Danish startup Sparrow Quantum has secured €21.5 million in Sequence A funding to advance its mission of bringing high-performance photonic quantum chips from analysis labs to the business market. The funding, led by PensionDanmark and backed by main contributors akin to EIFO (Export and Funding Fund of Denmark) and Novo Holdings, marks a serious milestone in Europe’s efforts to determine itself as a worldwide quantum expertise chief.
The Copenhagen-based firm, which spun out of educational analysis on the Niels Bohr Institute, is a frontrunner within the improvement of deterministic single-photon sources – vital elements for scaling quantum computer systems. Its core product, the Sparrow Core chip, is designed to ship photons on demand with distinctive reliability, stability, and effectivity. These options make it a foundational factor for constructing scalable and commercially viable photonic quantum methods.
The funding would allow Sparrow Quantum to scale manufacturing, speed up analysis and improvement of next-generation quantum {hardware}, and develop its group of quantum photonics specialists. This follows the corporate’s €4.1 million seed spherical in 2023 and units the stage for a strategic progress part because it gears as much as meet rising international demand.
“With this funding, we are able to actually intensify our efforts to deliver quantum expertise from the lab to the market,” mentioned Professor Peter Lodahl, Sparrow Quantum’s founder and chief quantum officer. “It permits us to scale up in three essential areas: manufacturing capability, R&D for entangled photon sources, and increasing our professional group.”
Professor Lodahl, a number one physicist within the discipline of quantum photonics, has been instrumental in translating scientific breakthroughs into deployable applied sciences. His work on deterministic photon technology straight knowledgeable the event of the Sparrow Core chip, which now serves as a benchmark for high quality within the photonic quantum sector.
Quantum Chips: ‘A Sound Pension Funding’
The funding can be greater than a win for the corporate; it could sign rising confidence in Europe’s capacity to steer the worldwide quantum race. “It’s an apparent funding for PensionDanmark,” mentioned the fund’s CEO, Peter Stensgaard Mørch. “We see this not solely as a solution to assist Danish trade and contribute to the nationwide economic system, but additionally as a sound funding for our members’ pension financial savings.”
Sparrow Quantum has made vital headway by partnering with full-stack quantum computing integrators and system builders throughout Europe. Its deterministic single-photon sources promise to raise the efficiency of quantum methods, providing better scalability and effectivity than probabilistic options. These advances are prone to have broad implications for sectors akin to AI, superior computing, and cybersecurity.
In line with Kurt Stokbro, CEO of Sparrow Quantum, the funding may also assist set up a powerful regional ecosystem for quantum expertise manufacturing. “This funding is a testomony to Denmark and Europe’s capacity to steer in quantum expertise. We’re able to unveil quantum breakthroughs that serve each society and the worldwide economic system.”
Backing from private and non-private traders aligns intently with EU coverage targets, together with the European Chips Act, which seeks to strengthen the continent’s technological sovereignty in key digital sectors. With a agency give attention to protecting analysis, improvement, and manufacturing inside European borders, Sparrow Quantum’s progress helps a resilient and autonomous quantum provide chain.
EIFO CEO Peder Lundquist emphasised the broader strategic worth of the funding: “We’re enhancing not solely their dominant place but additionally Denmark’s and Europe’s function within the quantum future. That is the form of high-impact expertise Europe should assist to stay aggressive in international innovation.”
