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Conductor Quantum

Quantum computers on silicon chips using AI.

Quantum computers will allow humanity to understand the world at its most fundamental level, enabling the acceleration of drug discovery and the development of new materials. Currently, quantum engineers spend days, sometimes weeks, manually getting their silicon chips to operational conditions to realize two qubits. A qubit is the information-carrying unit of a quantum computer, analogous to a bit in a classical computer. We need billions of qubits to make a useful quantum computer. Therefore, automation software will be vital to realizing this goal. Conductor Quantum will develop AI software to remove the human from the loop, enable the scaling of silicon quantum technology and build a silicon-based quantum computer.
Conductor Quantum
Founded:2024
Team Size:2
Location:San Francisco
Group Partner:Tom Blomfield

Active Founders

Brandon Severin, Founder

During my PhD at Oxford, I worked with 4 quantum institutions across the globe (IST Austria, Basel, UNSW, Diraq), developing algorithms for semiconductor quantum device control and published 4 papers on the topic including one in Nature.
Brandon Severin
Brandon Severin
Conductor Quantum

Joel Pendleton, Founder

Co-founder of Conductor Quantum, building quantum computers on silicon chips with AI. I’ve worked at many deep tech startups and research labs, exploring various quantum computing technologies — from carbon nanotubes to superconducting transmon qubits. I left my PhD at Oxford to start Conductor Quantum.
Joel Pendleton
Joel Pendleton
Conductor Quantum

Company Launches

Tl;dr:

  • Conductor Quantum is using AI software to create qubits in semiconductor chips to build quantum computers at scale.
  • The two founders met during their PhDs at Oxford. They have experience at 5 quantum companies and institutions, plus 4 publications between them.
  • Conductor Quantum is launching the first publicly available API to classify quantum transport features in semiconductors.

🧑‍🔬🧑‍💻The Team

Hi - We are Brandon and Joel! We are building Conductor Quantum.

CEO, Brandon – Brandon developed AI for Quantum Computing in Silicon during his PhD at Oxford. Over the past four years, Brandon has worked with four top quantum research institutions on software for quantum device control and has four publications, including one in Nature.

CTO, Joel – Joel has shipped software at four deep tech companies and has worked with a series of quantum devices ranging from carbon nanotubes to superconducting circuits. Joel studied Physics at UCL and dropped out of his PhD at Oxford to start Conductor Quantum.

During Joel’s PhD at Oxford, he launched Feynman.ai— an AI science research assistant— with Brandon, which they bootstrapped to 300 signups within a month of launch.

😯 The Problem

  • Quantum computers will revolutionize drug discovery and material development as we will, for the first time, be able to accurately simulate nature at its most fundamental level.
  • Leveraging the trillion-dollar semiconductor industry, silicon chips offer a scalable architecture for building quantum computers.

→ Currently, quantum engineers spend days, sometimes weeks, manually configuring silicon chips to create a single quantum bit (qubit), analogous to a bit in a classical computer.

→ We need millions, if not billions, of qubits to make a useful quantum computer.

Automation software to create qubits at scale is vital to realize this goal.

✅ Our Solution - AI software to create qubits

  • We are building leading AI software that creates qubits by learning and understanding the principles of quantum transport in semiconductor chips.
  • Our AI software will replace the human in the loop, unlocking rapid qubit generation and fabrication feedback iteration cycles.
  • Automatic qubit creation and control are the foundation of the first quantum operating system on semiconductor chips.

Our AI Playground

🤝 How You Can Help

  • Sign up for our waitlist (Announcements soon!)
  • Quantum engineers who want to get back to building and save themselves 100s of hours per qubit created - Email us at founders@conductorquantum.com
  • We’d love intros to:
    • Chip designers/verifiers/manufacturers
    • Anyone who wants to bring chip manufacturing back to the USA

Hear from the founders

What is your long-term vision? If you truly succeed, what will be different about the world?

Everyone will have access to a quantum computer from their desk.

Selected answers from Conductor Quantum's original YC application for the S24 Batch

How long have each of you been working on this? How much of that has been full-time? Please explain.

We’ve been working on the problem of quantum device control individually for the past 4 years as part of our degrees and work experience. Brandon (4 years full-time), Joel (2 years full-time, 2 years part-time).