Technion researchers have developed, for the first time, a comprehensive physical model explaining how the properties of a radiating material, including absorption, emission, and quantum efficiency, affect the fundamental characteristics of the light it emits as a function of temperature. In essence, the emitted light changes its color, intensity, and randomness according to the material’s properties and its temperature. The discovery was published in Optica and opens new possibilities for designing advanced light sources, optical sensors, and thermally based photonic systems.
The research was led by M.Sc. student Tomer Bar-Lev and Prof. Carmel Rotschild from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute at the Technion. According to the researchers, the central phenomenon examined in this work is photoluminescence, a process in which a material emits light in response to incident illumination. In this phenomenon, light particles (photons) are absorbed by the material and re-emitted, forming the basis of many technologies, including LED lighting and optical sensors.
The Technion researchers demonstrated that the influence of fundamental physical laws formulated more than a century ago is far broader than previously thought.
At the beginning of the 20th century, physicist Max Planck showed that a body in thermodynamic equilibrium emits radiation depending on its temperature and material properties. Another German physicist, Gustav Kirchhoff, showed that under the same conditions, a material’s absorption and emission properties must be identical.
The new work by Technion researchers extends beyond the specific case of thermal radiation to all types of radiation, generalizing the relationship between matter and radiation out of equilibrium. Moreover, in their paper, they present a general equation that enables prediction and, crucially, design of the nature of light emitted from luminescent materials.
The new model describes how increasing temperature gradually transforms the emitted light, from well-defined, narrowband emission, such as that of an LED, to broad, multicolored radiation like sunlight. In doing so, the model fully explains, for the first time, how these two phenomena are fundamentally connected.
This scientific discovery paves the way for controlling the properties of light simply by adjusting temperature. Potential future developments include advanced optical devices, communications technologies, precise sensing, and applications in optical cooling and heat management.
According to Prof. Rotschild, “The model we developed provides a broad foundation for understanding light properties and for designing radiation sources with the material characteristics we desire. It offers a new physical framework for the light sources of the next generation.”
From cultivated milk to sustainable proteins, Technion researchers and graduates are reshaping the future of food
The way the world eats is changing rapidly. As global populations grow, climate pressures intensify and consumers seek healthier, more sustainable alternatives, food technology has emerged as one of the defining industries of the 21st century. At the forefront of this revolution stands the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
Featured recently in The Jewish Chronicle, Technion Professor Uri Lesmes highlighted how Israel has become a global centre for food innovation, with Technion researchers, graduates and entrepreneurs leading advances that could transform nutrition, sustainability and food production worldwide.
Reimagining dairy
One of the most exciting examples is Remilk, the Israeli start-up co-founded by two former Technion students. The company has developed a groundbreaking method of producing dairy proteins without cows.
Using precision fermentation, scientists insert the gene responsible for milk protein production into yeast cells. The yeast then produces proteins that are molecularly identical to those found in cow’s milk. The result is a dairy product that contains the same essential proteins, but without lactose, cholesterol, hormones or antibiotics.
This innovation has the potential to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of dairy farming while maintaining the taste, texture and nutritional value consumers expect.
Israel became the first country in the world to approve the sale of lab-grown and alternative proteins in 2024, cementing its reputation as a global food-tech leader. The sector has attracted billions in investment and continues to expand rapidly.
Innovation with purpose
Professor Lesmes, from the Technion’s Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering in Haifa, is helping train the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs who will shape the future of nutrition.
His work focuses not only on technological breakthroughs, but also on improving public health and accessibility. Among the challenges being tackled are the nutritional needs of ageing populations, healthier processed foods and more sustainable methods of production.
“We’re trained to think about what other people are missing, or what they think is impossible – and then we try to do it,” Professor Lesmes said.
That mindset reflects the wider Technion culture: combining scientific excellence with practical problem-solving that can improve lives around the world.
Food security and resilience
The importance of food innovation has become even more pronounced in recent years. Since October 7, many Israeli researchers and students have also contributed directly to national resilience efforts.
Professor Lesmes himself worked with IDF units to improve nutrition for combat soldiers, helping develop sterilised, ready-to-eat meals suited to frontline conditions.
At the same time, Technion students continue to launch new ventures addressing food security, sustainability and nutrition challenges on a global scale.
