Summer 2026
Intern – Software Engineering
Posted on 3/25/2026
PsiQuantum
501-1,000 employees
Utility-scale fault-tolerant photonic quantum computers
Compensation Overview
$27.50 - $47/hr
Palo Alto, CA, USA
Remote
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
 Software Engineering (1) |
|---|
Get referred to PsiQuantum
See people who can refer or advise you
- Currently pursuing BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Math, or related field.
- Strong Python skills, including clean API design, OOP, packaging, and testing.
- Working knowledge of distributed/remote compute concepts (jobs, clusters, queues) and cloud storage fundamentals.
- Familiarity with quantum computing applications/algorithms (resource estimation, quantum simulation, or adjacent numerical methods); comfort with linear algebra and scientific computing.
- Data platform governance and reliability: Implement governance patterns for datasets and run outputs (naming, lineage, access boundaries, catalog/volume organization).
- Data platform governance and reliability: Improve dataset upload validation and guardrails to prevent accidental modification of unrelated storage paths and to enforce consistent metadata and file structure.
- Monitoring, usage, and cost visibility: Build monitoring and reporting for compute usage and cost drivers (job frequency, runtime, GPU utilization proxies, storage growth, auto-termination effectiveness).
- Monitoring, usage, and cost visibility: Deliver dashboards that make platform health and spend understandable to both engineers and researchers.
- Job orchestration and software quality: Refactor existing job setup / submission scripts into a maintainable, testable OOP design (clear interfaces, configuration objects, reusable clients).
- Job orchestration and software quality: Improve workflow parameter handling for the two-stage pipeline (tensor factorization stage and QRE stage) and standardize outputs for downstream analysis.
- Developer Experience simplification: Reduce onboarding friction by abstracting authentication and setup into a single, ergonomic path (e.g., a CLI/Python entry point that validates auth, environment, and required dependencies).
- Developer Experience simplification: Replace “follow the guide manually” with automation: preflight checks, actionable errors, and self-serve setup validation.
- Databricks experience (Jobs API/SDK, workspace organization, catalog/permissions patterns).
- AWS experience (S3, IAM/credentials handling, boto3-style tooling, cost monitoring patterns).
- Experience with scientific Python stacks and GPU compute (JAX/NumPy/SciPy; performance profiling).
- Exposure to quantum chemistry workflows, tensor factorization, or benchmark-driven research engineering.
PsiQuantum builds utility-scale quantum computers that use photons as qubits and a semiconductor-compatible Omega chipset. The Omega platform combines single-photon sources, superconducting detectors, and optical switches to enable scalable chip-to-chip interconnects and high-fidelity quantum operations. It differentiates itself by using manufacturable semiconductor processes, pursuing large-scale integration, and exploring fault-tolerant approaches like fusion-based quantum computation (FBQC) with collaborations with government and research institutions. The goal is to deliver a scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computer capable of solving real-world problems in chemistry, materials science, optimization, and cryptography beyond what classical computers can handle.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Non-Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$2.9B
Headquarters
Palo Alto, California
Founded
2015
Get referred to PsiQuantum
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- DARPA signed a $125 million agreement on July 22, 2026, extending runway.
- PsiQuantum won a May 2026 Commerce LOI for $100 million CHIPS incentives.
- Chicago, Brisbane, and U.K. projects create government-backed demand before first commercial machine.
What critics are saying
- Science for the People Chicago attacked the South Works plan on July 3, 2026.
- DARPA funding still tests PsiQuantum’s claims; QBI’s 2033 target leaves commercialization unproven.
- If fault-tolerant photonic systems miss 2030 milestones, Chicago’s multibillion campus becomes stranded infrastructure.
What makes PsiQuantum unique
- PsiQuantum’s photonic qubits use standard semiconductor fabs, unlike cryogenic superconducting rivals.
- DARPA’s QBI placed PsiQuantum in Stage C, validating its utility-scale path.
