Phasecraft – a company led by top academics developing world-leading quantum algorithms – is opening its first international office in Washington.
The Bristol business is looking to gain access to some of the world’s top quantum talent and commercial opportunities.
Professor Steve Flammia, director of Virginia Tech’s Center for Quantum Architecture and former Principal Research Scientist at the AWS Center for Quantum Computing, is joining Phasecraft to lead the team in the US, a role he’ll hold alongside his position at VT.
Flammia is known as one of the world’s top quantum computing researchers, with over 20 years of experience and a focus on theoretical aspects of the field. He has published over 80 research papers with more than 10,000 citations.
Ashley Montanaro, co-founder and chief executive at Phasecraft, said: “We are thrilled that Steve is joining the Phasecraft team to lead our new US office and our work stateside. We have known Steve for around 20 years and have been great admirers of his work, which is why he was top of our list to be a part of our mission in the US. Having a US presence will allow us to tap into the country’s deep tech talent and deepen our relationships with the world’s top quantum hardware companies as part of our mission to reach practical quantum advantage.”
Professor Steve Flammia said: “I’m delighted to be joining the team at Phasecraft. Few companies have had such an impact in such a short period of time in the quantum algorithms space and it’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to support these efforts in the US. I can’t wait to get started and use my decades of research and development around getting the most out of noisy quantum computers to accelerate the timelines to reaching practical quantum advantage.”
Toby Cubitt, co-founder, CTO and Chief Science Officer at Phasecraft, said: “Having Steve on board and heading up our new US office is awesome for us at Phasecraft! It’s not only his extensive scientific track record and leadership experience. Steve is one of only a handful of scientists in the field who combine depth of theoretical research ability with the drive to put that theory work in practice on actual quantum hardware. He’s the ideal fit for Phasecraft’s mission: to get useful quantum applications running on near-term hardware, sooner than others believe possible.”
Founded in 2019 as a spinout from UCL and the University of Bristol, Phasecraft is developing quantum algorithms to the point of practical quantum advantage – when quantum computers outperform classical ones for useful real-world applications like developing new materials. The company is currently working on developing quantum algorithms for drug discovery, material discovery and logistics optimization.
The US is one of the world’s most advanced countries when it comes to quantum computing, thanks to years of sustained investment in the sector, including the National Quantum Initiative. It’s also the home of the highest-performance quantum computers in the world. Phasecraft, which tests and develops its record-breaking algorithms on some of the world’s most advanced superconducting quantum hardware from companies including Google, IBM, QuEra and Rigetti, will hire eight researchers in the US this year. This team will focus on reducing the requirements on quantum algorithms to achieve quantum advantage, including developing crucial new algorithm ideas and new theoretical technology to get the most out of near-term quantum hardware.