From the laboratory to the supermarket
What once sounded like science fiction is increasingly becoming reality. Alternative dairy products, cultivated proteins and advanced nutritional technologies are already reaching supermarket shelves.
Companies founded by Technion graduates are helping redefine how food is produced and consumed, while demonstrating how scientific research can translate into real-world impact.
The Technion’s unique ecosystem — bringing together world-class researchers, ambitious students and close industry collaboration — has positioned Israel as one of the world’s leading food-tech hubs.
Supporting the next generation of innovators
Technion UK is proud to support the pioneering research, education and entrepreneurship taking place at the Technion.
From sustainable food systems to medical breakthroughs, Technion scientists are addressing some of the greatest challenges facing humanity.
As the world searches for smarter, cleaner and more resilient ways to feed future generations, Technion innovation is helping turn pure imagination into reality.
The 4-kilogram CloudCT satellite, built through an international project involving the Weizmann Institute, Technion and Germany’s Center for Telematics, will test AI-based cloud tomography technology ahead of a planned 10-satellite constellation
The first tiny satellite in an Israeli-German research satellite network, CloudCT, has been built, tested and prepared for launch from California. The launch is expected in June.
The success of the pioneering mission is expected to pave the way for the launch of 10 additional CloudCT satellites next year and advance research into clouds and their role in the climate.
The satellite is the product of seven years of intensive joint research by Israeli and German scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science, led by Prof. Ilan Koren; the Technion, led by Prof. Yoav Schechner; and the Center for Telematics in Germany, led by Prof. Klaus Schilling.
The achievement was made possible by a prestigious ERC Synergy research grant from the European Research Council. Discoveries by the international research team on AI-based tomographic observation methods, cloud physics and advances in satellite technology have been published in leading scientific journals.
“The mission focuses on in-depth study of small clouds, which are often not observed by current remote-sensing technologies,” said Koren, a world-renowned expert in atmospheric and climate research. “The mission addresses significant sources of uncertainty that currently limit long-term climate models and forecasts.”
Researchers said that after flight tests, the pioneer satellite will test its innovative sensing technology from orbit. The satellite weighs only about 4 kilograms and must autonomously tilt itself toward specific cloud fields.
“Precise aiming and coordination between 10 tiny satellites flying in formation in space are significant challenges for such small guidance and control systems,” said Schilling, president of the Center for Telematics and an expert in small-satellite development. “This is the key to autonomous formation flying.”
The group developed an entirely new observation approach inspired by medical CT, or computed tomography. The method maps the internal structure and properties of clouds in three dimensions, including unprecedented measurements of the microphysics of cloud droplets. It uses AI and allows scientists to assess the reliability of the mapping.
“Optical CT of clouds requires simultaneous images from many directions in space, using a unique camera,” said Schechner, an expert in computational photography. “The camera is sensitive to light polarization: polarization is invisible to the human eye but provides information about cloud droplets. The camera was developed especially for CloudCT, and we will test its performance in space in the upcoming mission.”
The Technion continues to set the standard for innovation and excellence and once again puts Israel on the world stage.
Haifa and London – The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology has earned major international recognition for both academic excellence and entrepreneurial impact, according to newly released global rankings.
The Technion has been ranked first in Israel and Europe in a leading international computer sciences index measuring peer-reviewed conference publications between 2005 and 2025. The institution placed 21st worldwide overall, with particular strength in artificial intelligence and machine learning, including a top-10 global ranking in machine learning.
The index evaluates research output and impact across key computer science disciplines, underscoring The Technion’s leadership in advanced technologies shaping the future of AI, data science, and computational research.
In addition to its academic distinction, The Technion has also been ranked among the top 10 universities worldwide for producing venture-backed founders, according to the latest PitchBook University Rankings. Climbing six places from the previous year, the Technion secured 10th place globally, reflecting the growing influence of its alumni within the global startup ecosystem.
Technion graduates have founded hundreds of companies that have collectively raised billions of dollars in venture capital, reinforcing the university’s reputation as a powerhouse of deep-tech innovation and entrepreneurship.
Alan Aziz CEO of Technion UK commented: “These rankings reflect more than academic achievement, they represent the Technion’s unique ability to turn groundbreaking research into real-world impact. From pioneering advances in AI to nurturing the next generation of global entrepreneurs, The Technion continues to set the standard for innovation and excellence and once again puts Israel on the world stage.”
