ORCA Computing Expands Commercial Quantum Presence Through Digital Realty Innovation Lab in London
Summarize this article with:
MAY 26 2026ORCA Computing announced its participation in the newly launched Digital Realty Innovation Lab (DRIL) in London, a next-generation infrastructure testing environment developed by Digital Realty, the world’s largest cloud-and carrier-neutral data center provider.The DRIL enables customers to test emerging AI and quantum technologies in live operational conditions before full-scale deployment, helping reduce risk and accelerate adoption. By bringing this capability to London, Digital Realty is expanding access to advanced infrastructure testing for organizations building next-generation compute environments across EMEA.The collaboration with Digital Realty represents another significant commercial milestone for ORCA, as enterprises increasingly explore how quantum acceleration can integrate alongside AI and HPC infrastructure. As part of the initiative, ORCA’s PT Series photonic quantum systems will operate alongside leading AI and infrastructure technologies in a live environment, without the need for specialized cooling or infrastructure.“Working with ORCA gives customers direct access to one of the UK’s leading quantum innovators and demonstrates how quantum technologies can be integrated into real-world enterprise and AI infrastructure environments today,” said Seamus Dunne, Managing Director, Digital Realty UK and Ireland. “Having ORCA integrated within the DRIL helps customers explore practical pathways to hybrid quantum-classical computing.”ORCA’s latest deployment is proof of the company’s data center-native approach to photonic quantum computing. This partnership solidifies ORCA’s position as a leading quantum company and one of the only full-stack quantum computing companies able to quickly and effectively deploy in commercial environments.“ORCA was built around the idea that quantum computing should integrate directly into the infrastructure enterprises already rely on for AI and high-performance computing,” said Richard Murray, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of ORCA Computing. “As a London-based quantum company, it is exciting to be part of the launch of the Digital Realty Innovation Lab and to demonstrate our systems operating inside a commercial data center environment.”This announcement reinforces ORCA’s continued momentum in advancing hybrid quantum–classical integration across generative AI and enterprise environments. Together with ORCA’s growing ecosystem of strategic collaborations including, NVIDIA, Toyota Tsusho, SiC Systems and JIJ, ORCA continues to expand the deployment of photonic quantum systems within enterprise data center environments and real-world commercial deployments. David Hall DPhilHead of DeliveryProf. Ian Walmsley is Chairman of the ORCA Computing Board and a leading figure in quantum optics, quantum memories and waveguide circuits. He is Provost of Imperial College, London, an Honorary Fellow at St Hugh's College, Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Society, The Optical Society, the Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society. Previously, he was President of the Optical Society of America, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Hooke Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Oxford and Director of the NQIT (Networked Quantum Information Technologies) hub. Prof. Walmsley is recognised for developing the SPIDER technique for characterising ultra-fast laser pulses.Enhance renewable energy optimisation and accelerate the development of biofuels. Investigating molecular structures is an important pursuit in computational chemistry, especially in fields likes biofuel formulation, material innovation, and pharmaceutical development where research acceleration is critical. The specific problem considered here is significant across the energy industry, as molecule’s possible structures directly determine many of its physical and chemical traits. However, the vast array of possible configurations and high computational requirements make it difficult for traditional methods to find low-energy conformations for certain molecules. ORCA partnered has with bp to explore a hybrid quantum-classical approach using generative adversarial network (GAN) algorithms. This approach aims to generate low-energy conformations of small and medium size hydrocarbon molecules, offering a potential solution to the computational hurdles faced in molecular exploration.