Eastleigh-based Aquark Applied sciences, innovators in miniaturising deployable sensing and timing applied sciences based mostly on chilly atoms, as we speak introduced it has been awarded a €1.6 million (£1.4 million) contract by Innovate UK.
The contract will facilitate the long run deployment of Aquark’s chilly atom-based atomic clock, AQlock, at a significant telecommunications web site within the UK. NPL and Purbrook are subcontractors on the mission, which is able to run till the top of March 2026.
“It is important that we defend our telecoms – not only for the advantage of each day civilian life, but in addition for our nationwide safety and financial system. It’s subsequently an honour to work alongside Innovate UK to deliver this mission to life,” mentioned Alexander Jantzen, COO and co-founder of Aquark Applied sciences.
In response to EU-Startups protection, there was related sector funding energetic throughout the continent.
Within the Netherlands, QT Sense raised €6 million to advance its quantum-sensing platform for biomedical functions. Throughout the UK, Zero Level Movement secured €4.7 million in pre-Sequence A funding to develop ultra-sensitive inertial sensors for navigation, whereas QFX raised €2.2 million to increase its modular quantum {hardware} platform.
Within the adjoining quantum computing area, Phasecraft accomplished a €29 million Sequence B to speed up algorithmic improvement.
Aquark’s government-backed contract subsequently enhances this sample of private and non-private funding geared toward strengthening the UK’s and Europe’s management in sensible, deployable quantum applied sciences.
“With AQlock 2, we’ll scale back the UK’s reliance on satellite tv for pc indicators which might be susceptible to jamming, spoofing, photo voltaic storms and extra. It will assist defend hundreds of thousands from the ability outages, emergency providers and provide chain disruption our networks are susceptible to as we speak, in addition to handle the massive financial losses that may happen because of this,” added Jantzen.
Based in 2021, Aquark Applied sciences builds and delivers the “world’s smallest and most deployable” chilly atom quantum {hardware} to boost accuracy, precision, and stability in vital trade operations.
Constructing on deep information in quantum, vacuum engineering, micro-fabrication and photonics, Aquark is devoted to delivering strong, compact, and energy-efficient quantum {hardware}, and to creating quantum units extra accessible and reasonably priced, prepared to be used exterior managed lab environments in on a regular basis functions.
AQlock allows distributed, GNSS-independent positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). Because the mission’s lead contractor, Innovate UK is supporting Aquark to show the product’s industrial readiness and showcase its functionality to boost the UK’s nationwide vital infrastructure, together with nationwide community efficiency.
Innovate UK chosen Aquark following its utility for the aggressive Contract for Innovation: Quantum Sensors and PNT Missions Primer. The collaboration follows a number of profitable trials by Aquark with the Nationwide Bodily Laboratory (NPL) and the Royal Navy, in addition to earlier contracts with Innovate UK and a latest €2.1 million (£1.9 million) Future Leaders’ Fellowship.
Crucial infrastructure, together with navigation methods, information networks, communications, and energy distribution centres, require exact timing and sensor methods which might be compact, transportable, and strong.
In response to the corporate, the methods at the moment out there to fulfill these calls for are pricey, exhausting to combine, and rely too closely on many complicated parts and fragile provide chains. Aquark’s newest contract with Innovate UK is subsequently a step in the direction of stopping the estimated £1 billion each day financial losses related to GNSS outages and contributes to the UK’s Nationwide Quantum Technique objective to construct quantum-powered infrastructure unbiased of satellite tv for pc indicators.
The corporate outlines that this mission will ship extra strong telecommunications networks for hundreds of thousands throughout the UK, strengthening nationwide infrastructure and solidifying the UK’s place as a frontrunner in scalable quantum sensing options.
