Xanadu | Xanadu and HyperLight Achieve Breakthrough of Nearly 3x Reduction in Optical Switch Loss, Accelerating Path to Commercial Photonic Quantum Systems

New performance benchmark of 7 mdB optical switch loss, down from 20 mdB, directly tackles one of the primary hardware scaling hurdles in photonic quantum computing
One of Xanadu's ultra-low loss patterned TFLN wafers undergoing optical testing
TORONTO, ON | NOVEMBER 10th, 2026 /GLOBE NEWSWIRE/ — Xanadu Quantum Technologies Limited ("Xanadu"; NASDAQ/TSX: XNDU), a leading photonic quantum computing company, in collaboration with HyperLight Corporation, a leading thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonics company, today announced a significant hardware performance milestone using TFLN technology, reducing optical switch insertion loss to 7 millidecibels (mdB). This achievement represents a nearly threefold improvement over Xanadu and HyperLight's previous breakthrough of 20 mdB in 2025, drastically reducing qubit signal degradation, which is one of the most critical challenges in scaling quantum computers. This industry-leading achievement was demonstrated using a high-volume wafer manufacturing line on HyperLight's TFLN Chiplet™ platform and shows excellent yield and repeatability.
"This notable switch insertion loss milestone indicates that Xanadu's quantum-compatible switches are ready to ramp to production, bringing scalable quantum hardware and utility-scale quantum computing (USQC) one step closer to reality," said Dr. Christian Weedbrook, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Xanadu. "For Xanadu, minimizing optical loss is one of the most critical factors in making fault-tolerant photonic quantum computing commercially viable, and innovative partners like HyperLight are key to our go-to-market strategy."
Optical switches are vital components in photonic quantum computers, responsible for routing light particles (photons) that carry quantum information. Because quantum signals cannot be conventionally amplified without destroying fragile quantum states, ultra-low insertion loss is paramount. Lowering switch loss preserves quantum state fidelity, prevents lost qubits, and allows photonic networks to scale efficiently without requiring exponential increases in laser power or physical hardware redundancy.
"Achieving 7 mdB switch loss, nearly 3x lower than our previous benchmark set just over a year ago and 10x lower than our closest competitor's most recent published result, is a major hardware milestone that enhances performance and reduces overhead for utility-scale systems," continued Weedbrook. "We expect that this advancement will translate into improved manufacturing economics, a reduced footprint, and direct progress along our commercial roadmap. Beyond quantum computing, we believe our ultra-low-loss photonic quantum technology could offer value across the broader data center ecosystem as data centers become faster and more energy intensive."
"Our longstanding partnership with Xanadu continues to demonstrate the power and versatility of HyperLight's TFLN Chiplet™ platform," stated Mian Zhang, CEO of HyperLight. "The same platform that powers high-volume AI data centers and telecom networks has now delivered a record-setting 7 mdB switch loss for quantum computing with Xanadu, a testament to our platform's ability to meet the most exacting demands."
With this latest breakthrough, Xanadu continues to systematically and efficiently solve core physical scaling challenges in photonic quantum computing and aims to bring USQC closer to reality.
Founded in 2016, Xanadu is a Canadian photonic quantum computing company with the mission to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. Xanadu is building fault-tolerant quantum computers using light, with systems designed to compute at room temperature. Xanadu develops both hardware and software, including PennyLane, its open-source quantum computing platform. Xanadu is the first pure-play photonic quantum computing company to list on public markets (NASDAQ/TSX: XNDU) and is recognized globally for its breakthroughs in scalable quantum technologies. Visit xanadu.ai or follow on X @XanaduAI.
HyperLight delivers high-performance integrated photonics solutions based on thin-film lithium niobate technology. The company combines the electro-optic advantages of TFLN with scalable manufacturing, test, and integration to enable next-generation optical engines for AI data centers, telecom and metro networks, and emerging photonics markets. Visit hyperlightcorp.com or follow HyperLight on LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws and “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “estimate”, “plan”, “protect”, “forecast”, “intend”, “will”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “seek”, “target”, continue”, “could”, “may”, “might”, “possible”, “potential”, “predict” or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends that are not statements of historical matters. Xanadu has based these forward-looking statements on current expectations and projections about future events. These statements include: statements regarding the readiness of Xanadu’s quantum-compatible switches to ramp to commercial or high-volume production; expectations regarding the timeline, feasibility and realization of utility-scale quantum computing (USQC) and fault-tolerant photonic quantum systems; projections concerning the commercial viability, footprint reduction and manufacturing economics of Xanadu’s hardware architecture; anticipated progress, milestones, and deliverables along Xanadu’s commercial and product development roadmaps; expectations regarding performance enhancements, loss reduction and the minimization of physical hardware or laser power overhead in scaled photonic networks; the continued collaboration and strategic partnership with HyperLight Corporation,