What Hypres does

Hypres, Inc., founded in 1983 and headquartered in Elmsford, New York, develops and commercializes superconductor integrated circuits (ICs) and systems based on niobium Josephson junction technology operating at cryogenic temperatures (4 K). The company is the sole commercial manufacturer worldwide of both 1-volt and 10-volt Primary Voltage Standard Josephson Junction arrays, developed in long-standing collaboration with NIST, and is the self-described designer of more varieties and complexity of superconducting ICs than any other organization. Its product platform, branded "Digital-RF," centers on the Advanced Digital-RF Receiver (ADR) — superconducting digital and mixed-signal ICs packaged on a cryocooler enabling ultra-wideband, high dynamic range, multi-channel RF signal capture — supported by the RSFQ and ERSFQ digital logic families, the Integrated Cryoelectronics Test-bed (ICE-T), and the Cryogenic Analog RF Module (CARM).

Hypres serves two primary end markets: U.S. Department of Defense agencies (Army, Air Force, Navy, DARPA, ONR, SPAWAR) requiring high-performance RF receivers for SIGINT, electronic warfare, SATCOM, and radar applications; and national metrology laboratories worldwide that use its voltage standard chips as primary calibration references. Secondary markets include commercial satellite communications (historically via SELEX Communications), medical imaging (MRI cryoprobes), and academic/research customers. The company employs between 11 and 50 people and operates a complete in-house niobium-based superconducting IC fabrication line in Elmsford.

The business model rests on four revenue streams: (1) defense R&D contracts, primarily SBIR Phase I/II and direct U.S. DoD contracts; (2) hardware product sales of superconductor ICs, ADR systems, PVS systems, and test instrumentation, partly through GSA Schedule 66; (3) custom IC design, test, and cryogenic packaging services; and (4) technology licensing, exemplified by its NIST partnership. Go-to-market is principally enterprise field sales into government and metrology buyers, supplemented by conference presence (Applied Superconductivity Conference, EUCAS, ISS, ISEC) and technical publications; no public pricing exists and contracts are negotiated individually.

Name

Hypres

Legal name

HYPRES, Inc.

Website

https://hypres.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hypres, Inc. develops superconductor integrated circuits and systems using niobium Josephson junction technology. It serves U.S. defense agencies, national metrology laboratories, and select commercial customers through Digital-RF receivers, primary voltage standards, and custom superconducting IC design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Superconductor Electronics

NAICS

Capacitor, Resistor, Coil, Transformer, and Other Inductor Manufacturing (334416), Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Microwave/RF Signal Generation, Up/Downconversion & LO Chains (HDAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cryogenic Systems & Cryostats (HDAGABAA), Calibration, Characterization & Test Instrumentation (Cryo/RF) (HDAGABAM), RF, Microwave & Wireless ICs (HDAHAAAF), Low-Noise & Cryogenic Amplification (HEMT/LNA) (HDAGABAI), Cryocoolers & Refrigeration Units (HDAGABAB), Microwave & RF Signal Chain ICs (Mixers/Detectors/Attenuators) (HDAHAMAL)

Keywords

• Superconductor integrated circuits
• Digital-RF receivers
• Josephson junction technology
• Cryogenic electronics
• Voltage metrology standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Elmsford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Defense R&D Contracts: SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Phase 1 and Phase 2 contracts, and other R&D contracts with U.S. Department of Defense agencies including Army, Office of Naval Research (ONR), DARPA, and SPAWAR for Digital-RF technology development.
2. Product Sales: Sale of superconductor ICs, Primary Voltage Standard systems, Digital-RF receivers, and test instrumentation to government and commercial customers.
3. Custom IC Design Services: Custom superconductor and semiconductor IC design, test, and cryogenic packaging services for specialized applications.
4. Technology Licensing: Technology transfer arrangements such as the NIST partnership for Primary Voltage Standard commercialization.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hypres develops, fabricates, and commercializes superconductor integrated circuits and complete cryogenic systems based on niobium Josephson junction technology. Its flagship Advanced Digital-RF Receiver (ADR) packages superconducting digital and mixed-signal ICs on a cryocooler for ultra-wideband, high dynamic range RF applications. The company also supplies the world's only commercial Primary Voltage Standard Josephson Junction Arrays (1V and 10V) for metrology, an Integrated Cryoelectronics Test-bed (ICE-T) for laboratory testing, and custom IC design, test, and cryogenic packaging services.

