Element Six Invests in Lightsynq, a New US Quantum Interconnect Company

Leveraging Element Six's pioneering synthetic diamond technology, Lightsynq is developing novel quantum interconnects to scale quantum computing

SANTA CLARA, Calif. and BOSTON, Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Element Six (E6) today announced investment into Lightsynq, a new US-based quantum interconnect company. Lightsynq is a new startup company founded by Harvard PhD's and former research leads at the AWS Center for Quantum Networking (CQN). Since 2015, Element Six had fostered a long-standing research collaboration with Lightsynq founders' team, then continued under the AWS CQN, with the aim to drive growth for these novel technologies.

In recent years, scientific research has focused on single, small-scale quantum computers to unlock higher processing capabilities. However, due to the technical challenges associated with scaling individual systems, including error rates and limited qubit numbers, this technology has not yet been widely deployed in real-world commercial applications. 

"E6's engineered materials will allow Lightsynq to build faster and more robust solutions to unlock several factors of computational capabilities in sectors such as chemistry and cybersecurity," said Siobhán Duffy, CEO of Element Six. "Leveraging over 70 years of technical leadership in diamond innovation and our advanced synthetic diamond manufacturing facility, based in Oregon, US, our investment in Lightsynq aligns with De Beers Group's 'Origins' strategy, which sees synthetic diamond solutions as a key enabler in today's and tomorrow's industrial applications."

While usually colourless, diamonds can be found in a range of colours in nature. In technological applications, different diamond colours are linked to different characteristics, including one which allows these engineered materials to act as a quantum memory chip. Thanks to the stability of their properties and the ability to interact with light, synthetic diamonds provide all the tools needed to create complex quantum connections.

"Diamond holds immense potential for quantum computing. It's important for Lightsynq to have a trusted strategic partner such as Element Six on board to put this technology to the test," said Dr Mihir Bhaskar, CEO and Co-Founder of Lightsynq. "Linking quantum computers is challenging because it requires entanglement to be shared across multiple systems. Additionally, entanglement is sensitive to noise and can be difficult or slow to transmit using conventional interconnect approaches. Element Six's synthetic diamond technology helps overcome these challenges, enhancing our ability to connect quantum computers and accelerate the timeline to useful quantum solutions."

About Element Six

Element Six, part of the De Beers Group, is a world-leader in the design, development and production of synthetic diamond advanced material solutions. The company operates worldwide with primary manufacturing facilities in US, UK, Ireland, Germany, and South Africa.

For over seventy years, Element Six has harnessed the extreme properties of synthetic diamond to open up new possibilities in areas such as photonics, acoustics, power transmission, water treatment, thermal management and sensors. The company's advanced material solutions are used in a wide range of applications across multiple industries including manufacturing in the automotive and consumer electronics industries, cutting and drilling in the oil and gas industry, and in components for mining, road, construction and agriculture applications.

About Lightsynq:            
Lightsynq is a quantum interconnect company developing technology to link quantum computers, addressing key challenges related to qubit scaling.

Founded by Harvard quantum networking experts and former AWS research leads Dr. Mihir Bhaskar (CEO), Dr. Bart Machielse (CTO) and Dr. David Levonian (CPO), Lightsynq's mission is to develop the world's best optical quantum interconnects, enabling hardware providers to link quantum processors and overcome the limitations of single-system scaling.

SOURCE Element Six