Paris-based Welinq picks €5 million in funding to scale up quantum internet

Welinq, a startup with headquarters in Paris that uses quantum memory technology to scale up quantum computing and enable the deployment of a quantum internet, has raised €5 million in funding.

With involvement from Runa Capital of Luxembourg, the Paris Region, the French National Quantum Initiative, the French Banque Publique d’Investissement (BPI), and the European Commission, Quantonation, the first venture capital fund devoted to quantum technology, led the pre-seed round.

The team wants to use the funds generated to commercially release its first product, a very powerful quantum memory, in infrastructures for quantum computing and quantum communication. In essence, French quantum technology is aiming to implement the most effective quantum memories at industrial standards in infrastructures for quantum computing and quantum communication.

Quantum information can be stored and released on demand using Welinq’s quantum memory without affecting the information’s essential properties. By utilizing laser-cooled neutral-atom technology, the team has achieved a qubit fidelity of 99% while maintaining a storage-and-retrieval efficiency of 90% (a measure of how much of the information is kept through the process without being lost on the way).

The group is currently developing its first item, a highly efficient quantum memory that can be transported, deployed, and included in infrastructures for quantum computing and communication.

The two prestigious French laboratories that gave rise to the Welinq technologies are the Laboratoire d’Informatique de Sorbonne Université (LIP6), a synergistic, multidisciplinary research center and France’s largest laboratory in computer science, and the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel (LKB), a key player in fundamental physics of quantum systems. They have collectively received five CNRS Gold Medals and three Nobel Prizes.

The essential missing hardware for the scaling up of quantum technologies has been discovered today as being quantum memories. If we want these devices to have a significant impact on industry and society, they must not only be introduced to the market as soon as possible but also demonstrate extraordinarily high performance and robustness, according to Tom Darras, CEO, and co-founder of Welinq.

Tom Darras continued, “We are pleased to have investors who have deep experience in quantum technologies join us in this initiative and who share our objectives for the future of quantum technology.

“At Quantonation, we think that the creation of effective quantum interconnects is a cornerstone for the entire quantum infrastructure and a way to quicken the development of practical applications. The founding team possesses ground-breaking knowledge and a plan for making a difference. The beginning of this journey with Welinq excites us, adds Quantonation partner Christophe Jurczak.

“When I initially met Welinq’s team, I was quite impressed by their unique technology and the significant influence that it can have on quantum computing scale-up,” adds Dmitry Galperin, a General Partner at Runa Capital based in Berlin. We are pleased to support this starting team, which unites people from different backgrounds and holds a strong vision for the development of quantum interconnects.

A firm called Welinq was founded in 2022 to make it simpler to connect quantum computers remotely while preserving their unique features. This would make it possible for scientists to construct quantum systems that are far larger without encountering any issues.

Tom, Julien Laurat, Eleni Diamanti, and Jean Lautier-Gaud—who had previously worked together in their academic careers—decided to work together and form Welinq to address the scaling-up of quantum computing.

Interconnects immediately became crystal evident to them as the key element of long-distance quantum information networks and a special technique to scale up quantum computing beyond the thousands of qubit range.

Image Credit: Welinq