Thien-An Nguyen
CTO
Orca Computing
As Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at ORCA Computing, Thien-An Nguyen spearheads the company’s technological advancements and translates innovative ideas into tangible products. With a robust background encompassing both software and hardware development, Thien-An leverages a couple decades of experience to drive the development of cutting-edge technologies. His expertise lies in shepherding concepts from inception through the phases of prototyping and into full-fledged product realization. Prior to his role at ORCA Computing, Thien-An served as the Vice President of R&D Strategy at GXC, where he led the photonics division in delivering solutions across diverse sectors including AI accelerators, telecommunications, biomedical sensors, electronic warfare, signals intelligence, and spectroscopy. With a proven track record of delivering breakthrough solutions, Thien-An has been instrumental in advancing novel device architectures such as integrated photonics and multi-material fibres. His passion for fusing diverse research disciplines fuels his commitment to delivering impactful quantum-enhanced capabilities tailored to address multifaceted challenges across numerous customer industries.
Presentations
Modular, Fibre-Interconnected Architectures for Photonic Quantum Computers
Integrated photonics is essential for scaling future quantum systems, particularly photonic quantum computers, from tens to hundreds of thousands of channels. Quantum photonic circuits require a range of specialized functionalities—single-photon sources, ultra-low-loss waveguides, high-efficiency detectors, and quantum memories—none of which can be fully achieved with a single integrated photonics platform. ORCA Computing is advancing a modular approach by heterogeneously integrating materials for photon generation, detection, and switching onto an ultra-low-loss silicon nitride (SiN) platform. Networked with optical fiber, these individually optimized, hot-swappable modules enhance scalability, repairability, and yield, paving the way for practical and scalable quantum solutions.