New Delhi, July 10 -- PASADENA - Seven years of laboratory work at the edge of atomic physics ended Wednesday morning when Oratomic disclosed a $300 million Series A round and emerged as the quantum computing industry's most direct challenge to the assumption that building a useful machine requires millions of qubits.

that neutral atoms held in place by laser-based optical tweezers can perform quantum calculations with error rates low enough that the machine becomes practical at 10,000 to 20,000 qubits, rather than the millions that dominant roadmaps require.

The round was co-led by ARCH Venture Partners, Spark Capital, and Khosla Ventures, with capital from Bezos Expeditions, Index Ventures, General Catalyst, Lowercarbon Capital, and B...