Quantum computing is one of the markets in which more money is moving in recent times. Whether or not we are prepared to move from the dichotomy of zeros and ones to the much more complex qubits, the truth is that in the medium term, a new quantum epoch seems inevitable no matter how much in these moments…I am living more on promises than on realities.
In addition to the efforts of companies such as Microsoft, Google or IBM to dominate this field, a growing number of startups have been added in the last year that, especially in the area of software, promise companies development kits with which to launch mission critical quantum applications.
One of the latest to present itself is «Sandbox AQ», a startup that stands out both for its business model (offering protection to companies against quantum attacks) and for its two main investors: Eric Schmidt and Marc Benoff.
With a career that has positioned them as two of the leading players in Silicon Valley in the last decade, Schmidt is best known for his position as president of Alphabet before Sundar Pichai’s arrival at the company; Benioff for his part is the historic founder of Salesforce, a company in which he continues to hold the position of co-CEO, along with Bret Taylor.
What investment are we talking about? Asked by Forbes magazine, Jack Hidary, CEO of Sandbox AQ, has avoided giving a specific figure, but has assured that it is in the “nine figures” field (that is, between 100 and 900 million dollars) and explains that The money will basically be used to, in addition to financing its R&D, attract new talent to a team that already has 55 people.
According to Schmidt, Sandbox AQ aims to generate short-term revenue using the machine learning and AI to develop computer programs that protect data from possible cyberattacks carried out with quantum computers, one of the areas that generates the most concern among cybersecurity experts.
The company will also do long-term research in areas such as quantum sensors, which can be used as navigation aids for trucks, ships and planes. At the moment, the field in which they enter is not exactly new and there are already several companies that promise their clients encryption solutions that can respond to the enormous capabilities of quantum computing, so it remains to be seen what it can offer of different the new company.
