Quantum computing player Archer Materials wraps up global patent strategy

Archer Materials’ (ASX:AXE) shares are up 4.76% in morning trade as the company wins its final quantum computer chip patent, part of a legal strategy to protect the company’s so-called ‘12CQ chip’ around the world. 

With legal exclusivity protections in all Tier-1 Asian jurisdictions (Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea,) as well as the US, parts of the EU, Australia, and the UK. 

As a result, the company has beefed up its ability to limit competition worldwide as it now moves forward to developing (or, attempting to develop) its practical quantum computing product. 

Worth noting is that Archer Materials is the only quantum computing company listed on the ASX. 

To the uninitiated, quantum computers can solve complex problems far faster than classical devices, and as such are ideal for machine learning. 

Okay. But can it actually make a quantum computer? 

That remains to be seen. 

Back in June, Archer announced it had fabricated nanodevices which were capable of processing ‘qubits,’ the name for a ‘bit’ of information (per typical computing science) in a quantum computer. 

Investors should note this research is still in its early stages. 

The company’s flagship product for which it has acquired patents worldwide is called the 12CQ chip, and as for the validity of the science underpinning it,  Archer Materials points to a study published in the science journal Nature. 

The authors of that study ultimately highlight the capacity for carbon nanospheres (read: very, very small spherical pieces of metal) to be used in early-stage quantum computing technology. 

For the uninitiated,  Nature is one of the more respected publications out there. 

And what does Archer want to do with quantum chips? 

Archer Materials is hoping its 12CQ chip product, which it believes will harness the behaviour of electrons to provide a superior product compared to existing microchips, will allow it to insert quantum technology in mobile devices. 

The big takeaway?: faster phones with more memory and superior operation speeds. 

Quantum computing is often reserved for discussions about supercomputers, and existing research has highlighted difficulties getting experimental technologies to work at room temperature. 

If, however (and this is a big if) Archer Materials can successfully scale down a practical quantum computer product, the scientific street cred, and commercial implications, would be significant. 

How is Archer Materials doing? 

Archer Materials hit an all time high of $2.37 almost exactly a year ago in August 2021, when the microchip shortage was really getting underway and crippling car production. 

Since that time, the price has fallen steadily, and is at 88c today. 

Worth noting, however, is that the price was worth 56.5c on the 1st of July this year, so it has made a decent upward recovery in the last month and a half. 

One month returns, as a result, are up 47.9%. 

The company has a market cap of $218m and finished June with $26m in cash. 

A look at Archer Materials' last six months on the bourse