Page 22 - Winter 2026

Industry News
NU QUANTUM OPENS
TRAPPED-ION NETWORKING
LABORATORY IN CAMBRIDGE
Nu Quantum has opened a new trapped-ion
quantum networking laboratory in Cambridge,
significantly expanding its research infrastructure. creation of high-performance entanglement links
It will support the development and testing of
technologies that allow multiple quantum processors
to be interconnected into a single computing system.
The achievement of practical large-scale quantum
computing is dependent on the ability to scale
beyond individual processors and Nu Quantum’s
approach involves linking separate quantum
processors into a modular, distributed architecture.
At the centre of the facility is a multi-node networking
testbed in which Nu Quantum will demonstrate
its Qubit-Photon Interface, or QPI, using trapped-
ion qubits. This is designed to connect clusters of
commercial quantum processors using a scalable
photonic network, enabling entanglement to be
shared between qubits located in different physical
nodes.
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The interfaces combine optical microcavity
technology with custom-built ion traps, allowing the
between remote qubits. This is intended to exceed the
performance of current demonstrations of remote
quantum entanglement.
Nu Quantum’s QPI hardware forms part of its broader
Entanglement Fabric Technology roadmap, which
aims to establish a robust photonic networking layer
for modular quantum computers. The work builds on
expertise in optical microcavity mirror fabrication,
new entanglement protocols and a systems level
approach to distributed quantum computing.
In 2024 the company announced its first Qubit-
Photon Interface as part of an Innovate UK project
with partner Infleqtion.
Dr. Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Founder and Chief
Executive of Nu Quantum, states:
“ The opening of our new laboratory is a huge
milestone as it constitutes the first dedicated
industrial R and D facility for trapped-ion distributed
quantum computing in the UK and Europe. This
state-of-the-art laboratory will accelerate our
roadmap to enabling interconnected quantum
computing architectures “.
Dr. Claire Le Gall, Vice-president of Technology for Nu
Quantum, adds:
“ After years of R and D achieving unprecedented
cavity performance for fast, efficient quantum
networking, we are now preparing to test one of
our core technologies in-house with trapped-ion
qubits “.
Reference: Tyler, N., New Electronics, 10th. February.
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Industry News
UTILISING SPIN LOSS FOR
MAGNETIC CONTROL
Scientists at the Korea Institute
of Science and Technology
Semiconductor Technology
Research Centre, in collaboration
with Yonsei University, have
devised a method to transform
‘spin loss’, previously viewed as a
form of energy waste, into a power
source for magnetic control.
Spintronics, which exploits the spin
property of electrons to process
and store data, is potentially a key
enabler for next generation information Testing showed that the greater the spin loss, the less
technologies such as ultra-low-power memory, external power was needed to induce magnetisation
neuromorphic chips and stochastic computing switching. this yielded energy efficiencies up to three
devices, and this new development is envisaged to times greater than with conventional techniques,
significantly enhance the performance and energy without recourse to complex materials and
efficiency of spintronic devices. architectures.
The breakthrough centres around the identification The simplicity of the device structure ensures
of a previously unknown physical phenomenon that compatibility with standard semiconductor
allows magnetic materials to spontaneously switch manufacturing processes and harnessing spin loss
their internal magnetisation direction without an for magnetic control is expected to accelerate the
external stimulus, which is important for modern data development of compact, energy efficient computing
processing. hardware, for example for AI and Edge applications.
Information is represented by the orientation of Dr. Dong-Soo Han, a senior researcher at the Korea
magnetisation, that is upward for 1 and downward for Institute of Science and Technology, explains:
zero. Reversing this direction has previously required
a strong current to align electron spins within the “ Until now, the field of spintronics has focused only
on reducing spin losses, but we have presented
material, and it has been hindered by spin loss, that is
a new direction by using the losses as energy
the dissipation of electron spin before it reaches the
to induce magnetisation switching. We plan to
magnet. The result is wasted energy and inefficiency.
actively develop ultra-small and low-power AI
What has been found is that spin loss could, in theory, semiconductor devices, as they can serve as the
be used to drive the magnetisation switching, with basis for ultra-low-power computing technologies
that are essential in the AI era “.
‘wasted energy’ now being used to power the desired
magnetic transformation. Reference: Hookway, P., ‘Turning Loss into Power: Researchers redefine
Spintronics Efficiency’, Electronic Specifier, 27th. October.
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