Quantum computing goes mainstream? New VC fund debuts

The Quantum Wave Fund, which aims to raise $100 million, plans to give funding to early stage private companies with breakthrough technology for secure communications, new measurement devices, and new materials.

Quantum computing tends to sounds like something out of a science fiction novel or at least The Big Bang Theory. But a new venture capital fund, launching today, is trying to take it mainstream.

The Quantum Wave Fund, which will set up shop in Boston, plans to invest solely in early stage, private companies working on breakthroughs in quantum technology. It won't be providing funding for early research but instead will seek out companies who already have viable and promising products related to quantum computing.

"Too many people take quantum computing as hypothetical,"Serguei Kouzmine, managing partner of the fund, told CNET. "We want to make a statement that it's serious and it's today. Yes, the really bright future may be around the corner, but today, there's enough to pay attention to."

Essentially, the fund will focus on three different areas, Kouzmine said: Security, new measurement devices, and new materials.

Harnessing the laws of quantum mechanics -- which deals with the behavior of atoms, photons, electrons, and other particles -- would mean the development of computers much faster and more powerful than today's supercomputers. It's particularly important for encryption and secure communications, but it could be used to enable new types of simulations or, in the shorter term, sophisticated measurement devices, such as magnetic resonance imaging.

READ MORE: Cnet.com