Quantum Motion and Qunnect: Silicon Chips and Quantum Networks
Two bets on the long game
Most headlines go to the biggest superconducting and trapped ion machines. These two companies work on different bets: making qubits on the same silicon wafers that make ordinary chips, and building the hardware that will link quantum devices over fiber. Both are early, and both show how wide the field is.
Quantum Motion: quantum computing on a chip line
Quantum Motion is a UK company building silicon spin qubits. The pitch: the world already knows how to manufacture billions of silicon transistors, so if qubits can be made the same way, scaling could ride on existing factories. See types of quantum computers for other approaches.
On September 15, 2025 the company announced what it called the first full stack silicon CMOS quantum computer, delivered to the UK's National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) under its Quantum Computing Testbed Programme. Reported details:
- The processor is made using standard 300 millimeter silicon CMOS fabrication.
- It is the first silicon spin qubit computer in the NQCC testbed program.
- The system fits in three 19 inch server racks, including the dilution refrigerator and integrated control electronics, so it suits data centers.
- The control stack and user interface work with Qiskit and Cirq.
- One report describes a tileable four qubit unit cell demonstrating single and two qubit operations, initialization and readout.
- The company says its tile based design is meant to scale to millions of qubits per processor and that it is on track for commercially useful machines this decade. That is a company goal, not a delivered result.
The company is also reported to be a performer in DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (see the QBI guide) and to have been awarded a silicon error correction project called SiQEC. Costs and company funding were not disclosed in the coverage we read.
The honest context: four qubits is small. The achievement is the full system around the chip, delivered to a national testbed, and the manufacturing path, not raw power. Watch for qubit counts, gate accuracy and error correction demonstrations next.
Qunnect: the hardware for quantum networks
Qunnect, a quantum networking company, builds equipment to create and move entangled photons. On April 19, 2024 it reported results from GothamQ, a testbed using commercial fiber in New York City. Reported figures:
- Entangled photons were generated, distributed and preserved over a 34 kilometer loop of commercial fiber.
- Its source produced 1 to 10 million polarization entangled pairs per second, and about 500,000 pairs per second were distributed through fiber with 17 decibels of loss.
- The quantum bit error rate stayed below 2.5 percent.
- Network uptime was reported at 99.84 percent over 15 days of continuous operation.
- The full results were posted on arXiv (2404.08626); the announcement we read did not name a journal, though another report referenced PRX Quantum, so check the paper's current status.
Qunnect uses room temperature atom based sources, and polarization is a natural qubit type for sensors and computers, which the company sees as a route toward distributed quantum sensing and computing as well as secure communication. Distance figures vary between reports (some mention 54 kilometers or shorter segments), so rely on the 34 kilometer figure from the announcement and paper.
Why it matters: a quantum internet needs boring, reliable, rack mounted equipment that runs for weeks, not only laboratory records. Uptime is the interesting number here. It relates to quantum key distribution and to entanglement more broadly.
What these two share
Both aim to take quantum from the lab bench toward standard infrastructure: chips from fabs, equipment in racks, networks on existing fiber. That is the picks and shovels spirit. See the overview for the rest of the layer.
Caveats
All figures are company reported or from trade press. Both firms are private. Neither result shows a useful quantum advantage today. This is education, not financial advice, and neither company is connected to the QNT memecoin.
Sources and further reading
- The Quantum Insider: Quantum Motion full stack silicon CMOS quantum computer (Sep 15, 2025)
- Quantum Computing Report: Quantum Motion at the NQCC
- The Quantum Insider: Qunnect GothamQ 34 kilometers (Apr 19, 2024)
- Lightwave: Qunnect GothamQ performance
Reported as of 2026-10-09. Funding figures and performance numbers are company statements or press coverage, not audited facts. Educational overview only, not financial advice. The QNT memecoin is an independent community project and is not connected to any company named here, including Quantinuum Ltd.
Frequently asked questions
What is special about Quantum Motion's computer?
It was reported as the first full stack quantum computer using 300 millimeter silicon CMOS manufacturing, installed at the UK NQCC in September 2025.
How many qubits does it have?
One report describes a four qubit unit cell. The company's scaling goals are targets, not results.
What did Qunnect demonstrate?
Entangled photon distribution over 34 kilometers of commercial New York fiber with reported 99.84 percent uptime over 15 days.
Is a quantum internet here?
Not yet. These are testbed results that show reliability is improving.
Keep reading
- Quantum's Picks and Shovels: The Companies Behind the Machines
Every quantum computer needs control electronics, cold rooms, error correction and software. Meet the enabling-tech layer that many quantum builders rely on. - The Quantum Internet and Quantum Networks Explained
What is a quantum internet? Learn how quantum networks send entangled qubits, what quantum repeaters do, and how this differs from today's internet. - Types of Quantum Computers: Superconducting, Ion, Photonic and More
A guide to the main ways quantum computers are built, with the strengths and trade-offs of each approach. - Quantum Entanglement Explained Simply
Entanglement links qubits so they share a joint state. Learn what it is, what it is not, and why quantum computers use it.
All Quantum industry, people and AI guides | Back to top | Search the site
Main pages: Quantum computing explained | Quantum and crypto | Companies | Quantum news | Glossary