“We’re not here running a business to make a quick buck – we’re here to change the world with quantum.  

“…Our team are creating ‘plug and play’ solutions, where anyone can come along and get involved.  

“We are here to create an industry that disrupts technology as we know it. We are the ‘punk rock’ of quantum.” 

…So says Simon Muskett, Chief Executive Officer of Harwell-based OpenQuantum®. The company is creating hardware and open-source software, as well as online toolkits and courses – aimed at helping as many people as possible to access the quantum industry – once seen as exclusive and off-limits. 

“We often see companies trying to ‘ringfence’ or ‘monetise’ early quantum technologies…  that means that most people are locked out,” said Simon. 

“Our aim is to democratise access to quantum for the good of humanity. 

“Quantum technologies can eclipse everything humans have ever achieved before with computing – what we will achieve next is beyond what any of us can imagine. We need as many wild and crazy ideas as we can get, from a huge range of people…”  

Accelerating quantum through Harwell and QuBIC 

…So it’s handy that OpenQuantum has taken an office at Harwell Innovation Campus – home to scores of businesses involved with the quantum supply chain, as well as two national facilities – the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and scores of  other businesses involved with the quantum supply chain.

Those two organisations work in partnership with Harwell to deliver the Quantum Business Incubation Centre (QuBIC) – a programme aimed at turbo-charging quantum businesses via up to £50,000 of targeted R & D funding, and £10,000 of R & D vouchers to spend with public sector partners QuBIC also provides access to business support  including 1:1 coaching, investment readiness, market validation, intellectual property advice and meetings with high calibre stakeholders within industry.   

Simon Muskett added: “QuBIC is a platform that’s associated with Harwell and the British Government – which gives us opportunities to engage with industry and the public sector. We’ve received funding, which has definitely been appreciated, because we are diverting as much cash as possible to support product development and R&D. 

“Through QuBIC it’s been easy to engage with the NQCC and other governments outside the UK. Strategically that’s very useful and we are really glad to be part of it. 

“We have also built a close relationship with NQCC at Harwell. Being based on the same campus we can just go for a coffee with key leaders, scientists and engineers working on the very experiments we need to watch closely. We can also meet other quantum companies, and then there’s loads of academic research down the road with the University of Oxford, where scientists have delivered enormous progress, as well as spin-out companies.  

“Harwell is the focal point, and we have the opportunity to use quantum technology to improve people’s lives and accelerate the science in the UK. We are right at the edge of the most exciting time for human potential that has ever happened.” 

Harwell Innovation Campus is home of its new National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC). The strategic hub and the national laboratory was backed by an initial £93 million of investment through UKRI*, and aims to push the boundaries of what’s possible using quantum computing technology.  

The NQCC offers a 4,000 sq. metre state-of-the-art building including meeting, office and laboratory spaces to host 12 quantum computers by spring 2025, which will support breakthrough projects. 

Currently, more than 70 people work in the NQCC, and it provides an array of opportunities for students – including support for the quantum apprenticeships, 30 PhD studentships over 8 years, summer placements, quantum hackathons, and crash courses for those in industry.  

It’s all designed to support the development of quantum hardware, software, and applications. And, it is built just a few metres away from the existing critical research facilities of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), as well as several businesses within the quantum supply chain.  

Najwa Sidqi is the Manager of the Harwell Campus Quantum Cluster – a growing community of innovative quantum businesses. She said: “The NQCC represents a significant investment in the UK’s quantum future, and Harwell was selected as its location due to its secure environment and the presence of critical research assets. We recognise the transformative potential of quantum technology to drive economic growth, and we are committed to ensuring a strong return on investment by focusing on skills development and fostering collaborations across the sector. 

About OpenQuantum 

OpenQuantum delivers multiple services throughout the quantum life cycle: 

• Hardware – OpenQuantum is building quantum computers for large organisations in a modular way. This means that customers can easily adapt and scale the product to accommodate the rapidly changing demands of quantum computing. At the end of the project, customers take ownership of the machines 

• Open source – OpenQuantum is developing an open-source course and toolkit – accessible online to everyone – which will enable a wide range of people to get started within quantum. The team is aggregating existing tools & research, then publishing the code that underpins scalable computers. They have also been working with GitHub & Microsoft to develop a course about quantum computing for developers. The aim is to empower a whole community to build useful quantum software –  The first stage of this training can be accessed here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/paths/intro-quantum-computing-developers/ 

All the resources will sit in one place on Github – a web-based platform that allows developers to store, share, and collaborate on code. 

• Software – OpenQuantum is also building software which will sit on top of this base of information about quantum. The aim is to create technologies that will act as ‘rocket boosters’ to existing computers. 

“There’s a vast legacy of incredible engineering and science behind where the world is today. There’s no point in reinventing 60 years’ worth of computing history. We want to build on it,” said Simon.  

Where it’s going 

Simon accepts that in a race to ‘get ahead’ on quantum, not everyone shares his enthusiasm for democratising access. 

“There are some haters out there and that’s OK – the world needs different ideas and challenging conversations,” he said.  

“We see ourselves as stewards and enablers, and we’re open minded about the direction this takes. We certainly don’t have all the answers.” 

“We are disrupting what has come before us – pushing for progress by asking ‘why?’, and ‘why not?’” 

And while OpenQuantum is already generating significant revenue, money was not their initial motivation. 

Simon spent 20 years working in senior executive roles within tech corporates, and as part of this, he completed overseas assignments to support humanitarian projects. He worked with teachers from countries facing crisis, including South Sudan and Myanmar, to deliver access to the internet, cutting edge technology like VR, open-source tools and education for children.   

“I saw how digital literacy and education generally can have a huge impact on those facing conflict or other geopolitical instability. So, quantum is an accelerator for innovations we haven’t even dreamed of,” he said.  

“Take climate change – we can assess all the effects, then review these inputs. Marrying up all that data we will be able to make calls about the best solutions.”  

Helping to tackle global warming is a potential lasting legacy that might just benefit his own two-year-old daughter. But it doesn’t stop there…  

“There’s a guy called Chris Ferrie from Australia who has written a book called Quantum for Babies – it’s never too early to start, and we need to make this a subject everyone understands,” said Simon.   

For more information about quantum computing and how the technology can help you, visit www.openquantum.co.uk or email hello@open-quantum.co.uk