Together, these achievements highlight the Technion’s ability to combine world-class scientific research with tangible commercial success advancing knowledge while fuelling technological innovation worldwide.
Ali Ayoub told the Globes Putting the North at the Center Conference that Nvidia does not see the north as a periphery but as the center of the AI revolution.
“I was born and raised in the (Galilee) village of Majd al-Krum and was infatuated by the field of technology from an early age. I remember my father buying us a computer, which was not a given. I shared the computer with my brothers,” Nvidia VP software engineering Ali Ayoub told Globes technology editor Assaf Gilead at the Globes Putting the North at the Center Conference held in cooperation with Bank Leumi and Strauss Group.
Ayoub spoke about AI and if it will replace engineers and juniors, how to hire employees in the North, how to integrate Arab society into tech professions, Nvidia’s cooperation with academia, and how he reached his current position at Nvidia. Ayoub’s path to Nvidia VP included several stages: he earned a degree in computer engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, worked at Mellanox, moved to the US where he worked at Google and founded a startup, and after 10 years he returned to Israel and Mellanox, and remained there even after the acquisition of Nvidia. At the US chip giant, he founded the DOCA feature group and today manages hundreds of employees at Nvidia in Israel and around the world. He is also cofounder of the HAAT food delivery company.
When asked why he chose to return to Israel, he replied: “People usually ask why I left the center of the country and came to the north. I left the center of the world, Silicon Valley, and returned to the north. This is home. In high-tech, they always talk about the importance of work-life balance, the north is ‘life’, and also being close to family and Nvidia is ‘work’. For me, the stars aligned and looking back, this is one of the best decisions I made.”
Nvidia is to build a large development center in Kiryat Tivon over the next decade for 8,000-10,000 employees. Why in the north and specifically in Kiryat Tivon?
“The north has excellent human capital, and tech companies are really looking for the best. In the north, first of all, there are very good universities. Also in general, if you want to find good people, it is worth looking where others are less likely to look. In Nvidia’s eyes, the north is a place with excellent human capital and a place for growth, and it is no coincidence that they chose Tivon. From our point of view, there is raw material here and it is full of talent that we would be very happy to recruit to Nvidia to reach even further and greater growth. In my opinion, not only is there talent here, but also untapped talent here.”
Can you expand about Nvidia’s activities in Israel?
“Nvidia Israel, which employs 5,000, is the company’s biggest branch worldwide outside the US. The employees are the nervous system of data centers. They focus on the field of networking and the transformation of AI. Nvidia makes the GPU (graphics processing unit), the AI engine, and if hundreds of GPUs were once enough to build AI data centers, today thousands are needed. They must be connected to a very fast network, and this is where Nvidia Israel comes in. We provide these fast networks. This is the beating heart of the AI revolution not only in Israel, but around the world.”
How do you hire employees in the North?
“Firstly, you have to believe that they exist, look for them and then find them. It’s a matter of cause and effect. In all kinds of jobs, not just in high-tech, there is a lot of stress on the balance between work and home. The North brings the home part and we have to work on the work part. So, companies must set up branches here and focus on here and create the opportunity to work in quality jobs. This is, in my opinion, the number one element that will keep people here. Nvidia does not see the North as a periphery but sees it as the center of the AI revolution, and you have to believe in it and see it and when you look, you find it.”
Are you working with universities in order to build a pool of employees in the future?
“For us, universities are not just a collaboration, but complement us. This is not done as a favor to the universities, but we want to bring the best to us. Personally, every two months, there is a high school or school that comes to visit. It starts even before the universities.”
Ayoub spoke about collaboration with the universities: “We work very closely with them. This is reflected in job fairs, and we have a program that provides AI tools to lecturers and students, and this brings us very close together.”
On the change required in universities and the integration of AI tools, he said, “I think universities are changing. They also turn to us and we suggest how to change the syllabus and courses. The juniors and students we hire do an excellent job and integrate into AI very quickly. We take people when they have the basic tools, and we do the education and use of AI tools within the company.”
On the difficulty of juniors finding tech jobs, he said, “We hire a lot of juniors and we are at the center of the AI revolution that will require more work. We need to hire people. The reason we are doing this is because we believe in juniors and do not believe that AI will replace them.”
“Whoever doesn’t use AI will get left behind”
You are Nvidia VP software engineering, and this is the area most vulnerable to the impact of AI. There are companies where employees and programmers have not programmed for six months. Do you believe that the programmer will be replaced by AI?
