Officially separated from Google's parent company, Sandbox focuses on AI + quantum

In January of this year, media broke the news that the secret quantum technology team of Google's parent company Alphabet was preparing to spin off into a separate company, the Sandbox - the team was originally founded by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, by Enterprise Home Jack Hidary led for over four years.

Now, the Sandbox team has officially left Alphabet to form an enterprise SaaS company called Sandbox AQ, which stands for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quantum (Quantum), and will provide customers with solutions that leverage quantum technology and AI.

Sandbox AQ is developing commercial products for telecommunications, financial services, healthcare, government, computer security and other computing-intensive industries. The company's 55 engineers, scientists and technologists collaborate across a wide range of fields (physics, chemistry, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, cryptography, mathematics and other disciplines) to develop practical solutions for a wide range of use cases.

Jack Hidary, CEO of Sandbox AQ

Sandbox AQ's vision has attracted some of the world's top business leaders, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who is now chairman of Sandbox AQ's board.

The company received a nine-figure ($100 million) financing from investors including Breyer Capital, Eric Schmidt, Thomas Tull (founder and CEO of Tulco, LLC), First Light Capital Group, T. Rowe Price Associates, Guggenheim Investments led by Scott Minerd, TIME Ventures by Marc Benioff, David Siegel (co-founder of Two Sigma), Bradley M. Bloom (co-founder and former managing director of Berkshire Partners LLC), Section 32, Parkway Venture Capital and other leading funds.

It is worth mentioning that Alphabet does not hold any shares in Sandbox AQ.

The company will use the funds to hire more AI experts, physicists and engineers to further develop and deliver its AI and quantum technologies. The company's global customer base includes Vodafone Corporation, SoftBank Mobile, Mt. Sinai Health System, and partnerships with Global 1000 companies including Wix.

Sandbox AQ is developing and deploying hardware, applications and services that leverage global-scale artificial intelligence and machine learning infrastructure and quantum technologies, which until recently were limited to scientific papers and advanced research facilities. The company's products include post-quantum cryptographic modules, enabling global companies to transition to more secure network architectures.

The company currently has two primary research goals. The first is the creation of post-quantum cryptosystems and related privacy-enhancing technologies that attempt to keep data secure as quantum computing advances to the point where today's encryption techniques are obsolete.

The second is the creation of new navigation systems based on geophysical signals (such as local changes in Earth's magnetic and gravitational fields) rather than satellites. The company said such a system could be used in self-driving cars or in areas without access to global navigation satellite systems (GNSS).

Sandbox AQ is also investigating the development of novel sensors based on quantum phenomena that could be useful in medical diagnostics and in the use of artificial intelligence to discover new materials and drugs.

Hidary, CEO of Sandbox AQ, said: “The severity of the geopolitical climate requires us to develop stronger cybersecurity platforms for companies and governments. In addition to cybersecurity, there is a powerful compound effect of quantum technology + AI, which we call AQ , it can impact areas such as drug development, clean energy and data security. We have built an ecosystem of partners, customers, government agencies and university relationships to advance this mission at scale."

"The convergence of quantum and artificial intelligence technologies is transforming entire industries, accelerating scientific discovery, and reimagining what we thought was possible," Schmidt said. "By combining today's high-performance computing capabilities with emerging quantum platforms, the development of commercially viable of quantum technology, Sandbox AQ is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation on a global scale. As chairman of the board and investor in Sandbox AQ, I am excited about this journey.” Schmidt has previously urged U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and quantum computing to maintain its lead over China.

Sandbox AQ Board Chairman Eric Schmidt

Jim Breyer, founder and CEO of Breyer Capital, said: "Over the past five years, I have made more than 20 investments in artificial intelligence; many of which have had a profoundly positive impact on areas such as medicine and healthcare. Quantum technologies It will have a huge impact on communications, healthcare, finance and other fields. While many quantum companies are focusing on computing hardware development, Sandbox AQ is solving real-world challenges and delivering applications to customers.”

In fact, Sandbox AQ, unlike Google, is not involved in the development of quantum computers, but is focused on how quantum technology intersects with artificial intelligence, developing applications to strengthen cybersecurity platforms, and more. In the company's own words, "many aspects of quantum physics and technology can be commercialized in the near term without the need for quantum computers...using today's high-performance computers." That is, developing quantum applications that do not rely on quantum hardware. The resulting "quantum simulations can solve real-world business and scientific challenges in a variety of industries, from financial services and healthcare to aerospace and manufacturing to communications and materials science."

Link:

[1]https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sandboxaq-launches-with-prominent-investors-including-t-rowe-price-eric-schmidt-breyer-capital-guggenheim-partners-and-thomas -tull-and-customers-including-vodafone-business-mt-sinai-health-system-and-wix-301507178.html

[2] https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/22/alphabet-spins-out-a-new-subsidiary-and-in-a-sign-of-the-times-its-focused-on-quantum -tech/

[3] https://www.cio.com/article/307102/sandbox-aq-is-alphabets-new-bet-on-the-future-of-quantum-cryptography.html