36Kr Exclusive | USTC PhD Becomes a "Supplier" in the Quantum Industry, Secures Two Consecutive Rounds of Financing

Author: Ou Xue

Editor: Yuan Silai

Yingke learned that Taiwei Quantum (MQTEK), a core provider at the platform level for neutral atom quantum computing, has successfully completed angel round and angel + round financing in succession. The investors include well - known investment institutions such as Inno Angel, Orient Fortune Capital, Xiaomiao Langcheng, Yunqi Capital, Shuimu Investment, and Yuandong Yuanzhi. Mushishi Capital serves as the exclusive financial advisor. The financing funds will be mainly used for the expansion and R & D of the three major core product matrices.

Taiwei Quantum was founded in 2021 and focuses on the upstream core components of two quantum computing routes: neutral atoms and ion traps. The team members come from domestic and foreign universities such as the University of Science and Technology of China, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University, gathering cutting - edge talents in various fields such as quantum, AI, optics, machinery, and hardware. Wang Xuankai, the founder and CEO, is a doctor in the field of quantum information and quantum physics from the University of Science and Technology of China. He has developed many precision instruments such as microscopes, current sources, and lasers.

Wang Xuankai told Yingke that the company positions itself as "the water seller in the quantum computing ecosystem". Instead of making complete machines, it provides standardized, highly stable, and mass - producible key components for downstream complete machine enterprises and scientific research platforms.

Currently, the company has formed three major product lines:

The first is the Quantum Gas Microscope (QGM), which is used for single - atom imaging and manipulation. Compared with overseas competitors, Taiwei Quantum's objective lens can withstand higher power, has a wider imaging band (313–1700 nm), and the field of view can reach the millimeter level, supporting tens of thousands of atomic arrays. It has served more than a dozen domestic quantum start - up companies and scientific research groups.

Quantum Gas Microscope (Source: Enterprise)

The second is the high - precision current source, which is used to generate a stable magnetic field. Taiwei Quantum's products are controlled by analog signals, with a minimum noise level of < 1 ppm, which is only 1/5 of that of overseas competitors. The selling price is about 2/3 of theirs, and the delivery time is within 2 months.

The third is the measurement and control system, which is currently in the R & D stage. In the future, it will achieve low - noise and universal control, and be compatible with devices such as current sources and lasers. This system has the ability to synchronously and concurrently control dozens of channels of analog and digital signals. At the same time, it constructs integrated feedback and measurement functions, supporting real - time closed - loop feedback and high - precision measurement of the above signals.

Currently, Taiwei Quantum's customers cover universities and scientific research institutions (such as Tsinghua University), quantum start - up companies (such as Liangyi Wanxiang), and national laboratories.

In terms of performance, the company officially focused on its main business in the second half of 2023. The revenue in 2025 was several million yuan, and it is expected to reach tens of millions of yuan in 2026, a 5 - 10 - fold increase. It is in a stage of rapid production capacity ramp - up.

In terms of product iteration, Taiwei Quantum will continuously optimize the heat dissipation structure of the quantum gas microscope, reduce the light absorption rate, and improve the coating process, promote the standardization of objective lens products on the shelves, and establish a complete testing system; at the same time, complete the current source product matrix, develop higher - power power supplies, and promote modular design. In addition, the company is developing a set of extremely low - noise and universal measurement and control systems according to customer needs, improving performance and compatibility between devices.

Wang Xuankai told Yingke that Taiwei Quantum aims to enable scientists to modularly build quantum experimental platforms like building with Lego, significantly shortening the R & D cycle.

The following is an excerpt from the dialogue between Yingke and Wang Xuankai:

Yingke: The company does not make complete machines but focuses on upstream core components. What considerations led to this positioning?

Wang Xuankai: Quantum computing is a long - term scientific research task with extremely high requirements for various indicators. Many times, the bottleneck lies not in the design of complete machines but in the performance of instruments and equipment. The research group where I was during my doctoral studies used to buy overseas equipment, and the delivery time was as long as five years, or sometimes they simply didn't deliver. During my doctoral studies, I did a lot of work related to instruments and found that no one in China was making these key components. So I hope to make up for this shortcoming.

In addition, there are already many companies making complete machines, but there are few mature commercial suppliers in many upstream directions. As the "water seller", we not only benefit from the overall growth of the industry but also inject impetus into the industry's development. In the current stage of the rapid development of the quantum industry, we can meet everyone's needs for purchasing upstream core components. This is the most certain, highest - margin, and long - term profitable position.

Yingke: Currently, the quantum computing industry as a whole has not been commercially scaled up. Is the market demand for the upstream large enough? Has the demand changed in recent years?

Wang Xuankai: The demand has indeed increased significantly in the past two years. A very core reason is that in addition to the traditional superconducting quantum computing teams in China, there are many more teams in the neutral atom direction. Moreover, our products not only serve quantum computing but also teams in quantum communication and quantum precision measurement - the same technical system can be used for many things.