- Victor Peng and Niklas Zennström joined in 2026, adding semiconductor and scale execution.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
Company Equity
Stock Options
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 0%1 year growth
↑ 0%2 year growth
↑ 1%New technology park faces backlash. August 24, 2026 At the site of the former U.S. Steel South Works plant, a team of investors, professors, and CEOs envision a sprawling, 128-acre campus that will become a national hub for quantum computing innovation. Construction for this facility - the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) - began last fall. While supporters of the IQMP claim the influx of tech giants will stimulate the local economy and create jobs, critics argue that the park will create environmental and ethical concerns. Officials call it "history-altering," but residents say the development will cause destruction in more ways than one. Any large-scale development brings environmental concerns, and the IQMP is no exception. These issues are exacerbated, though, by the park's planned location and tenants' computing demands. The park will be built on the former site of U.S. Steel South Works, which raises concerns about leftover contamination like steel byproducts and contaminated soil. In addition, the development of several quantum computing facilities could make matters worse. The campus will require massive amounts of energy just to run the buildings, which, when compounded with the need for computing power, will drive up energy costs. Similarly, future tenant Related Digital plans to build a data center on the campus, which would inevitably require high amounts of water and power. Beyond the IQMP's environmental costs, the tenants themselves are also a cause of frustration. Anchor tenant PsiQuantum has partnered with the Air Force, the Department of Defense, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), and Lockheed Martin to provide quantum computing technology for warfare. DARPA, part of the Department of Defense, plans to partner with several of the IQMP's investors. Other tenants include IBM (a company with longstanding military partnerships), Infleqtion (which received $2 million from the US Army to apply machine learning to warfare), and Diraq (a quantum computing company partially funded by DARPA). Another tenant that has caused concern is Quantum Machines, an Israeli quantum computing company. Particularly concerning is Quantum Machines' partnerships with the Israeli government, such as the Israeli Quantum Computing Center at Tel Aviv University. In the past, Quantum Machines has also received direct funding from Israel's Defense Ministry. Across the IQMP's major investors, it's clear that a large portion of the innovation and discovery that will take place there will end up contributing to war and destruction worldwide. AI has already become heavily embedded in defense systems, blurring the line between human and machine-made decisions. This makes it increasingly difficult to hold people accountable for wartime crimes, such as America's actions in Iran. When the US bombed a school in Iran, killing nearly 200 children, people were quick to place the blame on AI, when in reality, the blame should be placed on the people who didn't bother to check what or who they were targeting and the people who started the (illegal) war in the first place. The acceleration of computing developments through the IQMP would effectively allow military officials to get away with anything, as they could easily place the blame on AI - even if that wasn't the case. Despite the destruction quantum innovation would bring once further incorporated into the military, the IQMP's investors claim that the development will benefit people through creating new jobs and revitalizing the economy. Southside Together, an organization of South Side residents, says otherwise: the facility's construction is intertwined with both environmental justice and the rights of residents. They list concerns about water usage, power demands, and pollution, as well as displacement and surveillance. They also argue that no one wanted or asked for the park to be built-a referendum demanded by residents was removed from the ballot-and that the massive budget for the park could be invested in community resources rather than in surveillance and warfare in order to benefit the working class instead of warmongering officials. Unlike what investors claim, the only people who would benefit from the IQMP are CEOs and war profiteers. When profit is prioritized over ethics, resources that could be invested in communities and addressing inequality are instead used for destruction. The IQMP will force people out of the communities they've lived in for generations through gentrification, cause pollution, raise utility prices, exacerbate existing infrastructure and inequality problems, and overall hurt, not help, the community, despite promises of jobs and economic benefits.
