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TIME named Qunnect’s Qu-MEM to its Best Inventions of 2026 list in the Experimental category. The room-temperature quantum memory grew from patented research at Stony Brook University and is being deployed on quantum networking testbeds, though the recognition does not establish commercial performance or broad adoption.
TIME named Qunnect’s Qu-MEM, a room-temperature quantum memory developed from patented research at Stony Brook University, to its Best Inventions of 2026 list in the Experimental category. The selection recognizes a prototype or concept with future potential; the device is also being deployed on quantum networking testbeds in New York and Europe.
Qu-MEM is designed to store and retrieve quantum information on demand using warm vapor and neutral atoms. The system is designed to operate at room temperature, fit in a standard server rack and work with existing fiber-optic infrastructure. Qunnect describes it as a commercial device based on technology patented by Stony Brook and licensed to the company.
The work grew out of research led by Stony Brook physicist Eden Figueroa with former graduate students Mehdi Namazi and Mael Flament. Figueroa co-founded Qunnect with Namazi and Flament; the source identifies Namazi as the company’s chief science officer and Flament as its chief technology officer. TIME placed Qu-MEM in the Experimental category, described in the report as covering concept inventions and prototypes with future potential.
According to the source report, Qu-MEM systems are being deployed on networking testbeds in New York City, Long Island and Europe. The technology is also integrated with the New York State Quantum Internet Testbed, a collaboration involving Brookhaven National Laboratory, SUNY institutions and private universities. The supplied report cuts off before naming all participating institutions.
A Memory Component for Quantum Networks
Quantum memories are intended to hold quantum states so they can be used as part of a network rather than being lost immediately. In principle, devices such as Qu-MEM could help connect separate quantum systems across fiber links, a technical step toward larger quantum networks. The TIME selection brings public attention to one approach to that challenge and to the path from university research to a licensed commercial product.
The recognition is not evidence that a practical quantum internet is already available. The source describes testbed deployments and a device designed to work with current fiber infrastructure, but does not provide independent performance measurements, operating scale or customer figures. The significance is therefore in the technology’s development and testing, rather than a confirmed near-term change to everyday communications.
Stony Brook President Andrea Goldsmith said the memory is part of the university’s fiber and wireless quantum network and described plans to expand that network beyond its current footprint. Her stated applications include sensitive data in healthcare, finance and national defense. Those are potential use cases; the supplied material does not establish that Qu-MEM currently protects such data in operational services.
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From Stony Brook Research to Qunnect
Qu-MEM’s route to TIME’s list began with research at Stony Brook University, part of the State University of New York. The university patented the underlying technology and licensed it to Qunnect, which commercialized the device. The development links academic research, a university patent and a company’s engineering and testbed work.
Quantum networks use quantum properties, including photon entanglement, to link devices and transmit information. A memory component is intended to hold quantum information for network operations. Conventional fiber-optic infrastructure offers a possible route for connecting network nodes, but making quantum signals work reliably over such links remains a technical challenge. Qu-MEM is designed to address part of that challenge; the source does not report enough technical data to evaluate its performance against other approaches.
Figueroa called the recognition a reflection of the team’s work and credited students’ effort. SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. also praised the university’s research program, while university officials presented the award as evidence of research moving toward commercial use. Those statements express the officials’ views; the confirmed development is TIME’s inclusion of the device in its 2026 list.
“We built this from the ground up.”
— Eden Figueroa, Stony Brook professor and Qunnect co-founder
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Performance and Deployment Scale
The source material does not give independent test results, storage or retrieval rates, reliability figures, deployment counts or a schedule for wider rollout. It says systems are being deployed on testbeds, but does not specify how many devices are operating, how long they have been in use or what results those deployments have produced.
It is also unclear what exact criteria TIME used to select Qu-MEM beyond its placement in the Experimental category, or how the device compares with competing quantum-memory systems. Claims in the source about the device’s market status and its potential applications are attributed to university and company representatives, not accompanied by independent verification.
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Testbeds Will Show the Next Steps
The next evidence to watch for is reporting from Qunnect and its testbed partners on the performance and scale of deployments in New York and Europe. Further technical results could clarify whether the room-temperature system can operate reliably as part of larger fiber-connected networks.
Stony Brook President Goldsmith said the university plans to expand its quantum network first to upstate New York and then more broadly across the country. The supplied material gives no timetable or detailed deployment plan, so the scope and pace of that expansion remain unconfirmed. TIME’s recognition marks a point in the technology’s development, not a completion date for a quantum internet.
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Key Questions
What is Qu-MEM?
Qu-MEM is Qunnect’s quantum-memory device, built on technology patented at Stony Brook University. It is designed to store and retrieve quantum information at room temperature and connect with fiber-optic infrastructure.
What did TIME recognize?
TIME named Qu-MEM to its Best Inventions of 2026 list in the Experimental category. The source describes that category as recognizing concepts and prototypes with future potential.
Who developed the technology?
The technology grew from research led by Stony Brook physicist Eden Figueroa and former graduate students Mehdi Namazi and Mael Flament. Figueroa co-founded Qunnect with Namazi and Flament.
Is Qu-MEM already being used in a public quantum internet?
The source says Qu-MEM systems are being deployed on quantum networking testbeds in New York and Europe. It does not say that the device is part of a widely available public quantum internet service.
What remains unknown about the device?
The supplied information does not include independent performance data, deployment totals, reliability figures or a timeline for wider use. Those details would help establish how the technology performs beyond its current testbed deployments.
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