We want to help our customers to do things which have never been achieved before, from enabling life-changing drug discoveries to developing new battery technologies.
Founded in June 2017 by Dr Peter Leek, OQC developed its first technology at the University of Oxford and its world-leading physics department.
Oxford is home to the UK’s Quantum Computing & Simulation Hub where Dr Leek heads the UK’s Superconducting Quantum Computing development.
There he developed OQC’s core IP – the Coaxmon – a quantum bit (qubit) developed from first principles with commercial scalability in mind and liberated from the constraints of 2D technology.
Resolute to lead the quantum revolution and develop the first commercial quantum computer in the UK, OQC spun-out of the University of Oxford, raising an initial Seed of £2M.
Dr Ilana Wisby is the Founding CEO of OQC. Her academic background, having gained a PhD in quantum physics, as well as her previous experiences building start-ups from the ground up and working on deep-tech made her the best candidate to lead the company to the next level. Under her leadership, we’ve built out our core team – crossing academia with industry, and set up the UK’s most advanced quantum computer to date.
We’ve now chosen a forward-looking business approach to commercialise our technology. We call it “build the core and partner with the best”. It’s already yielding deeply valuable alliances in the industry and it will ensure that our devices are at the heart of tomorrow’s quantum revolution.
Quantum computers are a new generation of problem solving machines. They are not just very small (or faster, or better) computers – rather, they operate according to completely new rules. This new kind of computing will make entirely new forms of information processing possible.
What we’re talking about is a paradigm shift – the quantum shift. Whilst we can’t predict its exact ramifications, we know that its results will be revolutionary, far-reaching and incredibly lucrative for some. Current estimates of the quantum market’s future vary, but some anticipate an overall market of $10bn within the next five years (BCG).
Quantum computers will allow our customers to streamline their businesses, trailblaze new approaches, and solve some of humanity’s greatest problems, from slowing down climate changes to feeding a rapidly growing population. This is not rose-tinted utopianism. It is a scientific consensus.
At OQC, we want to accelerate the impact of quantum computing. We want to use the power of quantum to do things which have never been achieved before, from enabling life-changing drug discovery to powering new battery technology.
One anticipated result is known as quantum optimisation: business decisions that rely on modelling will, in a quantum-enabled world, come to count on more thorough modelling, resulting in better decision making. This will help the pharmaceutical companies predict health conditions, and identify new molecules. This can also help financial institutions with their trading and risk management strategies.
Another result is known as the quantum speedup—modelling and calculating much faster than previously possible, resulting in potentially massive savings and new efficiencies. Multinational companies will soon be using quantum-enabled fleet logistics and manufacturing optimization.
The capacity of quantum computing to power-up AI is being investigated by companies and institutions all over the world, and OQC’s technology will enable these algorithms to be put to practical use.
The possibilities opened-up by quantum computing seem unlimited and it is still difficult to fully comprehend the implications of the revolution to come. But thanks to our world-class team and successes to date, OQC will take a leading role in the quantum leap.
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