PsiQuantum Photonic Scale-Up

PsiQuantum is betting that the industry's biggest problem isn't the qubits, it's the plumbing. Superconducting quantum computers need millikelvin cryogenics and million-dollar cooling systems; PsiQuantum's silicon photonic chips run at room temperature on equipment built in standard semiconductor fabs, a fundamentally cheaper way to scale if the physics holds up. The company backed that bet with $1 billion committed toward facilities in Chicago and Brisbane in March 2026. Its collaboration with Airbus on aerospace fluid-dynamics simulation is the first sign of a real industrial customer rather than a research partner, and analysts are projecting a $7 billion photonic quantum market by 2036 if the room-temperature economics deliver as promised.