Author: Andrew See

Semiconductor startup Syenta has raised $8.8 million in pre-series A funding to accelerate its work addressing memory bandwidth challenges in artificial intelligence hardware.

The investment will support Syenta in developing chip technologies to improve the speed and efficiency of data movement, a key focus as AI models continue to grow rapidly in scale.

This places Syenta among several high-growth Australian startups attracting strong investor backing this year.

Further reading: LinkedIn post.

Image credit: https://www.startupdaily.net/topic/funding/electronics-3d-ai-chips-generates-8-8-million-pre-series-a/

A groundbreaking collaboration between Emergence Quantum and Diraq – ANFF‑enabled spin-out companies from USYD and UNSW –  have demonstrated integrated control of qubits at milli-kelvin temperatures.  This achievement marks a critical advancement toward scalable quantum computers.

This major milestone was achieved by the combined efforts of the research teams lead by Professor David Reilly (Founder/CEO of Emergence Quantum) and Professor Andrew Dzurak (Founder/CEO of Diraq), with essential support from both RPF / ANFF-NSW@USYD and ANFF-NSW@UNSW.  Published in Nature on 26 June 2025, the research demonstrates the world’s first cryogenic control chip capable of operating spin qubits at milli-kelvin temperatures—just above absolute zero.

This innovation addresses a critical bottleneck in scaling quantum computers from fewer than 100 qubits to millions, a leap necessary for real-world applications. Reilly’s team developed the silicon chip that integrates control electronics directly with the qubits engineered by Dzurak’s team, overcoming long-standing concerns about heat and electrical interference at ultra-low temperatures. Crucially, this breakthrough proves that spin qubits, based on CMOS technology, can be scaled using existing semiconductor infrastructure.

This achievement is the result of deep collaboration between the University of Sydney and UNSW, enabled by ANFF-NSW, and exemplifies how strategic support accelerates the commercialisation of frontier research. It highlights ANFF-NSW’s vital role in empowering innovation not only in the quantum sector but across the broader advanced manufacturing landscape.

This work is a result of deep collaboration between the University of Sydney and UNSW enabled by ANFF-NSW, to accelerate the path to market for spin-out companies Emergence Quantum and Diraq. It marks a transformative step toward practical quantum machines and highlights the ANFF-NSW’s strategic role in enabling frontier research and innovation in the quantum sector – and beyond.

• Publication: Spin-qubit control with a milli-kelvin CMOS chip | Nature
• Emergence Quantum announcement: Control of spin qubits at near absolute zero — a behind-the-scenes look Control of spin qubits at near absolute zero a game changer.
• Diraq announcement: Billions of Qubits on a Single Chip | Diraq
• Joint explainer video: Cool control from quantum–classical partnership
• USyd press release: Control of spin qubits at near absolute zero a game changer for quantum computers