Product overview

HYPRES is The Digital Superconductor Company, developing and commercializing superconductor integrated circuits (ICs) and systems for government and commercial applications. The product portfolio centers on the Advanced Digital-RF Receiver (ADR) as the flagship product, complemented by the Integrated Cryogenic Electronics Test-Bed (ICE-T) for laboratory testing, and the Cryogenic Analog RF Module (CARM) for SATCOM applications. The Primary Voltage Standard product line (Josephson Junction Arrays and Cryocooler System) provides voltage calibration metrology in partnership with NIST. Supporting these core products are various instrumentation offerings including the Universal Cryoprobe for MRI applications, Single and Multi-Channel Amplifier Units, and vacuum feedthrough components. HYPRES also offers custom IC design, test, and cryogenic packaging services, and operates a complete niobium-based superconducting IC fabrication line. The products share a common technology base in superconductor electronics operating at cryogenic temperatures (4 K), enabling ultra-high speed digital signal processing and quantum-accurate data conversion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digital-RF: Digital-RF technology platform comprising superconducting digital and mixed-signal ICs for RF receivers and systems
• Advanced Digital-RF Receiver (ADR)
• ICE-T
• Primary Voltage Standard (PVS)

Products and services

• Advanced Digital-RF Receiver (ADR) Flagship Hypres product comprising superconducting digital and mixed-signal ICs packaged on a cryocooler, providing ultra-wideband, high dynamic range, multi-channel, multi-band operation for government applications including SIGINT, electronic warfare, and SATCOM.
• Integrated Cryoelectronics Test-bed (ICE-T) Turnkey laboratory test system requiring no liquid cryogen that provides complete cryogenic infrastructure for broadband, variable-temperature testing of superconductor ICs and other cryogenic electronic and photonic devices at 4 K and above; available in Single Insert and Dual Insert configurations.
• Cryogenic Analog RF Module (CARM) Small, antenna-mounted cryogenic amplifier unit designed for SATCOM and other RF applications.
• Primary Voltage Standard: Josephson Junction Arrays All-refractory niobium 1-volt and 10-volt Josephson junction voltage standard chips developed in collaboration with NIST that define the standard volt worldwide; Hypres is the sole commercial supplier of both configurations globally.
• Primary Voltage Standard Cryocooler System Computer-controlled closed-cycle refrigerator voltage calibration system implementing a variety of voltage calibration functions for continuous operation without liquid helium, paired with Hypres' Josephson Junction Arrays.
• Superconductor ICs Superconducting digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits using niobium-based technology for ultra-high speed operation, including RSFQ and ERSFQ logic families.
• Universal Cryoprobe Cryoprobe for MRI and biomedical applications designed for high-resolution imaging in both military and civilian use.
• Multi-Channel Programmable Current Source Programmable current source for cryogenic testing and superconductor IC characterization.
• Single Channel Analog Amplifier Unit Single channel analog amplifier for cryogenic RF applications.
• 20-Channel Amplifier Unit Compact 20-channel amplifier unit with 32 dB low noise linear gain stage, high-pass equalizer, and discriminator outputting standard CML signal; supports 8 Gbps data transfer per channel from ADC chip to FPGA using RSFQ logic.
• 60 GHz 20-pin Vacuum Feedthroughs Vacuum feedthroughs supporting 60 GHz data transfer per channel using G3PO connectors, designed for cryogenic high-speed data connections with superconducting chips.
• Cryogenic Assessment and Testing Services (CATS) Cryogenic testing and assessment services for superconductor ICs and cryogenic electronic devices, including superconductor and semiconductor digital, high-performance analog and mixed-signal circuit design, test, and cryogenic packaging.