From the perspective of technological promotion, the performance improvement of core components such as objective lenses and lasers has directly brought about a qualitative change in the number of atomic arrays. For example, when the field of view is increased from dozens of micrometers to more than one millimeter, the number of controllable atoms jumps from hundreds to tens of thousands. In addition, the "15th Five - Year Plan" has listed quantum technology as the top priority of future industries, and the policy support is very strong. Therefore, this direction will continue to develop, and the industry's demand for upstream core components will continue to increase.

Yingke: Your current source products are superior to overseas competitors in terms of noise, price, and delivery time. How did you achieve this? Where does the technical barrier lie?

Wang Xuankai: Our current source can achieve a noise level of less than 1 ppm, while the best overseas products are 5 ppm. The selling price is about 2/3 of theirs, and the delivery time is reduced from 15 months to within 2 months.

The barriers behind this are multi - faceted. First is the underlying ability of circuit design and noise suppression, which we have accumulated many years of experience during our doctoral studies. Second is the in - depth understanding of the usage scenarios - quantum experiments have extremely high requirements for the stability of the magnetic field. It's not just about making a "low - noise power supply"; we also need to consider a series of issues such as low latency, long - term drift, and thermal management. The mainstream domestic manufacturers make industrial power supplies, which are controlled by serial ports, and the noise and long - term drift exceed 1000 ppm, which do not meet the core requirements of current quantum control.

We not only focus on the indicators but also on making "user - friendly" products. Currently, the bipolar current sources of 5A/10V, 20A/20V, and 100A/20V have been mass - produced and shipped, and the 500A/30V is in the engineering iteration stage. Higher - power current sources are also applicable to large scientific devices such as particle colliders, controlled nuclear fusion, and synchrotron radiation light sources.

Views from investors:

Xu Xiao, the founding partner of Orient Fortune Capital, said that the quantum computing industry is moving from the "scientific verification" stage to the "engineering implementation" stage. The independent controllability of upstream core components is the most critical bottleneck in the entire industrial chain. Taiwei Quantum has accurately positioned itself in this link. Its high - precision current sources, quantum gas microscopes, and other equipment are indispensable "core equipment" for the neutral atom and ion trap systems. No matter how the downstream technical routes evolve, the domestic substitution of such upstream precision instruments has extremely high certainty and strategic value.

From the perspective of Orient Fortune Capital's full - industry - chain layout of quantum technology, we continue to be optimistic about the investment opportunities in the "water seller" link. Taiwei not only breaks the long - term monopoly of international manufacturers in the field of high - end scientific research equipment but also transforms laboratory prototypes into stable and reliable industrial - grade products with engineering capabilities, deeply embedding itself in the supply chain of domestic top - notch quantum computing platforms. This is a typical case of domestic substitution in the "chokepoint" link and is also one of the nodes with the highest value and deepest barriers in the industrial chain.

As a new shareholder, Orient Fortune Capital will accompany Taiwei's growth with long - term capital. We look forward to witnessing Taiwei grow from a company serving scientific research platforms to a platform - level core provider supporting the independent and controllable development of China's quantum computing industry, and continuously capturing value in the process of the large - scale development of quantum technology.

Xu Huibin, the vice - president of Far East Horizon Group, said that we highly recognize Taiwei Quantum's hardcore technology accumulation and its scarce value as the core foundation for the industrialization of quantum computing. Relying on the profound heritage of top - notch universities, the Taiwei team has achieved domestic leadership in high - barrier areas such as quantum gas microscopes and high - precision current sources with forward - looking product layouts, and has demonstrated practical and efficient commercial transformation capabilities in customer verification and order conversion.

Far East Horizon will help Taiwei expand diverse application scenarios in the future, enabling it to become a key enabler in the global quantum computing industrial chain and create value together.

Yunqi Capital said that in recent years, the neutral cold atom technology route has developed rapidly, and we have therefore continuously paid attention to its upstream core device link. Against the background that the downstream technology is still in the stage of rapid evolution, upstream suppliers like Taiwei, which can continuously carry out product iteration and capacity building around industrial needs, are of great significance to the development of the entire ecosystem. What impressed us more is that in 2021, when the neutral cold atom was not yet an industrial hotspot, the Taiwei team entered from teaching and scientific research instruments, deeply cultivated and steadily accumulated for a long time, and waited for the critical turning point of industrial development.

We recognize the original intention, tenacity, and continuous iteration ability of the Taiwei team, and also look forward to walking with the team to jointly explore the future of general quantum computing.

Shuimu Investment said that quantum computing has broad development prospects and market space, and is expected to have a subversive impact on production, life, and scientific research in the future. Upstream key devices are not only an important cornerstone for achieving quantum computing but also a key link to ensure the independent controllability of scientific research instruments and equipment, which can escort cutting - edge research such as quantum physics. Shuimu Investment believes that the Taiwei Quantum team has a solid theoretical research foundation and rich engineering practice experience in fields such as atomic and molecular optics, optics, and electronics. The performance of the quantum gas microscope and high - precision current source developed by them can be comparable to or even better than the international advanced level, achieving domestic substitution of upstream key devices for ion trap and neutral atom system quantum computing.

Shuimu Investment has always been actively deploying in future industries, entering the upstream device field with a long - term vision and a practical attitude, accompanying and empowering Taiwei Quantum's development, and jointly witnessing the engineering and commercialization path of the quantum information technology industry.