UCD spin-out Equal1 signs quantum computing deal with NVIDIA

Posted 1 October, 2024

_{Pauline Mulligan, Assistant Secretary, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, Jason Lynch, CEO, Equal 1, Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Sam Stanwyck, Director of Quantum, NVIDIA and Shilpa Kolhatkar, Global Head AI Nations, NVIDIA}

• Memorandum of Understanding signed to collaborate on quantum technology use cases, business models and proof of concept.

Chip giant NVIDIA has agreed to collaborate on quantum technology with (opens in a new window)Equal1, a University College Dublin spin-out company and a leader in silicon powered quantum computing, work together on furthering quantum computing.

The agreement includes working together on quantum technology use cases, business models and proof of concept, with a particular focus on the integration and validation of quantum-classical infrastructure for cloud and data centre deployments.

This collaboration combines Equal1’s world-leading hybrid silicon classical quantum hardware, and its UnityQ quantum system on chip with NVIDIA’s pioneering CUDA-Q quantum software platform.

“We see NVIDIA CUDA-Q as a leading hybrid quantum classical software platform, and we are delighted to collaborate with NVIDIA as we extend our support for and integration with CUDA-Q,” said Jason Lynch, CEO, Equal1.  

“We are particularly excited about the opportunity this presents to work with joint customers who see the potential of hybrid quantum classical silicon compute to deliver scalable quantum computing.”

The MoU collaboration was announced at NVIDIA’s headquarters in Silicon Valley as part of an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to the West Coast of the USA, led by Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland said that the agreement between NVIDIA and Equal1 “has the potential to unlock major technological advances”.

 “Equal1 is a pioneering company that is revolutionising industries with its cutting-edge quantum computing technology. Enterprise Ireland has supported Equal1 from the start of their journey and I was delighted to witness this very significant milestone.” 

Equal1 was founded by Dirk Leipold, Mike Asker and (opens in a new window)Professor R. Bogdan Staszewski as a spin-out from the UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

At the forefront of driving advancements in the field of quantum and shaping the future of computing, the company’s world-class team, with offices at NexusUCD in Dublin, and in the US, Canada, Romania, and the Netherlands, combines quantum expertise with a proven track record of commercialising successful silicon products.

Equal1 is supported by funding from Atlantic Bridge, Matterwave Ventures, Enterprise Ireland, European Innovation Council and 808 Ventures. 

By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations (with materials from Micéal Whelan, UCD Research and Innovation)

To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie