Described as a key technology breakthrough that will enable real-time entanglement distribution across quantum datacentres, the QNU has been designed to be scalable, modular, and ready for real-world deployment. It marks a critical step in moving quantum networking from lab demonstrations to commercial infrastructure.
At the heart of a distributed quantum computing system, the QNU handles entanglement links between multiple quantum processors, enabling them to operate coherently as one, more powerful computer. This modular, networked approach enables quantum systems to scale beyond the physical limits of individual devices.
Developed under the UK Government’s Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), the QNU is set to be deployed in Nu Quantum’s multi-node quantum networking testbed, aligned with the next phase of its technical roadmap.
Nu Quantum’s QNU product-prototype is designed to entangle a cluster of four trapped-ion quantum processors. The system’s optical performance supports the generation of high-fidelity and high-rate entanglement between interconnected processors, meeting the requirements of near-term distributed quantum computing systems.
The QNU is a market-first industrialised instantiation of two essential parts of the distributed quantum computing Stack: creating high-fidelity entanglement and time-synchronised control-plane orchestration, respectively.
The photonic dynamic entangler system enables the creation of real-time heralded entanglement between photons from any two nodes, in a dynamically reconfigurable manner thanks to sub-microsecond circuit switching. With less than 3x10-3 Bell-state measurement error introduced by the optical path, the QNU hardware can deliver a maximum of 99.7% entanglement fidelity between remote qubits - supporting both high fidelity and high success probabilities.
The QNU features the first industrialised real-time quantum network orchestrator, delivering 300 ns control latency, synchronisation over datacentre length scales and supporting MHz entanglement attempt rate.
In parallel, Nu Quantum has also built a scalable control architecture for distributed timing and feed-forward and is collaborating with CERN to integrate CERN-born White Rabbit technology into the QNU to enable improved timing synchronisation. This level of sub-nanosecond timing precision is critical to ensure reliable entanglement distribution across multiple nodes, a key requirement for modular architectures and scaling quantum computing networks to data centre-scale.
The launch of the QNU complements last year’s announcement of the Qubit-Photon Interface for coupling qubits with photonic networks. Together, they are an architectural solution for distributed quantum computing, and a step towards a ‘quantum network layer’, where remote entanglement between discrete quantum processors is subsumed into an abstracted layer of the quantum computing stack.
The QNU separates the control and orchestration planes from the optical plane into distinct modules, connected by a well-defined interface. This modular architecture allows the optics module to be swapped out to support different qubit types, network scales and applications, providing compatibility with upgrades and customisations, which may include a range of channel count and custom wavelength options.
The QNU is a complete stand-alone system ready for integration with qubits and is 19’’ rack mounted, air-cooled and datacentre ready.
Nu Quantum worked closely with potential customers from across the quantum computing stack to gather technical feedback on commercial and deployment requirements such as datacentre-compatibility.
With the launch of its product-prototype QNU, Nu Quantum is delivering a foundational building-block for this vision - demonstrating the maturity of the technology and enabling real-world quantum connectivity beyond the confines of the lab.
Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Founder and CEO of Nu Quantum, said: “This launch marks a significant step forward in the maturity of quantum networking technology. With our Quantum Networking Unit positioned at the heart of modular quantum architectures, we’re moving quantum networking from academic research to practical, datacentre-ready deployment. Our focus now is on working closely with partners and customers to build scalable, modular quantum systems that deliver real commercial value.”
