IQM expands to Poland, hits milestone in Germany

The Espoo-based supplier of quantum technology recently announced that it has set up its seventh global office in Poland. The Eastern European country appealed to the company with its ample pool of engineers, physicists and software developers, its commitment to making progress in deep tech and artificial intelligence, and its involvement in the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking.

“We see an opportunity to drive innovations in quantum development that will directly benefit the Polish ecosystem,” said Mikko Välimäki, co-CEO of IQM.

“In addition, [the expansion] underscores our commitment to creating a global quantum community and enhancing our position as the market leader partnering with the best research teams.”

IQM revealed that, as part of the expansion, it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Gdańsk University of Technology. The strategic partnership is geared toward fostering innovation through the exchange of ideas – including cutting-edge quantum applications in personalised medicine and other transformative fields – and building a robust ecosystem for quantum education.

Jerzy Proficz, professor at Gdańsk Tech, said he is “thrilled” about the prospect of bolstering the capabilities of the informatics department with quantum computing technology from IQM.

“This advancement will significantly boost our research capabilities, allowing us to tackle complex problems in fields such as cryptography, material science and artificial intelligence, and providing our students and university with unique opportunities for research and development,” he commented.

The company also announced the appointment of its head of marketing and communication, Sylwia Barthel de Weydenthal, as its director for Central and Eastern Europe as of 1 June.

“[The Central and Eastern European] region has great potential, and we are confident she will leverage her extensive industry experience and leadership to drive further growth for our business,” stated Välimäki.

IQM delivers the goods in Germany

IQM in June revealed that its 20-cubit quantum processor had been integrated into a supercomputer at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) in Germany.

Early trials indicate that the two systems are capable of exchanging orders, thus demonstrating that the two technologies can work together and integrated more closely. The hybrid system will be made available to a select group of researchers once it has been prepared for everyday use by engineers at LRZ.

“Together with our partners, we have managed to integrate the first quantum computer into our supercomputers in a short time frame and make it ready for use in science,” stated Dieter Kranzlmüller, board chairperson at LRZ.

“[W]e are very excited to see how the hybrid system proves itself in everyday work and how we can use it to further develop the future technology of quantum computing.”

Jan Goetz, co-CEO of IQM, said he and his colleagues are very proud of the achievement. “Q-Exa is the first milestone for the integration of quantum computers into high-performance computing,” he highlighted.

The German Ministry of Education and Research has provided the project with 40 million euros in funding.

A technology leader in the quantum space, IQM has drawn some attention from high places. Heidi Shyu, the undersecretary of defence for research and engineering at the US Department of Defense, visited the company’s facilities in early June.

“IQM is expanding to the US market and the visit highlighted that we are on the right track,” argued Juha Vartiainen, global affairs officer at IQM.