Israeli Quantum Software Firm Kadama and IBM Demonstrate First Quantum Advantage

Israeli quantum software company Kadama, in collaboration with computing giant IBM, has for the first time demonstrated "quantum advantage" by performing a precise and reliable quantum computation of a physical phenomenon that classical simulations cannot consistently solve. IBM's quantum computer, running Kadama's software, completed a calculation in seven hours that a classical computer with 700,000 CPUs failed to perform. Asif Sinai, Kadama's co-founder and CEO, compared the breakthrough to "the launch of the first spacecraft," marking a new era in computing akin to recent advances in artificial intelligence.

Kadama also replicated the calculation on a different type of quantum computer from the American company Quantinuum, achieving identical results. This cross-platform consistency strongly supports the accuracy of the findings and their reflection of the true physics of the system studied. The research, conducted with Japan's RIKEN institute, examined changes in the magnetic properties of materials subjected to repeated external pulses, a fundamental question in material physics that grows computationally complex with system size and calculation duration.

This milestone is significant because it shows that quantum computers, combined with error-reduction software like Kadama's QESEM, can perform scientific calculations beyond the reach of leading classical methods. Despite decades of investment exceeding tens of billions of dollars, quantum computing's promise had remained largely theoretical due to sensitivity to noise and errors. Kadama's software, compatible with any quantum computer, mitigates these errors, pushing quantum technology closer to commercial use for solving previously intractable problems.

Founded in 2020 by Dr. Asif Sinai, Prof. Dorit Aharonov of the Hebrew University, and Prof. Netanel Lindner of the Technion, Kadama employs 40 people and has raised $30 million in two funding rounds from investors including Glilot Capital, TPY, Q FUND, and IBM. Prof. Aharonov pioneered quantum error correction nearly 30 years ago, laying the foundation for this field, while Prof. Lindner is a world-renowned theoretical physicist specializing in complex quantum systems. The companies and research partners have published a scientific paper detailing their findings, marking a key step toward practical quantum computing applications in scientific research.