TECHNOLOGY
Four companies to use Albuquerque鈥檚 quantum network
ABQ-Net, the first open-access quantum network in the US, attracting new companies to Downtown Albuquerque
Four quantum technology companies said Tuesday they will develop defense and other quantum innovations at ABQ-Net, the nation鈥檚 first open-access quantum network.
The network, created by a New York company called Qunnect, grew out of a $450 million state effort to build the state鈥檚 deep tech sector and attract quantum companies from across the world.
鈥淎BQ-Net is the connective tissue for New Mexico鈥檚 quantum ecosystem, connecting our national laboratories, colleges and universities, and technology companies,鈥� Secretary of Economic Development Rob Black said in a news release sent out by Qunnect Tuesday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e already seeing companies choose New Mexico because of ABQ-Net, which is exactly the kind of long-term return we hoped this investment would deliver for New Mexicans.鈥�
Named ABQ-Net, the network opened last year with the help of $25 million in funding from the state Economic Development Department to Roadrunner Ventures, which invests in deep tech companies. The network is located at 123 Central NW on a data center campus owned by bigbyte.cc Corp. Underground fiber optic cables connect the network between nodes at Qunnect鈥檚 Downtown Albuquerque office and the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a U.S. Department of Energy-funded facility operated by Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The idea behind Roadrunner鈥檚 quantum lab is to make available expensive quantum infrastructure including cryogenic systems to founders who could not otherwise build it. Atoms need delicate environments to achieve superposition as qubits, as opposed to bits in traditional computing. When in superposition, the atoms are a state of both zeros and ones simultaneously, unlocking powerful computing potential.
Infleqtion, a Colorado quantum technology company, will use ABQ-Net to 鈥渆xplore leveraging atomic clocks and entangled particles to demonstrate ultra precise, highly secure timing synchronization over networks,鈥� according to the release. Such technology could create innovations in the defense and finance sectors but could also help develop 6G telecommunications.
CEO of Infleqtion Matt Kinsella said in the release that use cases for the technology include missile defense systems.
Tensora, based in New York City, 鈥渨ill use the lab to develop quantum-inspired sensing technologies to detect subtle geological changes with unprecedented sensitivity,鈥� according to the release.
Another company that will use ABQ-Net is Aliro, which was developed at Harvard University and uses quantum-computing software for government and private-sector clients. It is backed by funding from Cisco Systems, the San Diego technology conglomerate, and the Irish global IT company, Accenture.
The fourth company signing on to use the network is Bandelier Technologies, a Santa Fe-based deep-tech company developing quantum radar and sensing technology that U.S. forces and allies can use in conflict zones 鈥� where enemies jam GPS satellite signals.
Noel Goddard, CEO of Qunnect, said in the release that ABQ-Net is also 鈥渓aying the foundation for securing New Mexico鈥檚 critical infrastructure.鈥�
Quantum technology companies recently warned lawmakers that so-called Q-Day is approaching in a few years. That is when quantum computers will become so powerful that they can break the encryption that currently protects our digital data.
In the release, Goddard said, 鈥淭he same technology that enables advanced research and innovation today will also help deliver a new generation of secure communications and resilient networks for governments, utilities, businesses, and communities in the years ahead.鈥�
Justin Horwath covers tech and energy for the Journal. He can be reached at jhorwath@abqjournal.com.
