QHarbor Founders Join Quantum Machines to Build Scalable Quantum Software Systems
As we expand our footprint in Europe through the acquisition of QHarbor and the opening of a new office in Delft, we are strengthening the software layer behind scalable quantum systems.
In this conversation, QM’s Katia Moskvitch speaks with Alberto Tosato and Stephan Philips, co-founders of QHarbor and the latest brightest minds joining QM, about what drew them into quantum, how Delft has evolved into a builder-driven ecosystem, and why integrating data management directly into the control stack signals a shift in how the field is developing.
Alberto Tosato (R) and Stephan Philips
ALBERTO
What drew you toward physics initially, and specifically into the world of quantum? Was there a specific moment where you realized this was the field you wanted to work in?
My interest in physics is driven by a fundamental desire to understand the ‘source code’ of reality. I always knew I wanted to work in physics.
From your perspective on the ground in Delft, what is it about this environment that makes it so effective at turning researchers into true ‘builders’ who can operate real-world quantum systems?
Delft deliberately blurs the lines between academia and industry. Physicists work side-by-side with electrical engineers and software developers.
Europe has incredible scientific depth, but we often see a gap in commercial scaling. Where do you think the ecosystem still needs to evolve to better translate research into tech companies with a global footprint?
Europe excels at fundamental science but struggles in the ‘valley of death’ before commercialization. To fix this, we need venture capital that is comfortable with deep-tech timelines, universities that make IP spin-outs frictionless rather than punitive, and a culture that celebrates building global tech companies as much as publishing in Nature.
Looking at the broader landscape, how has the emergence of multiple European hubs, like Delft, Copenhagen, and others, changed the way quantum technology is developed compared to just a few years ago?
A few years ago, quantum research was highly siloed. Now, hubs like Delft and Copenhagen have created a powerful network effect. This allows for specialization and enables a much more fluid exchange of talent, turning isolated academic pursuits into a cohesive, continental industrial strategy.
What excites you most about bringing the work you’ve done at QHarbor into the Quantum Machines ecosystem at this specific stage of the quantum race?
At QHarbor, we solved a critical bottleneck for physics researchers: storing, organizing, and visualizing complex measurement data at scale. Meanwhile, Quantum Machines sets the gold standard for quantum control, which naturally generates massive amounts of this rich data. By bringing QHarbor into the QM ecosystem, we are closing the loop. We can now offer researchers a true end-to-end stack, from executing quantum experiments to instantly querying and analyzing the results, making the entire research process faster and more reproducible.
STEPHAN
1. What was the specific realization that prompted you to create QHarbor?
It came out of conversations with Alberto where we were trying to identify what would actually be useful to the quantum ecosystem. One of the things we kept coming back to was data management. Quantum physicists are very good at building complex experiments, but the surrounding code and infrastructure tends to be treated as a chore. That mismatch only gets worse as experiments scale up, with more qubits, calibrations, and metadata to keep track of, especially in larger teams. We realized a general data management framework was something essentially every group, startup, and scale-up in the field needed, and that is how QHarbor started.
2. When you’re building a team in this field, what do you look for beyond technical excellence?
The quantum domain is a very hybrid field. To build real systems**,** you need a lot of classical engineering alongside quantum engineering. Microwave engineering, software engineering, system architecture, and so on. When you have a team that combines all those skills, what matters most is that people communicate well across disciplines and are humble enough to learn from each other.
3. How does the local ecosystem in Delft support development on a day-to-day level?
We had strong support from QuTech from day one. They have been a great partner both financially and strategically, and they have also let us test our products directly in QuTech labs, which is quite valuable when you are building something that has to work on a wide range of experimental setups. The wider ecosystem also makes the day-to-day of development easier: brainstorming a feature, visiting a partner to see how they actually use the product, picking up informal feedback, all of that is within a five-minute walk. All these things contributed to faster release cycles and a better product.
4. QHarbor has focused on the critical data layer of quantum experimentation. Why is now the right time to integrate that data management directly into a control orchestration stack of QM’s?
The field is at a transition point. Multi-qubit experiments are becoming the norm, which means the volume of data being generated is climbing fast, not just linearly with qubit count, but compounded by all the automated calibration that modern setups rely on. Experimentalists using a control orchestration stack feel this pressure first, because the data volume scales with how hard they are driving the system. Integrating data management directly into QM’s stack means addressing the problem where it originates rather than bolting it on afterwards — and the user base that needs this is now large enough that it is the right commercial moment too.
5. Now that your team is becoming part of a global organization, what are you most looking forward to in terms of the scale and speed at which you can now operate?
What I’m most looking forward to is the platform leverage and the people at QM. From the interactions we have had so far, the QM team has a great energy and is sharp and easy to work with, which makes a real difference when you are integrating products. On top of that, QM has significant internal expertise on both hardware and software, with a more industrial approach than is typical in academic labs. This is a strong base from which to push the product to its next stage. Beyond the technical platform, the scale at which QM operates means we can reach a far larger user base than we could on our own. QM also has a presence at essentially every relevant conference in the field, which on its own changes how many people will get to know what we have built.