“Not at all. AI will not replace the engineer, but any engineer who does not use AI will be replaced by another engineer who does use it. Almost every engineer at Nvidia uses AI. Things that take weeks to do alone, today can be done in days or hours. It is such an essential tool that anyone who does not use it will be left behind. AI will certainly create new jobs for those who look at it from the right angle.”
What would you recommend to your young children when they grow up to study: software or electrical engineering?
“You cannot do one without the other. I studied software and work in it, but the software I make is software that complements the hardware. The hardware is the body and the software is the mind. You cannot have a body without a mind and vice versa. They complement each other.”
You have previously told me that when you were growing up, your family took it very hard that you went to study computer engineering.
“My parents wanted me to be a doctor, maybe to this day,” laughs Ayoub. “I remember when I wanted to enroll in school, there was the option to give two majors. But I asserted myself, and I only registered the first major.”
How has Arab society changed in recent years and how easy is it for young people to integrate into the tech industry?
“We see them at the Technion, but many give up after their degree and go do other things. But still, almost 16% of the students today in technology subjects are from Arab society. At the Technion, close to 20% of students are Arab, which is very close to the percentage of the population. 50% of Arab students are female students, and this representation we are very proud of. Tech companies are looking for diversity and we see it as a blessing and something good that brings better products.”
Ayoub stresses that more work is needed because there are not many entrepreneurs from Arab society: “Today there is more openness and exposure to technology and we need more role models to say ‘When I grow up, I will be a tech professional’. I think it is happening, but we need to give it more push.”
Full disclosure: The conference was held in cooperation with Bank Leumi and Strauss Group, and sponsored by Aura Investments, Tel-Hai Academic College, Propdo, and with the participation of Netivei Israel National Transport Infrastructure Co.
Patent registration involves prestige as well as significant money. Commercial companies file patents and reap major profits, but academic institutions also benefit from the innovations developed by their researchers.
Israel holds a respected position in this arena, and for the fifth consecutive year, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology ranked among the Top 100 institutions for U.S. patent approvals.
The latest ranking places the Technion first in Israel, second in Europe, and within the list of the world’s 100 leading institutions for U.S. patent approvals in 2025. The Technion ranked 81st globally, with 46 patents approved during the year, and was the only Israeli university to make the Top 100. The top spot went to the governing body of the University of California.
The Technion’s approved patents span a wide range of fields, from artificial intelligence to 3D-printed structures, from smart drug delivery systems to advanced materials and quantum computing technologies.
Prof. Yuval Grofeni, Deputy President for Innovation and Industry Relations, said: “The Technion’s continued success at the forefront of patent approvals is a credit to our faculty members and their students, who constantly strive for excellence. Many invest not only in high-level research but also in translating their work into technologies and products that positively impact quality of life.”
The patent rankings are published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The organization notes that U.S. patent registration enables academic and other institutions to convert original technologies into competitive products in the global market and make a tangible impact on consumers. The NAI ranking is based on data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for 2025 and includes 100 institutions and approximately 10,000 patents.
Rona Samler, CEO of T3, the Technion’s technology transfer unit responsible for patent evaluation and licensing, added: “Behind every patent stands deep scientific thinking, and behind every licensing decision — responsibility for generating real-world value. T3 is tasked not only with managing patents but also with transforming knowledge into innovation through commercialization and company formation, thereby serving society, strengthening the economy, and contributing to the resilience and prosperity of Israel and the world.”
The special collaboration will help advance Israeli innovation, energy security, and civil aviation. After concluding the project feasibility study, Boeing and the Technion announce advancement to the next stage of practical development
January 27, 2026 – Dr. Brendan Nelson, President of Boeing Global, visited the Technion yesterday to mark a milestone in the activities of the Boeing–Technion Innovation Centre for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and to launch the implementation phase. This strategic partnership, the Boeing–Technion SAF Innovation Centre, was launched in 2023 to develop sustainable fuels for the aviation industry. According to the project partners, aviation’s long-term growth will be enabled by producing SAF from feedstocks including green hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and the joint centre will advance this process to a level that enables commercial production at a competitive cost.
