They cannot be grasped, either literally or figuratively. Yet their potential is revolutionary, and they are a key technology of the future. We are talking about quanta. For more than ten years, Bosch has been researching in this field, and it is playing a decisive part in commercializing quantum sensors.
Quantum sensors from Bosch achieve unprecedented precision. Synthetic diamonds are a key component of these sensors. Image Credit: Bosch
Since 2023, it has had a development collaboration with Element Six, the world’s leading solutions provider of synthetic diamonds. Bosch is now significantly extending this alliance and establishing a joint venture, to be known as Bosch Quantum Sensing. The joint venture will be based on the in-house start-up of the same name, which Bosch set up in 2022. Domiciled in Ludwigsburg, Germany, Bosch Quantum Sensing currently employs 30 associates. Bosch itself will be the lead partner and be responsible for operations. Element Six will hold a 25 percent stake. It has been agreed that further financial details will not be disclosed. The establishment of the new company is still subject to official approval.
Bosch Quantum Sensing sees many areas in which novel quantum sensors can be used, from exploration of natural resources to aircraft navigation and medical technology. By the middle of the next decade, Bosch estimates that the global market potential of medical and mobility applications will be in the mid-single-digit billion euros range per year. Synthetic diamonds are a key component of Bosch quantum sensors. In stepping up its partnership with Element Six, Bosch is making a determined move toward the commercialization of quantum sensors. “Quantum sensors are a future technology with huge potential. They will bring about fundamental changes in many sectors of our economy, and improve people’s lives. In setting up this new company, we are underscoring this technology’s strategic significance for Bosch. As innovation leader of commercial quantum sensors, we will work with Element Six to further extend our technological lead,” says Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.
Quantum Leap Toward Commercialization
The distinctive qualities of these special-purpose synthetic diamonds allow quantum sensors based on them to detect even the tiniest magnetic fields. In this way, they satisfy the most exacting market requirements and make real innovations possible. “We want to work with Element Six to make quantum sensors economical and allow them to be produced on an industrial scale. In this way, we will create the basis for innovative applications that set new standards for precision and efficiency,” says Katrin Kobe, CEO of Bosch Quantum Sensing. “Through the new joint venture between Bosch and Element Six, which aligns with Element Six’ contribution towards De Beers Group’s Origins strategy, we will integrate our synthetic diamond technology with Bosch Quantum Sensing’s capabilities, unlocking new possibilities in critical sectors such as healthcare and navigation. Together, we will harness the respective decades of excellence and innovation to push the limits of what's possible, heralding a new era of synthetic diamond-enabled technologies”, says Siobhán Duffy, the CEO of Element Six. The synthetic diamond solutions provider is in a unique position to supply the highly engineered synthetic diamonds in the quantity and quality required for industrial applications, while Bosch will integrate them into robust and scalable sensor systems. It is a classic win-win situation.
Even now, the latest Bosch quantum sensor prototype is the most compact of its kind for the level of sensitivity required – it is the same size as a modern smartphone. In the area of mobility, it could enable a robust navigation in the future, complementary to conventional GPS systems. It could also offer decisive advantages for the exploration of natural resources and, in medical technology, for the measurement of cardiac activity. The advantage of compact sensors is their portability, less expensive production, and better scalability. The long-term goal of Bosch Quantum Sensing is to make quantum sensors so small that they can be integrated onto a chip.