PsiQuantum adds Atomico founder Niklas Zennström to board of directors. August 11, 2026 Niklas Zennström PsiQuantum has appointed Atomico founder and CEO Niklas Zennström to its board of directors as the Palo Alto, California-based quantum computing company advances utility-scale projects in the U.S., Australia and the U.K. Zennström, who co-founded Skype and served as its CEO before launching venture capital firm Atomico in 2006, succeeds Siraj Khaliq on the PsiQuantum board. Khaliq joined the board in 2019 when Atomico first invested in the company. The appointment extends the relationship between Atomico and PsiQuantum while adding an executive with experience scaling technology companies to the board as PsiQuantum moves from research and component development toward the infrastructure and deployment required for large-scale quantum computing. "PsiQuantum is taking on one of the most ambitious and important technology challenges of our time," Zennström said. "Atomico has partnered with the company for years and watched this team build technologies beyond the state-of-the-art. It is thrilling to see them now execute and scale." Founded in 2016, PsiQuantum is developing a photonic quantum computing architecture designed to take advantage of existing semiconductor manufacturing processes. The company's strategy centers on building fault-tolerant systems at sufficient scale to address commercially relevant computing problems. That creates an engineering and infrastructure challenge substantially different from demonstrating smaller experimental quantum systems. PsiQuantum must scale the components used to create and manipulate photonic qubits while integrating them into systems capable of operating reliably at much larger volumes. The company is using silicon photonics and high-volume semiconductor manufacturing as part of that approach. Its modular architecture is intended to allow individual components to be improved while the overall system and deployment footprint expand. PsiQuantum is currently advancing major projects in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, including planned utility-scale quantum computing facilities in Chicago and Brisbane. The projects pair the company's technology development with the physical infrastructure needed to operate large quantum systems and involve partnerships with governments and industry. Zennström's appointment follows several other changes to PsiQuantum's leadership structure. In July, the company named Victor Peng CEO after he had served as interim CEO since February. It also appointed Rob Soderbery executive vice president and Sriram Sitaraman chief information officer. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan joined PsiQuantum's board in April. "Niklas has a proven track record of turning an ambitious technology vision into a successful business at scale," Peng said. "Atomico has been a committed partner to PsiQuantum for years, and Niklas brings a rare combination of founder experience, global perspective, and conviction in deep technology." The board additions come as execution increasingly depends on disciplines beyond quantum research. Building utility-scale systems requires coordination across semiconductor manufacturing, cryogenic infrastructure, systems engineering, supply chains and the construction and operation of dedicated computing facilities. PsiQuantum's strategy is based on reaching fault tolerance at scale, a capability needed to perform longer and more complex calculations while correcting errors inherent in quantum systems. The company is targeting potential applications in areas including chemistry, materials science and energy, although delivering those applications depends first on building machines capable of running sufficiently large and reliable workloads. Co-founder and Executive Chairman Jeremy O'Brien said Zennström's experience investing in and building technology businesses will support the company's focus on developing commercially useful quantum computing. For PsiQuantum, the near-term challenge is increasingly one of industrialization: converting advances in photonics and quantum architecture into manufacturable components, integrating those components into large systems and deploying the supporting infrastructure at dedicated sites. Zennström joins the board as that work expands across multiple countries. His appointment gives Atomico a continuing board presence while adding experience in technology commercialization and company scaling as PsiQuantum moves further into the capital- and infrastructure-intensive phase of building utility-scale quantum computers.
PsiQuantum appoints Atomico founder Niklas Zennström to Board of Directors. Insider Brief * PsiQuantum appointed Atomico founder and CEO Niklas Zennström to its Board of Directors as the company continues developing its large-scale quantum computing platform. * Zennström brings experience as a technology founder, investor, and board member, including co-founding Skype and leading Atomico's investments in technology companies. * The appointment follows additional leadership changes at PsiQuantum as the company advances quantum computing projects in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Press release - PsiQuantum announced today that Niklas Zennström, Founder and CEO of Atomico, has joined the PsiQuantum Board of Directors. Zennström brings decades of experience building, scaling, and investing in category-defining technology companies. He co-founded Skype and served as its CEO before founding Atomico in 2006. Across his career as a founder, investor, and board member, Zennström has played a major role in the growth of Europe's technology ecosystem. "PsiQuantum is taking on one of the most