Also participating in the visit on behalf of Boeing were Boeing Israel President Maj. Gen. (res.) Ido Nehushtan and Haggai Mazursky, Head of the SAF project. The Boeing delegation was welcomed at the Technion by Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan; Vice President for Research Prof. Noam Adir; Vice President for Innovation and Industry Relations Prof. Yuval Garini; and Head of the Centre Prof. Gidi Grader of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering.
Dr. Nelson, a physician by training, previously held senior positions in the Australian government, including Member of the Australian Parliament, Minister of Defence, Minister for Education and Science, and Ambassador to Europe. During his visit to the Technion, Nelson said: “In addition to delivering high-quality fuel-efficient airplanes to our customers, Boeing works globally and regionally to enhance energy security, support the growth of the civil aviation industry, and create new economic opportunities through sustainable aviation fuel and other technologies. We are pleased to partner with Technion and other stakeholders in the SAF Innovation Centre to support Israel’s aerospace industry.”
“This is a historic collaboration of national importance for the State of Israel,” said Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan. “The partnership with the global aviation leader, Boeing, is, for us, a vote of confidence in the Technion, its researchers, and our technological capabilities. Through this collaboration, Technion experts are taking on a tremendous mission: to develop technologies for producing clean fuels through sustainable processes, thereby making a significant contribution to aviation—and no less importantly, to human health and the environment. I do not doubt that we will meet this challenge, just as we have met many others over the past hundred years.”
“Boeing has been active in Israel since before the establishment of the State and serves as an important supplier to El Al and the Israeli Air Force,” said Maj. Gen. (res.) Ido Nehushtan, President of Boeing Israel. “Israeli industries are now key suppliers to Boeing, and many Israeli systems are integrated into the company’s products worldwide. Boeing has continued to deepen its research and development ties with academia and industry in Israel, as well as its investments in the high-tech sector.” The President of Boeing Israel added that the collaboration between the Technion and Boeing will pave the way for the development of Israel’s most advanced technologies and capabilities, which will be integrated into future generations of aerospace systems around the world.
The Boeing–Technion partnership was initiated by Boeing and includes partners from across the industry and government in Israel. The Israeli Government has provided measures and financial support to accelerate the Israeli SAF industry, which include Israel’s Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology establishing the ISAF research consortium and the Israel Innovation Authority launching SAF-IL which is an incubation program for Israeli start-ups dealing with SAF development.
To lead this groundbreaking vision for the development of SAF, Boeing partnered with Prof. Gidi Grader of the Technion’s Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering to establish the centre, which has now completed its proof-of-concept phase. As part of the partnership, 11 Technion faculty members and dozens of doctoral students from five different faculties are working on various aspects of aviation fuel production, including efficient and competitive manufacturing; theoretical aspects of catalytic reactions and fuel combustion; safety considerations; full life-cycle analysis; and the establishment and operation of an experimental fuel-testing facility at the Technion, which will be only the second of its kind in the world.
The announcement of the Boeing–Technion partnership was originally planned for October 2023. Despite the events of October 7 and the war that followed, the decision was made to continue with the technical work, as Dr. Nelson explained several months later: “We launched this initiative, a project of resilience and innovation in the spirit of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, shortly after the horrific October 7 attack. When I met the Prime Minister a few months earlier, I told him that if there is one country in the world capable of solving civil aviation’s emissions challenge, it is Israel, led by the Technion—the Israeli MIT.”
Now, two years later, following the completion of the initial feasibility phase, senior Boeing executives were presented with the progress achieved to date, and the second phase of the initiative was launched: the development of SAF produced from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and the advancement of the process to a level that will enable competitive commercial production.
Five companies across the hardware-software stack position Israel among the world’s most dynamic quantum hubs.
Israel’s quantum computing sector is experiencing a breakout year. In 2025 alone, five Israeli quantum companies have raised almost $500 million, an influx of capital that places the country among the most active and diversified quantum hubs in the world. The companies – Quantum Art, Classiq, QuamCore, Qedma, and Quantum Machines – span nearly every layer of the quantum stack, from hardware and scaling architectures to control systems and error-correction software.
