Q-CTRL’s Black Opal Wins 2024 EdTech Breakthrough’s Digital Courseware Solution of the Year Award
Black Opal is building the future quantum workforce with quantum computing education for enterprises seeking strategic advantage through quantum with over 16,000 current users.
LOS ANGELES, California, June 10, 2024 — Q-CTRL, a pioneer of quantum infrastructure software to make quantum technologies useful, today announced it is the winner of the Digital Courseware Solution of the Year Award by EdTech Breakthrough for its quantum computing workforce development educational platform, Black Opal for Enterprise.
Black Opal separated itself in the crowded EdTech industry with its unique, intuitive, and interactive platform that makes it easy for anyone to learn quantum computing, regardless of educational background. Black Opal is unique in the deep tech industry as it makes quantum computing accessible for engineers and aspiring quantum professionals. Over 16,000 learners have kickstarted their learning journey through Black Opal’s easy-to-use animations, visualizations, and interactivity that open the door to a comprehensive, yet accessible, dive into quantum computing.
The content in Black Opal does not require previous quantum knowledge or formal prerequisites while applying quantum computing to real-world applications. It provides a comprehensive educational journey by delivering a modular, self-paced course, providing critical guidance and opportunities for practice. Black Opal incorporates more than 400 lessons across ten topics, each covering a fundamental concept in quantum computing.
“Our team is thrilled to accept the e-Learning Award by EdTech Breakthrough for our quantum computing educational platform, Black Opal for Enterprise,” said Mick Conroy, the Product Manager for Black Opal at Q-CTRL. “Quantum workforce development is a major priority globally, with enterprises integrating quantum training into their professional development packages. Black Opal has become a key part of this global drive, making it easy for anyone to learn quantum computing.”
EdTech Breakthrough offers prestigious recognition, in line with its parent organization, Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the industry leaders in technology. Tech Breakthrough has worked with industry-disrupting companies like Amazon, Intel, Cisco, and Spotify to better understand the tech trends and innovations that are shaping industries. Q-CTRL joining the ranks of these consumer technology giants signifies deep tech's successful entry into the consumer market, marking a pivotal achievement for the deep tech sector as a whole.
The EdTech Breakthrough Awards honors excellence and recognizes the hard work, success, and creativity of companies, products, and technologies in the educational technology field worldwide.
Q-CTRL designed Black Opal based on extensive market engagement, which identified a gap in content and interactivity for learners seeking to upskill in quantum computing. Policies surrounding critical technologies like quantum technologies in AUKUS countries, along with the expansion of government entities such as the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) in the UK, have highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive quantum educational content.
“I find the depth of content and the execution quality to be very impressive,” said Ariel Braunstein, SVP Product and Marketing at IonQ. “The tool will aid in our internal educational initiatives to onboard new employees and support their growth. There is always something new to learn, for all levels of expertise.”
About Q-CTRL
Q-CTRL’s quantum control infrastructure software for R&D professionals and quantum computing end users delivers the highest performance error-correcting and suppressing techniques globally and provides a unique capability accelerating the pathway to the first useful quantum computers and quantum sensors. Q-CTRL operates a globally leading quantum sensing division focused on software-level innovation for strategic capability. Q-CTRL also has developed Black Opal, an edtech platform that enables users to quickly learn quantum computing.
Founded by Michael J. Biercuk in 2017, Q-CTRL has pioneered the quantum infrastructure software segment and has become the leading product-focused software company in the broader quantum sector. Q-CTRL has been an inaugural member of the IBM Quantum Network startup program since 2018, and its performance management software now runs natively on IBM quantum computers. The company has international headquarters in Sydney, Los Angeles, Berlin, and Oxford.
