There’s a Sydney startup that some of the world’s most advanced quantum computers rely on, and almost nobody in Australia has heard of it. The company is Q-CTRL.
The problem
Quantum computers are extremely fragile. A small vibration, a temperature shift or a bit of electronic interference and the results turn to noise. That fragility is the biggest reason quantum computing isn’t broadly useful yet.
What Q-CTRL does
It builds AI-powered software that suppresses those errors so the hardware actually delivers results. It is not building quantum computers. It is making the ones that exist work better.
Who uses it
- IBM has Q-CTRL’s software natively integrated into its quantum services
- Rigetti is deploying its performance software
- Airbus and Lockheed Martin work with it on navigation
- Mazda and Mitsubishi Chemical appear in its case studies
Navigation without GPS
In 2023 the Department of Defence picked Q-CTRL to develop quantum sensors for GPS-free navigation for Australia and its AUKUS partners. The idea is to keep vehicles accurately positioned when satellites are jammed or spoofed.
The money
Q-CTRL’s Series B grew to US$113M, a global fundraising record for quantum technology at the time. It was led by GP Bullhound, with Salesforce Ventures, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Main Sequence and others in.
In 2026 TIME named it one of the 10 Most Influential New Frontiers Companies, alongside SpaceX and IBM.
My read
The picks and shovels play in quantum. Whoever wins the hardware race still needs the errors under control, and Q-CTRL is already embedded with the biggest players. That’s a strong spot for a company from Sydney.