Quantum Art: A Hardware Bet With an Aggressive Roadmap
The most recent deal came on Wednesday, when Quantum Art announced a $100 million Series A, bringing its total funding to $124 million. The round was led by Bedford Ridge Capital with participation from Battery Ventures, Destra Investments, Lumir Growth Partners, Disruptive AI, Harel Insurance, and others, alongside continued investment from Amiti Ventures, StageOne Ventures, Vertex Ventures, Entrée Capital, and the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Founded as a spin-off from Prof. Roee Ozeri’s group at the Weizmann Institute, the company is led by Dr. Tal David (CEO), Dr. Amit Ben Kish (CTO), and Ozeri (CSO). It specializes in trapped-ion quantum computing, a field long known for precision but criticized for scalability. Quantum Art argues it has solved key challenges through proprietary techniques in multi-qubit gates, modular architectures, and robust error correction.
In June, the company unveiled an unusually detailed roadmap targeting Quantum Advantage by 2027 and a one-million-qubit system by 2033. The timeline includes a 50-qubit system next year; a 1,000-qubit “Perspective” line in 2027; an ultra-dense 12,000-40,000 qubit “Landscape” platform; and ultimately a fault-tolerant “Mosaic” architecture.
Classiq: Software as the Missing Layer
Quantum computer. (Courtesy)
On the software side, Classiq raised an estimated $30 million in November in an up-round that included AMD Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, IonQ, and major financial institutions such as Mirae Asset Capital, Bank Leumi’s LeumiTech77, and Quantum Eretz. The company has now raised more than $200 million to date, following a $110 million Series C completed just six months earlier and an additional $10 million investment from SoftBank.
Classiq founders. (Photo: Eyal Toueg)
Classiq builds an operating system and development environment that translates high-level goals into quantum circuits, allowing organizations to build applications without deep knowledge of quantum physics. Its partnerships with NVIDIA, Microsoft, and AWS, and customers including BMW Group, Comcast, Rolls-Royce, Citi, Toshiba, and SoftBank, suggest that enterprises increasingly see value in preparing for quantum computing years before the hardware matures.
Founded in 2020 by CEO Nir Minerbi, CPO Amir Naveh, and CTO Dr. Yehuda Naveh, the company employs 100 people, three-quarters of whom are based in Israel.
QuamCore: The Race to a Million Qubits
In August, QuamCore raised $26 million in a Series A that brought its total funding to $35 million, including a $4 million grant from the Israel Innovation Authority. The round was led by Sentinel Global, with participation from Arkin Capital and returning investors Viola Ventures, Earth & Beyond Ventures, Surround Ventures, Rhodium, and Qbeat.
QuamCore founders. (Photo: QuamCore)
QuamCore claims to have developed a fully designed and simulated architecture for scaling superconducting quantum systems to one million qubits in a single cryostat, far beyond the ~5,000-qubit per-module limit achieved by Google and IBM. If validated, the approach would fundamentally rewrite assumptions about the physical limits of superconducting systems.
The company is led by CEO Alon Cohen, formerly of Mobileye’s EyeC Radar Group, and CTO Prof. Shay Hacohen-Gourgy and Chief Scientist Prof. Serge Rosenblum, both leading figures in superconducting quantum research at the Technion and the Weizmann Institute. Their combined academic work has appeared in Science, Nature, and other top journals.
Qedma: Fixing Quantum Computing’s Biggest Problem
Error rates remain the defining barrier to practical quantum computing, and Israeli startup Qedma has positioned itself squarely at this chokepoint. The company raised $26 million in July in a Series A led by Glilot+ with participation from IBM, Korean Investment Partners, and others.
Qedma team. (Photo: Eyal Toueg)
Qedma develops software that identifies and learns the noise profile of each quantum device and adjusts algorithms to suppress and mitigate errors. The company claims its methods can enable quantum calculations up to 1,000 times larger than today’s hardware alone can support. That would dramatically reduce the overhead required for quantum error correction, which typically consumes up to 1,000 physical qubits for every single logical qubit.
The company traces its origins to a 2020 conversation between Prof. Netanel Lindner and Dr. Asif Sinay, later joined by Prof. Dorit Aharonov, a pioneer of the fault-tolerance theorem that proved large-scale quantum computing was theoretically possible. Their weekly discussions evolved into a startup aiming to build the “operating layer” that quantum machines currently lack.
Quantum Machines: Control Systems Become Strategic
The year’s largest raise came in February, when Quantum Machines closed a $170 million Series C, bringing its total investment to $280 million and valuing the company at an estimated $700 million. PSG Equity led the round with participation from Red Dot Capital Partners, Intel Capital, TLV Partners, Battery Ventures, and entrepreneur Avigdor Willenz.
