Rigetti Computing
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Quantum computing |
| Founded | 2013  |
| Founder | Chad Rigetti |
| Headquarters | Berkeley, California, United States |
Key people | Chad Rigetti, CEO |
| Products | Quantum integrated circuits Forest quantum computing software |
| Website | rigetti.com |
Rigetti Computing is a Berkeley, California-based developer of quantum integrated circuits used for quantum computers. The company also develops a cloud platform called Forest that enables programmers to write quantum algorithms.[1]
History
Rigetti Computing was founded in 2013 by Chad Rigetti, a physicist who previously worked on quantum computers at IBM, and studied under noted Yale quantum scientist Michel Devoret.[1][2] The company emerged from startup incubator Y Combinator in 2014 as a so-called "spaceshot" company.[3][4] The company also went through enterprise revenue-focused The Alchemist Accelerator in 2014.[4]
By February 2016, the company had begun testing a three-qubit (quantum bit) chip made using aluminum circuits on a silicon wafer.[5] In March, the company raised Series A funding of USD$24 million in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz. In November, the company raised Series B funding of $40 million in a round led by investment firm Vy Capital, along with additional funding from Andreessen Horowitz and other investors. Y Combinator was a smaller investor in both rounds.[4]
By Spring of 2017, the company was testing eight-qubit computers,[2] and in June, the company announced the public beta availability of a quantum cloud computing platform called Forest 1.0, which allows developers to write quantum algorithms.[1]
Products and technology
Rigetti Computing is a full-stack quantum computing company, a term that indicates that the company designs and fabricates quantum chips, integrates them with a controlling architecture, and develops software for programmers to use to build algorithms for the chips.[6]
Forest cloud computing platform
The company hosts a cloud computing platform called Forest, which gives developers access to quantum processors so they can write quantum algorithms for testing purposes. The computing platform is based on a custom instruction language the company developed called Quil, which stands for Quantum Instruction Language. Quil facilitates hybrid quantum/classical computing, and programs can be built and executed using open source Python tools.[6][7] As of June 2017, the platform allows coders to write quantum algorithms for a simulation of a quantum chip with 36 qubits.[1]
Fab-1
The company operates a rapid prototyping fabrication ("fab") lab called Fab-1, designed to quickly create integrated circuits. Lab engineers design and generate experimental designs for 3D-integrated quantum circuits for qubit-based quantum hardware.[6]
Recognition
The company was recognized by X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis as being one of the three leaders in the quantum computing space, along with IBM and Google.[8] MIT Technology Review named the company one of the 50 smartest companies of 2017.[9]
Locations
Rigetti Computing is headquartered in Berkeley, California, where it hosts developmental systems and cooling equipment.[8] The company also operates its Fab-1 manufacturing facility in nearby Fremont.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "The Quantum Computer Factory That's Taking on Google and IBM". wired.com. 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ a b "A quantum leap of faith" (PDF). uregina.com. 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "11 startups to watch from Y Combinator's Demo Day". bizjournals.com. Silicon Valley Business Journal. 2014-08-20. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ a b c "Y Combinator's quantum computing 'spaceshot' scores $64M from A16Z, others". bizjournals.com. Silicon Valley Business Journal. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "The Tiny Startup Racing Google to Build a Quantum Computing Chip". technologyreview.com. 2016-02-08. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ a b c "Rigetti Launches Full-Stack Quantum Computing Service and Quantum IC Fab". ieee.org. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "Welcome to pyQuil!". readthedocs.io. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ a b "Massive Disruption Is Coming With Quantum Computing". singularityhub.com. 2010-10-16. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
- ^ "50 Smartest Companies 2017". technologyreview.com. Retrieved 2017-07-20.