UChicago Startup Super.tech Among Latest Partners to Join the Chicago Quantum Exchange

Super.tech is “supercharging” near-term quantum computers to solve commercially useful problems. (Image: iStock.com/Quardia)

The Chicago Quantum Exchange has added six new partners in technology, finance, manufacturing, and consulting to its community, including a Polsky-supported startup, Super.tech.

Founded by Pranav Gokhale, a recent University of Chicago computer science PhD graduate, Super.tech is a member of the most recent cohort of the Argonne Chain Reaction Innovations incubator program. The company also earlier this year participated in the George Shultz Innovation Fund and was awarded $150,000 from the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Gokhale also engaged with the Polsky Center as a former Innovation Fund Associate and an I-Corps participant.

“The addition of new partners located here in Chicago, and from around the world, enhances our rich collaboration dedicated to advancing quantum science and engineering as well as driving quantum technologies here in Chicago,” said David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor in Molecular Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago, senior scientist at Argonne, director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange, and director of Q-NEXT, one of five new Department of Energy Quantum Information Science Centers. “The participation of our partners and their perspectives will help shape the scope of research and enhance our programs to develop a future quantum workforce.”

The Chicago Quantum Exchange’s newest partners include:

• Discover is a leading digital bank and global payments network driven by advanced analytics and technology to meet the needs of its customers, merchants, and partners around the globe. Discover aims to accelerate quantum information science applications in financial services – including advancements in anomaly detection, analytical modeling, and data security – and to develop and support scientific and engineering talent in the quantum field.
• Hamamatsu Photonics is a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art devices for the generation and measurement of light. These devices include silicon photomultipliers, photomultiplier tubes, photodiodes, infrared detectors, spatial light modulators, cameras, and light sources. Hamamatsu is constantly working on the next generation of devices and detectors as quantum applications evolve and emerge.
• Protiviti is a global consulting firm that bridges the gap between quantum research and practical business application by preparing organizations to harness the power of quantum computing. Its technology and business consultants help businesses identify real-world examples of how they might use quantum computing and understand its value to the organization and recognize and mitigate potential risks.
• P33 catalyzes collaborations in the Chicago region’s tech ecosystem to facilitate economic growth and turn the city into an inclusive innovation leader. P33 aims to unlock the commercial potential of quantum information science from within the region by building and enhancing collaborations and translating quantum research into industry-led commercial viability.
• Quantum Machines is the creator of a first-of-its-kind complete hardware and software solution for the control and operation of quantum computers. Its standardized platforms lay the groundwork for tackling some of the largest hurdles facing quantum computing, such as complex multi-qubit calibrations, quantum-error-correction, and scaling up to many hundreds of qubits.
• Super.tech is a quantum software startup spun out of research from UChicago and incubated through Argonne National Laboratory’s Chain Reaction Innovations program. Super.tech’s software aims to close the gap from near-term quantum computers to practical applications in industries such as energy and finance.

Headquartered at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, the Chicago Quantum Exchange is anchored by the University of Chicago, the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (both operated for DOE by the University of Chicago), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and includes the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Northwestern University.

Chicago Quantum Exchange members and corporate partners engage in collaborative research efforts, joint workshops to develop new research directions, and opportunities to train future quantum engineers. The Chicago Quantum Exchange has existing partnerships with Boeing; IBM; Applied Materials, Inc.; Cold Quanta; HRL Laboratories, LLC; Intel; JPMorgan Chase; Microsoft; Quantum Design; Quantum Opus, LLC; Qubitekk; Rigetti Computing; and Zurich Instruments.

—Adapted from an article first posted by the Chicago Quantum Exchange.