the machine was powered up and operational within thirty-six hours.
Launched in October 2024, the PT-2 has been designed to integrate with existing high-performance computing (HPC) and data center environments, with the company saying at the time it represented a “significant leap” forward in practical quantum computing.
The PT-2 can be integrated with Nvidia’s CUDA-Q development platform and combined with existing generative AI models to support industrial-scale quantum AI.
Orca said that in early demonstrations, customers have executed an 81-parameter binary optimization task, benchmarked quantum/classical generative AI models for molecular chemistry, and successfully completed over 25,000 uninterrupted jobs.
“The installation of Orca’s photonic quantum testbed at the NQCC marks an important step toward realising the UK’s ambition of becoming a global leader in quantum computing,” stated Dr. Simon Plant, deputy director for innovation at the NQCC.
“By enabling early-stage access to advanced photonic technologies, we are helping to accelerate innovation and shape the future landscape of quantum applications.”
Richard Murray, CEO and co-founder of Orca Computing, added: “This is a major milestone in Orca’s mission to deliver practical quantum computing. We're proud to support the NQCC’s vision to accelerate quantum readiness across the UK. This delivery reflects the reliability, scalability as well as the maturity of our PT Series system.”
Also this week, Orca announced it was partnering with Vodafone to use quantum technologies to identify the fastest and most cost-effective ways of upgrading and extending fixed and mobile broadband connections.
In a statement, Vodafone said it will run its software on an Orca PT-2 system, enhancing current mathematical methods used to approximate optimal network layouts. One example solution the telco said could emerge from the partnership was the optimization of the location of mobile base stations to maximize speed and minimize major civil engineering work.
Founded in 2019 as a spin-out from Oxford University, Orca Computing is a UK-based photonic quantum computing company. In June 2024, the company announced it would lead an R&D consortium to develop network multiplexing and switching technologies for use in quantum computing and data centers.
Opened in October 2024, the NQCC is the UK's national lab for quantum computing, jointly delivered by two research councils within UK Research and Innovation – the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
The 4,000 sqm (43,056 sq ft) facility in Harwell in the UK will eventually house 12 quantum computers, providing industry, academia, and other sectors with open access to quantum computing platforms.
