Riverlane has appointed quantum computing specialist Professor Barbara Terhal as a Riverlane Fellow and will establish a new research and development hub in Delft, extending the Cambridge-based company’s presence in Europe.
The hub will be based at the House of Quantum in Delft in the Netherlands. It will be Riverlane’s first dedicated European centre for quantum error correction research and development.
Terhal will lead the new R&D hub. She is Professor of Quantum Computing at Delft University of Technology and QuTech and is recognised as an authority in quantum error correction and fault-tolerant quantum computing.
She joins Professors Earl Campbell and Dan Browne in Riverlane’s Fellows programme. The company describes its Fellows as a select group of senior scientists who guide key milestones on its research roadmap and influence long-term scientific direction.
European expansion
Riverlane focuses on quantum error correction, which addresses errors in quantum computers. The company works with quantum hardware providers and high-performance computing centres on systems that aim at so-called utility-scale quantum computing.
Riverlane’s Delft hub will sit inside the House of Quantum. This is part of a growing Dutch and European cluster in quantum technology around Delft.
Steve Brierley, CEO and Founder of Riverlane, said the expansion reflected a deeper commitment to the region’s research base. “Professor Terhal’s appointment marks our critical expansion into Delft and signals Riverlane’s deepening commitment to Europe’s quantum ecosystem. Delft is an extraordinary centre of research and collaboration, and Barbara’s leadership will help strengthen the bridge between science and industry in quantum error correction. She is one of the world’s leading theorists in quantum error correction, whose research on quantum codes and fault-tolerant architectures has defined much of the field. As QEC moves rapidly from research to practical implementation, her insight will be invaluable in guiding our scientific direction and helping us achieve our mission to master quantum error correction and unlock a new age of human progress,” said Brierley.
The Delft hub will expand Riverlane’s existing work with Dutch quantum hardware companies Qblox, Quantware and Orange Quantum Systems. The company already partners with a range of international quantum computer makers and supercomputing centres.
AI-focused research
The new Delft team will concentrate on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning methods in quantum error correction. It will design and test AI-based decoders and develop new tools for error detection and correction.
Riverlane plans to integrate the research into its real-time quantum error correction stack, known as Deltaflow. It also intends to link the work with its open-source software platform, Deltakit, which supports quantum developers working with error correction.
Terhal said the initiative responds to a central technical barrier in quantum computing.
“To reach utility-scale quantum systems, we must overcome the central challenge of quantum error correction. Riverlane is a leading player with the expertise and focus to turn QEC from theory into technology, and I’m excited to help strengthen that bridge from Europe. Delft has long been a leader in experimental quantum research, and this new hub will create a European centre of gravity for error correction and support the development of new AI tools that can accelerate progress in this critical field,” said Barbara Terhal, Professor of Quantum Computing, Delft University of Technology and QuTech, and Riverlane Fellow, Riverlane.
Riverlane’s Deltaflow product stack works with different qubit technologies and includes dedicated quantum error correction chips, decoders and a compiler. Deltakit offers a software environment that supports developers as they design and test error-corrected algorithms and systems.
Strengthening Delft cluster
The decision to locate the hub at the House of Quantum reflects the growing role of Delft in European quantum research. The area brings together academic institutes, start-ups and corporate partners in quantum hardware, software and control systems.
Riverlane expects the hub to become a base for its European hiring and collaborative research. The company said the presence in Delft will reinforce joint projects with Dutch hardware partners and expand links across the continental quantum community.
Neil Gillespie, VP of Applied Research at Riverlane, said the Delft work will concentrate on speed and efficiency in error correction systems. “Quantum error correction is the key to unlocking large-scale quantum computers, and our work in Delft will focus on making it faster, smarter and more efficient,” noted Neil Gillespie, VP of Applied Research at Riverlane. “By applying AI across Riverlane’s QEC technologies, we can push the limits of performance in Deltaflow and expand the capabilities of Deltakit. Barbara’s expertise in foundational QEC theory will help ensure this work is grounded in world-class science,” said Gillespie.
Riverlane was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Cambridge with a US base in Boston. It has raised more than USD $120 million in private funding, including an USD $85 million Series C round in 2024.
The company said the House of Quantum site will act as its European research hub over the coming years and as a platform for closer collaboration with partners across the region.
