{"id":15718,"date":"2024-09-23T12:00:34","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T12:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1410475"},"modified":"2024-09-23T12:00:34","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T12:00:34","slug":"milan-startup-opens-world-first-production-facility-for-glass-based-quantum-photonic-chips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=15718","title":{"rendered":"Milan startup opens world-first production facility for glass-based quantum photonic chips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>NATO-backed Ephos announced today the opening of a production facility dedicated to glass-based quantum photonic chips \u2014 a world first, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/topic\/startup-company\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">startup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>These chips can power quantum applications in computing, sensing, and communications, as well as improve the performance of classical computing.<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 2022, Ephos has developed a proprietary manufacturing process that enables it to move away from silicon and build photonic chips with glass substrates \u2014 the same material used in optical fibres.<\/p>\n<p>Photonic chips use photons (simplified, these are tiny light particles) to carry and process information. They also rely on optical fibres to enable connections with other optical in-chip components, or to interface with devices such as sensors.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper channel-cta\">\n<div class=\"ica-text\" readability=\"0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/conference\/tickets?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=display&amp;utm_campaign=global_tnw_media_event-registration_retargeting_offer_2025-tnw-conference-amsterdam_TNW\" data-event-category=\"Article\" data-event-action=\"In Article Block\" data-event-label=\"Back to Business with TNW Conference\" target=\"_blank\" readability=\"5\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ica-text__title\">Back to Business with TNW Conference<\/p>\n<p>Time to set your goals and budget for the coming year! Get 2 tickets now and save \u20ac\u20ac\u20ac on this Super EarlyBird rate. Limited offer.<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201c[We build on] the same material used in optical fibres because light transmission is most efficient within a single material,\u201d Andrea Rocchetto, co-founder and CEO at Ephos, told TNW.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy computing on the same substrate that light travels through, we minimise signal loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1410482 size-featured_img js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/09\/Headshot-796x531.jpeg\" alt=\"Andrea Rocchetto, co-founder and CEO of Ephos \" width=\"796\" height=\"531\"><figcaption>Andrea Rocchetto, co-founder and CEO of Ephos. Source: Ephos<\/figcaption><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1410482 size-featured_img\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/09\/Headshot-796x531.jpeg\" alt=\"Andrea Rocchetto, co-founder and CEO of Ephos \" width=\"796\" height=\"531\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>Signal loss represents a major challenge in building <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/topic\/quantum-computers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quantum computers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cQuantum information, such as that encoded in photons, cannot be copied,\u201d Rocchetto said. \u201cTherefore, whenever a signal is lost at a too high rate it will make the quantum computer inoperable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to Rocchetto, the startup\u2019s technology reduces signal loss by 20 times per chip facet compared to industry standards for photonic chips.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd because in a modular architecture, the number of chips can be very significant, the total advantage conferred by Ephos\u2019 chips can ultimately increase by orders of magnitude,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2>Full control over production process<\/h2>\n<p>Ephos is building its chips entirely in-house, which Rocchetto described as \u201ca unique advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur new facility makes Ephos one of the very few quantum hardware companies that fully control their fabrication process. \u201c<\/p>\n<p>The startup\u2019s supply chain is also based entirely in the EU and the US.<\/p>\n<p>Ephos\u2019 focus on a <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/key-technologies-eu-wants-to-keep-from-china\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">strategic technology<\/a> like quantum combined with the ability to manufacture it in the West has, naturally, attracted the interest of NATO.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, the company joined the first cohort of NATO\u2019s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). In September this year, it also received \u20ac450,000 non-dilutive funding as part of the programme.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative supports companies developing dual-use technologies \u2014 those that can have both civilian and military applications. Quantum is one of them, poised to enable advanced sensing and communication systems for defence and security.<\/p>\n<p>Ephos\u2019 alignment with DIANA\u2019s mission lies in \u201cbuilding the essential infrastructure for the future of computing,\u201d Rocchetto said.<\/p>\n<h2>$8.5mn in new funding<\/h2>\n<p>The startup also announced today that it has raised $8.5mn in seed <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/topic\/funding\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">funding<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The capital has helped accelerate the launch of its new manufacturing facility, located at the Milano Innovation District (MIND). It will also support the operation and expansion of its team in San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p>US-based Starlight Ventures led the funding round. The investment also saw participation from a series of VC firms such as Collaborative Fund and Exor Ventures, as well as angel investors Joe Zadeh (former vice president at Airbnb) and Diego Piacentini (former senior vice president at Amazon).<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/milan-startup-world-first-production-glass-based-quantum-photonic-chips\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NATO-backed Ephos announced today the opening of a production facility dedicated to glass-based quantum photonic chips \u2014 a world first, according to the startup. These chips can power quantum applications in computing,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15718"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}