A Reading-based British company building superconducting quantum computers, spun out of the University of Oxford in 2017.
Oxford Quantum Circuits, usually called OQC, builds quantum computers. Ordinary computers store information as bits that are either 0 or 1. Quantum computers use qubits, which can behave in far richer ways and may one day solve certain problems, such as designing new materials or medicines, that are out of reach today. OQC uses superconducting circuits, tiny electrical loops cooled to extremely low temperatures. It uses a design of its own, built around a coaxial circuit structure that routes control signals through the layers of the chip and helps reduce interference between qubits. Its processors are packaged in standard rack-mounted units so they can sit inside data centres next to ordinary computers.
The company was founded in June 2017 by Dr Peter Leek, building on technology developed in the physics department at the University of Oxford. Dr Ilana Wisby joined in 2017 as founding chief executive. In an early interview she described the aim of getting quantum hardware into the hands of top researchers and a future where quantum technologies benefit everyone, and she spoke of a team with a growth mindset and a value of cultivating love, which she said can sometimes mean tough love. We did not find a longer formal mission statement on pages we could read.
OQC is headquartered in the UK. It moved laboratory and office space into The Gateway Building at Thames Valley Science Park in Reading, a 45,000 square foot research building within the University of Reading's network. It also has sites overseas, including the United States, Japan and Spain, and it has placed a quantum computer in a data centre in New York. In 2022 it launched what it called the UK's first quantum computing as a service, meaning customers can use its machine over the internet rather than owning one.
In 2017 it was a very small team; the early interview describes about 20 people. The team has grown a great deal since then, although we found no current headcount. People at a company like this include physicists who design qubits, electronics and microwave engineers, cryogenic and mechanical engineers who keep the machines cold and stable, software engineers, and people who work with customers and partners. Everything the company says about its own culture here is its own account, and we have not verified it.
If you enjoy physics, maths, electronics or computing, OQC shows how a university idea can turn into a working product built in a UK science park. Roles typically sit in hardware, software, cloud operations and commercial teams. The best next step is to read the company's website for the latest news about its machines and where its teams are based.
Website: oqc.tech
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