ambitious and important technology challenges of our time," said Niklas Zennström. "Atomico has partnered with the company for years and watched this team build technologies beyond the state-of-the-art. It is thrilling to see them now execute and scale. I'm excited to join the board and work even more closely with the team as PsiQuantum moves toward building and deploying useful quantum computers." Zennström's appointment reflects Atomico's long-standing relationship with PsiQuantum. He succeeds Siraj Khaliq, who joined the PsiQuantum Board of Directors in 2019 when Atomico first partnered with the company. Zennström's appointment comes as PsiQuantum continues to strengthen its leadership team and Board of Directors. In July, the company appointed Victor Peng to the role of Chief Executive Officer after naming him as Interim CEO in February, in addition to appointing Rob Soderbery as Executive Vice President and Sriram Sitaraman as Chief Information Officer. In April, the company also announced that Intel Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan has joined the PsiQuantum Board of Directors. "Niklas has a proven track record of turning an ambitious technology vision into a successful business at scale," said Victor Peng, Chief Executive Officer of PsiQuantum. "Atomico has been a committed partner to PsiQuantum for years, and Niklas brings a rare combination of founder experience, global perspective, and conviction in deep technology. I'm thrilled to have him joining the board as we enter our next phase." "Niklas' throughline is a belief that private capital and entrepreneurial disruption, if pointed at the right problems, can serve societal good," said Prof. Jeremy O'Brien, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of PsiQuantum. "PsiQuantum has always been singularly focused on the positive impact and value that utility-scale quantum computing will unlock. We are delighted to have Niklas bring his deep experience to our board." PsiQuantum is a full-stack quantum computing company that leverages existing semiconductor manufacturing to rapidly scale its silicon photonics platform. Since its founding, the company has focused on achieving fault tolerance at scale - now widely recognized as the essential capability for quantum computers to solve commercially valuable problems in areas such as chemistry, materials science, and energy. This approach is underpinned by a modular architecture, allowing PsiQuantum to scale system performance by upgrading components while also scaling deployment. The company is currently advancing major quantum computing projects in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, including the development of utility-scale quantum computing facilities in Chicago and Brisbane. These efforts reflect PsiQuantum's strategy to pair breakthrough technology with large-scale infrastructure, in partnership with governments and industry, to deliver the first commercially useful quantum computers. Mohib ur rehman. Covering quantum and emerging technologies, Mohib explores the intersection of technology, security, and society. His work also frequently examines surveillance infrastructure and the institutions shaping the digital world. In addition to his work at The Quantum Insider, he co-runs SK NEXUS, an independent technology publication that helps readers understand the technologies shaping their lives. Stay Ahead of Quantum Get the latest research, company news, and market intelligence every week. MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE More in Research
PsiQuantum announced that Niklas Zennström, founder and CEO of Atomico, has joined its board of directors. Zennström co-founded Skype and served as its CEO before establishing Atomico in 2006. He succeeds Siraj Khaliq, who joined PsiQuantum's board in 2019 when Atomico first partnered with the company. The appointment follows recent leadership changes at PsiQuantum. In July, the company named Victor Peng as chief executive officer, and in April, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan joined the board. PsiQuantum, founded in 2016 and based in Palo Alto, California, is developing utility-scale quantum computers using silicon photonics. The company is advancing quantum computing projects in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, including facilities in Chicago and Brisbane.
DARPA's big bet on a light-based quantum computer. PLUS: Neuralink patients drive wheelchairs by thought Jennifer Mossalgue July 24, 2026 Good morning, tech enthusiasts. DARPA wants to know if utility-scale quantum computers can be a reality...and it's going all in to find out. The R&D arm of the U.S. Department of Defense just made a massive bet on PsiQuantum, a California-based startup taking an unconventional approach to quantum computing - building the computer out of light. In today's tech rundown: * DARPA bankrolls a light-based quantum computer * Neuralink patients drive wheelchairs by thought * An 18-in-1 EV you can build like LEGO * This startup built a trackpad for the tongue * Quick hits on other tech news LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Quantum computing. The Rundown: The Pentagon's moonshot factory, DARPA, just awarded PsiQuantum $125M under its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, aimed at testing whether the startup's light-based quantum computer can move from blueprint to utility-scale reality. The details: * PsiQuantum is building fault-tolerant quantum computers that use individual photons as qubits - the units that store and process quantum information. * This approach lets the company make its chips in standard semiconductor fabs and cool its systems far less aggressively than superconducting rivals