Quantum Machines team. (Photo: Ilya Melnikov)
Quantum Machines builds hybrid control systems used across nearly every type of quantum hardware. Its technology has seen broad global adoption, including through a strategic collaboration with NVIDIA on DGX Quantum, which integrates real-time quantum control with high-speed classical computing.
The company was founded in 2018 by Dr. Itamar Sivan (CEO), Dr. Yonatan Cohen (CTO), and Dr. Nissim Ofek (VP R&D), all alumni of the Weizmann Institute’s Submicron Center.
Prof. Gal Shmuel of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology has developed an innovative approach that enables precise control of heat conduction in ways that do not occur naturally.
The breakthrough could lead to new applications in energy harvesting and in protecting heat-sensitive devices. The research, conducted in collaboration with Prof. John R. Willis of the University of Cambridge, was published in Physical Review Letters.
The researchers’ approach is based on designing materials with asymmetric and nonuniform microstructures, inspired by similar methods previously developed for controlling light and sound—but never applied before to heat conduction. The challenge in adapting these ideas stems from the fact that light and sound propagate as waves, while heat spreads through a spontaneous process known as diffusion.
The solution developed by Profs. Willis and Shmuel relies on a unique homogenization method that accurately maps the average heat flow in composite materials. Using this method, the two propose thermal metamaterials (engineered materials with thermal properties not found in nature) in which the average heat flow is asymmetric: the heat flow pattern depends on the direction from which it enters the material.
This engineered asymmetry makes it possible to “tame heat,” guiding it in desired directions. According to Prof. Shmuel, “This capability is essential for various technological applications. It expands our toolkit for managing heat and offers new solutions for protecting temperature-sensitive electronics and efficiently routing heat in thermal energy harvesting systems.”
At 15, when a neurological condition took Tobias Weinberg’s ability to speak, aspects of his personality became more difficult to express.
Typing to communicate, he struggled to keep up in conversations, especially to make the jokes or sarcastic comments that had been his norm. And his first text-to-voice device was monotone, with Mexican or Spanish accents but not his native Argentinian.
“The monotone voices, the timing of interjections and conveying my personality through this new way of communication was definitely frustrating,” wrote Weinberg, now a doctoral student and Siegel PiTech Fellow at Cornell Tech. As part of the Matter of Tech Lab, he is exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance the technologies that he and more than two million Americans with speech disabilities use to communicate.
Through a standing partnership between Cornell Tech and YAI—a nonprofit that supports more than 20,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in New York, New Jersey and California—Weinberg spent a year working with a group of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) users who live in group homes in Tarrytown, New York to better understand needs and behaviors and to improve prototypes.
The resulting research and lines of inquiry, which incorporate Weinberg’s own experience, could transform assistive technology design.
The field is taking notice. Weinberg’s first paper—”Why so serious?”—won best paper honorable mention and jury best demo awards at the prestigious Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). Those are highly coveted commendations according to his advisor, Thijs Roumen, assistant professor at Cornell Tech.
“Tobi really is a trailblazer,” said Roumen, who has a joint appointment in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science. “He’s been developing technology while also using the technology, which changes the way it’s shaped and the way we reflect on it. In the process, he’s hitting on a richness that is going to make the future of AAC technology much much better, and he’s also inspiring a whole generation of researchers.”
Judith Bailey-Hung, supervisor of the YAI Center for Innovation and Engagement, said he’s also inspiring the AAC users involved in his studies.
“For the people we support, it was very powerful to see that this person’s working on their Ph.D., they’re interested in improving how you communicate, and they want to involve you in that process,” said Bailey-Hung, who has supervised three Cornell Tech interns as part of a larger partnership. “It gives them a voice and a way to advocate for themselves.”
Humor, backchanneling and AI villains
Heather Klippel, who has cerebral palsy and lives in a YAI group home, has similar frustrations with AAC devices to Weinberg’s—she gets overwhelmed when too many people are speaking and struggles to convey tone and humor.
“Those things are very hard to express as a nonverbal person,” Klippel wrote.
In the first of two studies, Weinberg interviewed Klippel and six others and designed an interface that could help users write jokes or humorous comments they can then interject in real time.
“There is an inherent tradeoff between agency and efficiency when designing AI tools that support communication,” Weinberg wrote. “While an AI auto-complete will enable making humorous comments faster, there is a risk that it diminishes the user’s sense of agency by making jokes for users instead of with the user.”
