Innovate UK backs Aquark Technologies with £1.4m to boost quantum innovation in UK telecoms infrastructure

Aquark has won a contract to deploy its newest miniaturised quantum system, AQlock 2, to protect UK networks against GNSS vulnerabilities.

Southampton, UK, 7th November 2025 - Aquark Technologies, experts in miniaturising deployable sensing and timing technologies based on cold atoms, today announced it has been awarded a £1,409,702 contract by Innovate UK. The contract will facilitate the future deployment of Aquark’s cold atom-based atomic clock, AQlock, at a major telecommunications site in the UK.

AQlock is a resilient, compact and cost-effective quantum timing solution that enables distributed, GNSS-independent positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). As the project’s lead contractor, Innovate UK is supporting Aquark to demonstrate the product’s commercial readiness and showcase its capability to enhance the UK’s national critical infrastructure, including national network performance. 

Innovate UK selected Aquark following its application for the competitive Contract for Innovation: Quantum Sensors and PNT Missions Primer. The collaboration follows several successful trials by Aquark with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and the Royal Navy, as well as previous contracts with Innovate UK and a recent £1.9M Future Leaders’ Fellowship. NPL and Purbrook are subcontractors on the project, which will run until the end of March 2026, when the system is deployed at a telecommunications site in the UK.

Critical infrastructure, including navigation systems, data networks, communications, and power distribution centres, requires precise timing and sensor systems that are compact, transportable, and robust. The systems currently available to meet these demands are costly, hard to integrate, and rely too heavily on many complex components and fragile supply chains. Aquark’s latest contract with Innovate UK is therefore a vital step towards preventing the estimated £1 billion daily economic losses associated with GNSS outages and contributes to the UK’s National Quantum Strategy goal to build quantum-powered infrastructure independent of satellite signals. 

“It is vital that we protect our telecoms – not just for the benefit of daily civilian life, but also for our national security and economy. It’s therefore an honour to work alongside Innovate UK to bring this project to life,” said Alexander Jantzen, COO and Co-Founder of Aquark Technologies. “With AQlock 2, we will reduce the UK’s reliance on satellite signals that are vulnerable to jamming, spoofing, solar storms and more. This will help protect millions from the power outages, emergency services and supply chain disruption our networks are at risk of today, as well as address the huge economic losses that can occur as a result.”

AQlock 2 leverages vacuum technology, microfabrication, and a unique, patented method for trapping and cooling atoms to design smaller, scalable quantum systems. This project will deliver more robust telecommunications networks for millions across the UK, strengthening national infrastructure and solidifying the UK’s position as a leader in scalable quantum sensing solutions.

-ENDS-

For further information, please contact:

Aquark Technologies

Nancy Barnsley

nancy@wearetfd.com

About Aquark Technologies 

Aquark Technologies builds and delivers the world’s smallest and most deployable cold atom quantum hardware to enhance accuracy, precision, and stability in critical industry operations. Established in 2021, Southampton, UK, and based on more than 16 years of innovation, Aquark is an expert in miniaturising deployable sensing and timing technologies based on cold atoms. Building on deep knowledge in quantum, vacuum engineering, micro-fabrication and photonics, Aquark is dedicated to delivering robust, compact, and energy-efficient quantum hardware, and to making quantum devices more accessible and affordable, ready for use outside controlled lab environments in everyday applications.

About Innovate UK

Innovate UK is the UK’s national innovation agency. We support business-led innovation in all sectors, technologies and UK regions. We help businesses grow through the development and commercialisation of new products, processes, and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive, and easy to navigate.