Nu Quantum Introduced World’s First Quantum Networking Unit
Nu Quantum
Nu Quantum Introduces Dynamic Entanglement Quantum Networking Unit
British company Nu Quantum unveils the first Quantum Networking Unit. This might lead to modular, scalable quantum data centres, like Cisco's routers opened the internet. From theory to reality, quantum scale-out is here.
This week marked a major step towards building a large-scale quantum computer that can solve issues beyond supercomputers. British business Nu Quantum introduced the first Quantum Networking Unit (QNU) to industrially and reliably connect quantum processors for datacenters.
 Qubits, not bits, make the QNU the quantum equivalent of an internet router or switch. Connecting numerous quantum processors will build a distributed quantum computer that is far more powerful than its parts. Similar to Google, Microsoft, and Amazon server rooms, this 19-inch rack-mounted, air-cooled QNU is adapted for quantum information and designed for datacenter deployment.
Scaling quantum computers is a major technical challenge, therefore this development is significant. Quantum computers use qubits to decipher cryptography, mimic medication research, and improve logistics. Qubits are sensitive to heat, radiation, and electromagnetic noise, making coherence harder to maintain.
Dr Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Nu Quantum's founder and CEO, says networking quantum computers is essential for commercial scale. The QNU overcomes this gap by providing a quantum network layer that lets several quantum processors work together.
The QNU's major components are the quantum photonics-based Real-Time Network Orchestrator and Dynamic Entangler. The Dynamic Entangler connects qubits across machines by creating “entanglement,” a phenomenon in which one particle swiftly impacts another even at a distance. The Real-Time Network Orchestrator ensures this process is fast, error-free, and reliable for corporate use.
At Nu Quantum, entanglement fidelities can reach 99.7%, latency 300 nanoseconds, and error rates below 0.3%. The unit connects four trapped-ion quantum computers and can be upgraded to incorporate superconducting or photonic qubits.
Before previously, quantum networks were primarily experimental, with lab demonstrations of delicate topologies. Like Cisco's first internet routers, Nu Quantum's QNU is the first attempt to commercialise this notion into a rack-mountable industrial device. Nu Quantum board member and quantum veteran Dr. Bob Sutor said networking smaller devices is necessary to build large, powerful quantum computing systems.
Nu Quantum faces global competition from China, the US (IBM, Google, PsiQuantum), the EU, and the UK (which announced its National Quantum Strategy in 2023 with a ÂŁ2.5 billion investment). Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory spin-off Nu Quantum has raised ÂŁ8.5 million in private investment with SBRI support. Nu Quantum is the first to claim that it has a fully commercialised networking unit ready for usage in real systems. Delft University of Technology has displayed quantum internet links.
The QNU is a “product prototype” for Nu Quantum's multi-node testbed. Next stages include testing larger networks, improving timing synchronisation with CERN's White Rabbit precision timing technology, and working with quantum processor manufacturers. Error-corrected, fault-tolerant quantum computers may require millions of qubits with extremely low error rates.
However, Nu Quantum believes it can connect smaller machines to form large-scale quantum systems, similar to how cloud computing became ordinary servers data processing giants.