Weinberg designed interfaces that explored this tradeoff—in one, users selected keywords they wanted the AI to use in crafting a joke; in another, they were able to edit and modify AI-written jokes; and in another, they could simply choose a joke that the AI provided.
“What we found is in time-pressured scenarios, like making a humorous comment, AAC users were willing to give up some agency to deliver the comment faster,” Weinberg wrote. “This challenged the existing research that said AAC users care most about maximum agency, which is true in general but not always.”
At 15, Weinberg lost the ability to speak and found it harder to communicate certain aspects of his personality, like humor. Now, he’s working to make assistive communication technologies more expressive. Credit: Alexandra Bayer/Cornell University
That led Weinberg and his collaborators to think about the purpose of humor. Often, he said, the joke itself is less important than participation and engagement in the conversation. The team started to consider other types of “backchanneling,” or ways we communicate engagement, alongside the primary conversation, like saying “uh-huh” or nodding.
In a second study with the AAC users—resulting in a paper, “One does not simply ‘Mm-hmm'” presented at the ASSETS’ Conference on Computers and Accessibility in October—Weinberg and his team found that the participants formed their own micro-culture of bachkchanneling, such as tapping their armrests to indicate agreement or raising eyebrows. The interviews and observations led him and his team to recommend a design approach that amplifies and incorporates what users are already doing, rather than imposing mainstream behaviours.
“There can be this tendency to just want to build an app and solve a problem,” Roumen said. “But by asking ourselves these fundamental questions and driving the curiosity that Tobi brings as a researcher to really understand what’s happening, we can now start to understand how we can be really impactful in this space.”
Those fundamental questions are often also ethical ones. For a third paper currently in submission, Weinberg developed an app that collected everything he’d typed over a period of seven months and used the text to train a large language model that could help facilitate and speed his communication.
While the resulting “AI-twin” captured a verbal identity, incorporating characteristic phrases and Argentinian slang, it failed in practice to suggest or provide that language in appropriate contexts and risked exposing private information at the wrong times. Weinberg also felt the app dampened control over his own self-presentation.
“AI is a very wonderful but dangerous technology, especially if it mediates everything we say as AAC users,” Weinberg wrote. “So, my work serves both sides, providing design guidelines for future developers and also playing the villain, warning of the socio-technical implications of AI in the lives of AAC users like myself.”
Building community, inspiring others
Weinberg disassembled his first computer at age 2 and at age 7 told his parents he wanted to invent things that would help people. But when he arrived at Cornell Tech for a summer internship in 2022, he didn’t know what a Ph.D. was and did not see it in his future.
Wendy Ju, associate professor at Cornell Tech, encouraged Weinberg to apply for the doctoral program after completing his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology. In 2023, he joined Roumen’s lab, intending to work on digital fabrication. But Roumen encouraged Weinberg, as he does all students, to find a project he really cared about.
“I told Thijs, there was this other thing I really care about, but neither of us has any experience with it,” Weinberg wrote. “He was on board to give it a try, and here we are.”
Weinberg and Roumen teamed with Stephanie Valencia at the University of Maryland, who specializes in AI and agency in AAC use. After overcoming steep learning curves—embarking on what Roumen calls “a journey” for them both—Weinberg is now inspiring others.
“It amazes me that somebody with an AAC device was going for his doctorate,” Klippel wrote. “I know that people with disabilities can achieve such high degrees in education, but it was quite an honor to actually meet somebody like this.”
The studies have also built community. Klippel said she became closer to another AAC user during the course of the studies and continued the friendship.
For Weinberg, seeing that connection form was one of the most rewarding parts of the research. “It didn’t feel like a workshop, it felt like a couple of friends hanging out and sharing anecdotes about our AAC hurdles and use, not only for me but also for them,” he wrote.
The other reward was seeing the participants use the systems to express themselves in new ways. Weinberg often replays a video from the humor study, of an AAC user working with the platform to write a joke and bursting into laughter at what she had created.
“That made all the hard work worth it,” he wrote.
Looking ahead, Weinberg hopes to reframe AAC—not as a workaround for missing speech but as a medium of expression. “This vision represents a step toward the broader goal of enabling AAC users to fully participate in spoken communication and to flourish in society,” he wrote.
