In-Q-Tel, the intelligence community’s venture capital arm, has made a strategic investment in Sydney-based control engineering software provider Q-CTRL to help the latter speed up the development of quantum technology platforms in support of national security missions.
“Q-CTRL focuses on building the foundational software that will lead to the advent of effective quantum technologies more quickly,” Mike Ferrari, managing director and co-head of IQT’s Australian office, said in a statement published Tuesday.
“We see the company as a key strategic partner to guide efforts towards suitable applications of effective quantum technologies to efficiently solve mission-critical and computationally demanding problems,” Ferrari added.
Q-CTRL has started applying its tech platforms and related tools to quantum-enhanced sensing to help improve standoff detection and precision navigation and timing for aerospace and defense.
Q-CTRL is a venture capital-backed firm with headquarters in Sydney and Los Angeles. The company was founded by CEO Michael Biercuk, a professor of quantum physics and quantum technology at the University of Sydney, in November 2017.
