Founded in 2019 by Dr. Chris Ballance and Dr. Tom Harty, Oxford Ionics has raised £37 million and sold quantum systems internationally, including to Germany’s Cyberagentur.

Dr. Michael Cuthbert, Director of NQCC, highlighted the significance of Quartet in tackling scalability issues and expressed enthusiasm for testing the system to explore new applications.

The NQCC will incorporate Quartet into its testbed program and the UK's Quantum Missions initiative, including the Q-Surge project, which aims to improve 2D qubit connectivity through collaboration with Riverlane and Bay Photonics.

Quartet is regarded as the most advanced quantum computer globally, capable of solving complex problems within minutes that would be infeasible for traditional computers.

Oxford Ionics has successfully delivered and installed its advanced Quartet quantum computer at the UK's National Quantum Computing Center (NQCC) in Harwell, marking a major milestone in quantum technology.

The system features proprietary Electronic Qubit Control technology, which integrates qubit control onto standard semiconductor chips, boosting performance and scalability while allowing field upgrades via swappable Quantum Processor Units.

Oxford Ionics holds world records for two-qubit gate fidelity, single-qubit gate fidelity, and quantum state preparation and measurement, demonstrating its leadership in trapped-ion quantum computing.

In the past year, Oxford Ionics reported $20 million in sales and has established itself as a significant player in the quantum industry, with plans for substantial workforce expansion.

The company is expected to triple its staff over the next 18 months, indicating rapid growth and increased investment in quantum research and development.

All Oxford Ionics quantum computers are designed to be field-upgradable by swapping out the Quantum Processor Unit, enabling quick performance improvements without extensive hardware modifications.

Oxford Ionics, a leader in trapped-ion quantum computing, was acquired by US-listed IonQ in June 2025 for $1.1 billion, reflecting strong commercial momentum and confidence in its technology.

The Quartet system employs a proprietary architecture designed specifically to address scalability challenges, facilitating the testing of new algorithms and applications.

The QUARTET platform, which stands for Quantum Advantage-Ready Trapped-ion Exploration Testbed, will support the UK government's five 'Quantum Missions,' advancing quantum research and development efforts.