De Beers’ Element Six partners with Lightsynq

Element Six, the synthetic diamond company and part of the De Beers Group, announced an investment in new quantum interconnect startup Lightsynq.

The investment in Lightsynq, which was founded by Harvard PhDs and former research leads at the AWS Center for Quantum Networking, will help the company build faster and more robust solutions to scale quantum computing, unlocking several factors of computational capabilities in sectors such as chemistry and cybersecurity. 

In recent years, scientific research has focused on single, small-scale quantum computers, but the company’s use in real-world commercial applications has been limited because of the challenges associated with scaling individual systems.

However, Element Six’s engineered synthetic diamonds, thanks to their stability and the way they interact with light, will enable the solutions needed to create complex quantum connections.

Since De Beers announced the partnership with Element Six, the synthetic diamond company has already partnered with Orbray, a leading manufacturer based in Japan, to create the world’s highest quality wafer-scale single crystal diamond.

In addition, the company also partnered with US-based Lummus Technology to introduce innovative methods for eliminating ‘PFAS’ – harmful ‘forever chemicals’ – from water. The two are now combining their patented technologies to create electrodes made from synthetic diamonds which are extremely effective in destroying PFAS, leaving water that is pure enough to drink.

Siobhán Duffy, CEO of Element Six, said: “Synthetic diamonds have the potential to shape our future – from the water we drink to the internet connections our societies rely on.Element Six is proud to have innovation in its DNA; we’ve been a leader in the field for many decades and will continue to drive new opportunities and exciting applications through our pioneering synthetic diamond solutions and technology.  

“We look forward to announcing more high impact partnerships as we continue to harness the industrial potential of synthetic diamonds and Element Six.”