26 November 2024
Oxford Ionics awarded Business Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics (IOP)
The company received the award last night during a reception at the Palace of Westminster attended by members of the IOP and senior UK policymakers.
OXFORD, 26th November, 2024: Oxford Ionics, a world leader in trapped-ion quantum computing, today announced it has won a Business Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics (IOP). The company received the award last night during a reception at the Palace of Westminster attended by members of the IOP and senior UK policymakers.
Hosted annually since 2012, the IOP Business Awards honours the significant contributions that physics and physicists make in industry across a wide variety of sectors – including quantum computing, meteorology, aerospace, energy, and defence. The Business Innovation Award celebrates organisations who have excelled in innovation through the application of physics to groundbreaking products or services.
Oxford Ionics was recgonised for its pioneering approach to building powerful quantum computers. The company uses a proprietary technology, ‘Electronic Qubit Control’, which uses electronics instead of lasers to control its qubits. With this innovation, Oxford Ionics can unlock world-leading quantum performance on chips that can be manufactured at scale via standard semiconductor production lines.
This approach has yielded the highest performing quantum platform in the world. In 2024, Oxford Ionics set the world records in the three most important metrics of quantum computing performance: single-qubit gate fidelity, two-qubit gate fidelity, and quantum state preparation and measurement (SPAM). Its customers include the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) and Germany’s Cyberagentur.
Dr Chris Ballance, co-founder and CEO, commented: “Building powerful quantum computers requires integrating novel physics with world-leading engineering innovation. This award is a testament to our pioneering approach to this challenge. We are honoured to be recognised by the Institute of Physics for these efforts, alongside other innovative UK companies that are applying physics to some of the biggest challenges facing our world today.”
About Oxford Ionics
Oxford Ionics was co-founded in 2019 by Dr Tom Harty and Dr Chris Ballance who both hold world records in quantum breakthroughs. The team includes 60 global experts across physics, quantum architecture, engineering and software and expects to triple headcount over the next 18 months as the business scales internationally. Oxford Ionics has raised £37 million to date with investors including Braavos, OSE, Lansdowne Partners, Prosus Ventures, 2xN, and Hermann Hauser (founder of chip giant ARM). In 2024, Oxford Ionics rapidly commercialised its technology, selling full-stack quantum computers to the UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) and Germany’s Cyberagentur. The company also holds the world records in the three most important metrics for quantum performance: single- and two-qubit gate fidelity and quantum state preparation and measurement (SPAM). For more information, visit our website www.oxionics.com