Interview | Andy Edmonds, Principal Scientist, Element Six

Andy Edmonds, Principal Scientist at Element Six shares his thoughts on the biggest challenges facing the adoption of Quantum technology in 2021, the biggest area of focus for his organisation within Quantum over the next 12 months an advice to enterprises looking to start their Quantum journey.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the adoption of Quantum technology in 2021?

I think there will continue to be two challenges surrounding quantum technology in 2021 – challenges that also represent opportunities.

The main challenge is probably the sophistication and evolution of the supply chain, accelerated by ever growing engagement from key players in the fields of semiconductors and optics. Quality standards and benchmarking will be the cornerstones of this commercial ecosystem and the concept of ‘quality’ in particular will permeate the language of the industry, enabling the research community to play critical roles in improving those metrics further.

The second, and at its heart most critical to all in the field, is the identification of meaningful market needs that quantum technologies can address. There is great potential, but to keep the momentum and commercial interest this will need to show tangible steps on how it can address important market needs on the 3-5 year time scale.

Concerning diamond-based applications, the core material synthesis challenges have largely been solved, however there are remaining challenges on packaging and device integration. This is where working with partners is crucial for us, as ultimately the performance of a diamond-based sensor is a function of both the core-diamond sensor, plus the surrounding hardware. This also necessitates careful communication between Element Six (E6) and the surrounding eco-system.

Looking ahead a year from now, how do you see the adoption of Quantum computing progressing?

No doubt the news hype around quantum supremacy and VC investments will continue in the next 12 months. However, what is exciting and increasingly looking possible is how this progress will start to reveal real new advances in science and technology. These insights will most likely initially come in simulation of a physical system but will, nonetheless, be significant, regardless of the path through which they have been achieved. For example, in diamond-enabled applications, we have witnessed how new science has been revealed over the last few years using this technology.

What is going to be the biggest area of focus for your organisation within Quantum over the next 12 months?

Building on the commercial launch of DNV-B1™ as part of our DNV™ Series, we will be introducing new quantum diamond grades to the market, continuing to work closely with our global network of partners to deliver disruptive quantum technology. Our goal is for diamond to become part of an ecosystem of solutions that will aggregate start-ups and established large companies alike, addressing a range of applications, from sensing for harsh environments to medical diagnostics.

Can you share an example of how your platform or application has been used by a new customer? Feel free to include any feedback or practical examples.

It is always incredibly rewarding to see how our diamond solutions enable new applications, achieving exciting results that simply would not have been possible with existing materials. For example, E6’s diamond enabled a watershed moment in science, when a research group at Delft University demonstrated loophole-free Bell inequality violation for the first time (https://www.nature.com/articles/srep30289) which, famously, has proved Einstein wrong about the nature of the universe. Elsewhere our collaborators such as SBQuantum, Qnami & Lockheed Martin have developed NV-based magnetic-field devices for a broad range of applications. ).

Top tips: How can you best engage and support the business to adopt Quantum technologies?

Our strategy to date has been to ensure the development community has access to generic quantum grades of diamond represented by our DNV™ Series to enable fast and quick initial development. In parallel with that, we continue to work with our customers, developing specific material solutions for unique applications in a more tailored approach. This combination is likely to continue for the time being and our doors are open to discuss any potential development co-development program. This means we will continue to work across an ecosystem that includes academia, start-ups, large companies and specialist technology suppliers.

Top tips: What is the best single piece of advice you can give to an enterprise looking to start their Quantum journey?

Quantum remains mostly technology push at the moment. History tells us this is a risky and challenging proposition. For anyone starting out the usual good advice applies: (i) recognize the need to be flexible and pivot based on feedback – your initial 36 month plan is likely to look very different 12 months on (ii) test concepts against the market as quick as possible through minimum viable products and (iii) failure is just a faster way to learn.

If you look 5 years into the future, what do you consider will be the biggest impact Quantum technology will have on your industry?

We certainly hope and expect to see quantum enabled sensors having an impact across a wide range of industries including semiconductors, defense and life sciences, enabling commercial solutions not possible with classical systems. We believe this will drive new and exciting markets for diamond and, along with them, new technology solutions in areas such as processing and diamond engineering that will open other markets. For so long diamond has been mainly known as an alluring and attractive gem stone. We hope the next generation of engineering community will see that same allure, but linked to its industrial value.

What is your biggest professional achievement to date?

Having my team’s efforts and the importance of diamond-based solutions recognized through Element Six being named as the 2021 SPIE Prism Awards winner in the quantum category for our DNV-B1™ general-purpose chemical vapour deposition (CVD) quantum diamond grade. A single milestone, but within it captures more than 10 years of research and development from E6 and its network of collaborators, both industrial and academia, across EU and US.

What are you most looking forward to at the Quantum.Tech digital event?

Educating people unfamiliar with diamond and nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers as to where they fit in within the broad range of exciting quantum technologies commercially available, and expanding our network of diamond-enabled collaborations as a result. From a personal perspective, it is also always stimulating to gain insights into the work occurring across the spectrum of quantum-oriented applications.