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Вікторія ГорбікStartup
15 April 2025, 12:31
2025-04-15
Ukrainians from quantum startup Aegiq created the first own quantum computer Artemis. How did they do it?
The Ukrainian founders of the British startup Aegiq, a country that, according to the founder of the startup Maksym Sich, was the first to launch a national quantum strategy, received $4.8 million in investment almost on the eve of a full-scale war to develop a new generation of quantum communications and computing. Almost three years later, the startupers presented the Artemis quantum computer, which they developed themselves. What else is known about the development of the project?
The Ukrainian founders of the British startup Aegiq, a country that, according to the founder of the startup Maksym Sich, was the first to launch a national quantum strategy, received $4.8 million in investment almost on the eve of a full-scale war to develop a new generation of quantum communications and computing. Almost three years later, the startupers presented the Artemis quantum computer, which they developed themselves. What else is known about the development of the project?
About the founders and the idea
Aegiq, a company developing quantum photonic technologies, was founded in 2019 by Kyiv resident Maksym Sich together with friends Andriy Yamshanov (CFO) and Scott Dufferville (CTO). Maksym transformed from CEO to Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Government & Partner Solutions, writes Mezha, citing Maksym Sich’s words.
Aegiq founders (from left to right): Andriy Yamshanov, CFO; Maksym Sich, CEO; Scott Dufferville, CTO
For the company name, the founders chose the English word aegis, in which one of the letters became quantum.
The startup was created based on research from the University of Sheffield and the company’s headquarters are located in this city in the UK.
Aegiq currently employs 26 people, including the three founders.
About technology
Maksym Sich explained that Aegiq only deals with photonics, because photons are the most stable particles for storing quantum information. In addition, the company uses exclusively semiconductor technologies.
«What we produce does not require any extreme vacuums or lasers like other quantum technologies. This definitely has better scalability, the ability to build large processors in the future,» says the startup’s founder.
Aegiq at the UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2024 (Photo by Mezha)
The Aegiq architecture involves the existence of multiple chips for different functional tasks based on compound semiconductors, which use different types of semiconductors, for example, for creating qubits, manipulation (computing) or reading.
About products
The company has fully built its first manufacturing facilities, where some of its own devices are assembled. The startup has also already developed its first flagship prototype — the Artemis quantum computer, which is being delivered to the UK’s National Quantum Computing Center.
The Artemis computer consists of several different chips, which together form a small quantum network, through which calculations are performed.
Hardware systems from Aegiq (Photo by Mezha)
According to Maksym Sich, Aegiq’s technology has unique scalability capabilities, and also allows you to make computers that are small in size and do not require constant supervision — just install them and they work. Artemis takes up several standard communication cabinets.
In addition, Aegiq is already starting to work on the next generation of fault-tolerant quantum computing with built-in error correction. Also, according to the startup’s founder, the company is commercializing and bringing to market products in the field of telecommunications and sensors that they can mass-produce.
In particular, we are talking about a system for monitoring the state of communication networks, which uses some quantum effects and is theoretically already a ready prototype. With its help, as Maksym Sich notes, the team can detect problems or intentional actions, such as eavesdropping, in parallel with any communication in fiber optics. This is also relevant for submarine cables, as well as those that are underground. The founder says that they are now very successfully testing these capabilities together with British Telecom.
About customers
Aegiq works with the UK National Quantum Computing Centre and the UK government, particularly in the areas of national security and defence. In addition, the startup’s clients include some of the world’s largest aerospace and engineering companies.
According to the physicist, unfortunately, Aegiq does not cooperate with Ukraine yet, but the company is always open to communication — with the exception of some well-known countries under sanctions.
About money
Since its inception, the startup has raised just over £8 million in private investment. Almost half of that, over £3.5 million ($4.8 million), Aegiq received from a consortium of investors led by High-Tech Gründerfonds, with participation from Deepbridge Capital and business angels, along with funding from Innovate UK.
Speaking about monetization, the co-founder of Aegiq notes that quantum technologies are a long game and the company is developing a hybrid approach in this direction.
About plans
Stratapers continue to work on developing the next generation of quantum computing, a fault-tolerant architecture that follows Artemis, as well as practical products that the market needs: sensors, calculations that are based on quantum theory, and are, for example, digital.
The company hopes that in five years, Aegiq quantum computers will break the bar, after which we will see real useful, practical quantum computers.
Вас також кусають комарі? Розповідаємо про пристрій від українських стартаперів, який може цьому зарадити
Як зауважив нещодавно один військовий, якой побажав залишитись невідомим, орки, може, й не поцілять, а комарі точно зʼїдять. І від них потерпають зараз багато українців.
Позбавитись від комарів назавжди ефективно й екологічно допоможе гаджет Mosqitter. Цей стартап заснували дві українки — Анастасія Романова та Ольга Дьячук.
Ми вирішили нагадати, що може Mosqitter, про принципи його роботи та особливості, на злобу дня.
(текст від 21 жовтня 2021 року)
Кнопка здоров'я. Українці розробили систему, яка рятує пацієнтів стаціонару від смерті. Вони - переможці IT Arena Lviv 2022
Медичний психолог, який переїхав в Україну з Москви в 2014 році, Іван Осадчий, придумав систему, яка допомагає медсестрі і пацієнтові не втратити один одного в стаціонарі. Його стартап knopka вже працює в декількох лікарнях понад три роки не лише в Україні, а й у Польщі.
Повторюємо історію стартапу-переможця IT Arena Lviv 2022. Текст від 28 вересня 2022 року.