require. * With this award, it plans to invest in essential infrastructure at its Milpitas and Chicago facilities and fund testing across hardware, components, and software. * PsiQuantum is one of only two companies, alongside Microsoft, to reach the program's final phase, where DARPA scientists work inside the startup. Why it matters: Quantum computers are often described as perpetually ten years away. But the U.S. is pushing hard to change that and ensure the machines that arrive are actually useful. When feasible quantum computers land remains unknown, but with dozens of startups in the U.S. alone and big tech piling in, the race is surely on. Neuralink. The Rundown: Elon Musk's Neuralink shared a clip of its clinical trial participants with paralysis driving a brain-computer interface-powered wheelchair - steering, reversing, and adjusting their chairs using only their thoughts. The details: * The 1,000+ electrodes in Neuralink's brain implant record neurons firing in the motor cortex, just as a participant thinks about moving in a particular direction. * A decoding algorithm converts these brain signals into on-screen cursor movement, which appears in a custom app with a live feed of what's ahead. * As the cursor moves, custom electronics convert its position into analog signals driving the chair - up for forward, down for reverse, left/right to steer. * Study participant Alex said driving became "second nature" in minutes with the BCI, and that it beats a joystick that forces his head into a hunched position. Why it matters: Going from thought-to-cursor to actual hardware control is a step up for Neuralink, showing how its technology can help millions living with paralysis. But rivals like Synchron are chasing the same results without opening the skull, leaving open whether the richer signal from an implant is worth the operating table. Electric vehicles. The Rundown: Canadian EV maker Envo opened preorders for its Utility Personal Transporter, a modular electric platform the company says buyers can configure into as many as 18 vehicle types, including a golf cart, ATV, cargo hauler, and a commuter. The details: * UPT is built on an aluminum T-slot frame that resizes in length and width, with suspension, motors, and modules bolted on without requiring any welding. * The vehicle can be collapsed for easy transport and scaled up as needed with add-ons like drivetrains, battery packs, wheels, seating, and cargo beds. * Buyers can configure a build on Envo's site or start with a preconfigured one, with the option to buy components individually at a later stage. * Production is slated for late fall with first deliveries in early 2027, four years after Envo began developing the platform. Why it matters: Most EV startups pick a category and defend it. Envo is going after multiple at once, from farm work and airport logistics to last-mile delivery. That spreads one platform's cost across markets too small to serve individually, but also brings a challenge, as each buyer comes with their own different definition of good enough. Tech for good. The Rundown: MIT Media Lab spin-off Augmental opened the U.S. sales of MouthPad, a custom-fit retainer with a touchpad on the palate that turns tongue and head movements into cursor control for phones, tablets, and computers. The details: * The 1mm-thick device, 3D-printed in dental resin from a scan of the user's mouth, pairs over Bluetooth as a mouse for desktop and mobile platforms. * Tongue presses and sip gestures handle clicks, and either the tongue or head can drive the cursor, all read by a pressure-sensitive pad and motion sensor. * The company is targeting the device at people with quadriplegia, ALS, or severe motor limitations, with 100+ already using it - some up to 16 hours daily. * Augmental also debuted VOX, a $200 stethoscope-like microphone that hears speech through the body so users can dictate at a whisper. Why it matters: With these devices, Augmental is building a Skinware category aimed at giving people with disabilities computer control without invasive brain implants. The catch here is access - the device costs $1,400 with no insurance coverage, takes six months to build, and requires enough tongue dexterity and oral health to qualify. QUICK HITS Neurotech startup Science Corp. launched PRIMA in Europe, the first device to restore central vision in people with advanced age-related macular degeneration. New York-based Light opened pre-orders for its $299 Light Flip, a 5G flip phone with no social media, browser, or touchscreen to help users escape doomscrolling. Google introduced selfie video as a new account recovery option, letting users regain access with facial verification if they're locked out. Uber laid off 10% of its customer service team, citing an effort to "simplify operations, strengthen in-person collaboration and continue to embrace AI," Bloomberg reported. Ford partnered with Apple to make Apple Maps the default navigation system in its next-generation EVs, with map data also powering BlueCruise hands-free driving. The EU fined Google €890M ($1B) for illegally favoring its own services in Search and restricting app developers from directing users to cheaper payment options. U.S. regulators plan new safety rules for flush electric car door handles popularized by Tesla after fatal crashes left occupants trapped inside vehicles. Apple's iOS 27 beta hints its expected leasing program may include a "Restricted Mode" that locks down devices when customers miss payments, 9To5Mac reported. Jack Dorsey launched Buzz, an open-source Slack alternative that combines team messaging, GitHub, and AI agents in a single workspace. See you soon, Rowan, Zach, Shubham, and Jennifer - The Rundown's editorial team