Equal1, the silicon quantum computing company, today announces Intel’s Brendan Barry has joined the company as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Previously Vice President of Engineering at Movidius when the company was acquired by Intel in 2016, Barry will focus on building a world class silicon development team to bring the company’s silicon quantum strategy to the next phase. Elena Blokhina will assume the role of Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), where she will further lead the development of the company’s quantum technology.
“Brendan comes to Equal1 with a hugely successful career to date and a proven track record of bringing innovative concepts to commercial reality,” says CEO Jason Lynch. “We have been immensely impressed with his experience in developing highly complex AI solutions at Movidius and Intel. He is the ideal leader to take our quantum silicon technology to the next level.”
Most recently, Barry was Director of VPU (Vision Processing Unit) Development at Intel Movidius where he ensured the successful integration of Movidius’ key technology into Intel, proliferation of VPU technology into other Intel products, and development of next generation tools for AI, ISP and computer vision products. Prior to the Intel acquisition, as Vice President of Engineering at Movidius, Barry led the development of three generations of Myriad products, including the successful introduction of AI, DSP and CV hardware engines and associated software development tools to harness the power efficient flexible architecture. Barry holds several patents in CV and DSP micro architecture and a Bachelor of Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, from Dublin City University.
Elena Blokhina, a key architect of the company’s qubit technology, has been instrumental in the company’s myriad of successes, including:
Receiving a funding award of €10M by the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Programme
First to demonstrate fully integrated quantum dots operating at 3.7 kelvin, a major milestone with implications for the trajectory of quantum computing
Release of the company’s third generation QPU chip, which includes the latest patented silicon qubit array as well as hybrid qubit test structures and high-speed input/output communication links used to bring high-speed data into the quantum core
“As a top researcher in the field, Elena has made a huge contribution to advancing the science and realisation of silicon qubits which have been critical to getting Equal1 to where we are today,” says Lynch. “Elena will lead and grow our quantum research team, while also building the strong relationships we need with our academic partners. Elena and Brendan, along with our co-founder Dirk Leipold, are the perfect team to bring the best of silicon technology and quantum technology together to enable our quantum AI solutions.”
Co-founder Professor R. Bogdan Staszewski, who previously served as CSO, adds “I congratulate Elena and Brendan on their appointments and am delighted to see the further expansion of our world-class research and development team.” Prof. Staszewski will now take a key role on the company’s Scientific Advisory Board.
With its QPU, Equal1 has developed a disruptive, scalable and cost-effective quantum computing technology, based on a commercially available silicon semiconductor process. This technology will enable the company to meet the enormous demand for affordable, functional quantum computers.
Equal1’s quantum technology is well suited to quantum AI and machine learning. AI is transforming every aspect of our lives from self-driving vehicles to AI-designed drugs. However, the amount of energy required by these applications means that it is now a material and growing contributor to global carbon output and hence global warming. Equal1’s quantum computing technology will enable vastly better performance at a fraction of the energy.