Quantifiable outcome

• First direct digitization of signals at 7.68 GHz from XTAR communications satellite
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Columbia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration with Professor Mingoo Seok's group on RSFQ circuit design and electronic design automation. Research published in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity.
• University of Massachusetts AmherstcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2018STTR partnership sponsored by Office of Naval Research to develop high-speed, energy-efficient digital data links between superconductor ICs and room-temperature electronics. Professor Joseph Bardin's group contributed key HTHT data link technology.
• SELEX CommunicationsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Commercial contract worth over $10 million to develop All Digital Receiver for software-defined radio providing high-performance multi-channel wideband reception.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990Long-standing collaboration for development and commercialization of Primary Voltage Standard technology. HYPRES chips are used in primary voltage standards worldwide. HYPRES is the sole commercial supplier of 1V and 10V voltage standard chips made with all-refractory Niobium technology, based on NIST design.

Scale indicators5 records

Direct peers

• SeeQC: SeeQC develops digital superconducting quantum computing and measurement platforms, including single-flux-quantum (SFQ) classical co-processors and cryogenic chip-scale control electronics. Directly competes with HYPRES in superconductor IC design and cryogenic signal chain products serving quantum and defense applications.
• Raytheon BBN Technologies: Raytheon BBN Technologies has decades of superconductor electronics RD for defense signal processing applications, including DARPA-funded RSFQ programs and cryogenic signal intelligence work. Directly comparable as a defense-oriented superconductor IC RD organization with overlapping customer base.
• Bluefors Cryogenics: Bluefors is a leading manufacturer of dilution refrigerators and cryogenic measurement systems used in quantum computing and superconductor electronics RD. Directly comparable to HYPRES' ICE-T product line and primary voltage standard cryocooler systems in the cryogenic infrastructure layer.
• Oxford Instruments NanoScience: Oxford Instruments NanoScience supplies cryogenic systems, including dilution refrigerators and superconducting magnet platforms, used by quantum computing and metrology labs globally. Comparable to HYPRES' cryostat and ICE-T product portfolio serving the same customer base of quantum and metrology laboratories.
• Cryomech: Cryomech manufactures Gifford-McMahon and pulse tube cryocoolers used in superconducting electronics, MRI, and quantum computing applications. Directly comparable to HYPRES' PVS Cryocooler closed-cycle refrigeration system used in primary voltage standard installations worldwide.

Broad incumbents

• Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman operates a major defense electronics business that has historically developed superconducting analog-to-digital converters and cryogenic RF systems through its mission systems division. A broad incumbent in defense superconductor electronics with substantially greater scale and capital than HYPRES.
• IBM Quantum: IBM Quantum is the global leader in superconducting qubit computing and operates its own cryogenic control electronics and signal chain RD efforts at scale. A broad incumbent with substantial in-house superconductor IC design capability that overlaps with HYPRES' Digital-RF technology base, though focused on quantum computing rather than defense RF.

Emerging players

• Quantum Machines: Quantum Machines provides classical-quantum control electronics (OPX, QUA) for superconducting qubit platforms, including cryogenic signal chain components. An emerging player with partial overlap to HYPRES' cryogenic amplifier and signal conditioning product lines serving the quantum computing ecosystem.
• Qblox: Qblox builds modular qubit control and readout stacks (Cluster) operating at cryogenic temperatures for superconducting quantum processors. Emerging player with overlapping cryogenic signal chain and amplifier product capabilities targeting the same quantum computing customer segment as HYPRES' CARM and amplifier units.
• Zurich Instruments: Zurich Instruments manufactures lock-in amplifiers, quantum analyzers, and arbitrary waveform generators used in quantum and superconductor electronics RD laboratories. Emerging player with comparable cryogenic-compatible RF and signal chain test instrumentation offerings.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hypres

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hypres