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Industrial-grade quantum computer unveiled

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (center) at the symbolic launch of the NXP quantum computer.(Bild: APA/dpa/Marcus Brandt)

Germany's first industrial-grade quantum computer was symbolically put into operation on Thursday at semiconductor manufacturer NXP in Hamburg. The demonstrator, which was activated in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), is based on ion traps. ParityQC, an Austrian company - a spin-off of the University of Innsbruck and the Austrian Academy of Sciences - was also involved in its development and implementation.

Quantum computers are designed to perform complex calculations faster than conventional computers. To achieve this, quantum physical phenomena are utilized in so-called quantum bits (qubits), the elementary information unit of a quantum computer. Such qubits can be realized in various ways.

The Hamburg quantum computer is based on so-called ion traps - a promising basic concept for the realization of practicable qubits, which has also been successfully researched at the University of Innsbruck for decades. Individual ions, i.e. electrically charged atoms, are held in a vacuum by electromagnetic fields and manipulated with lasers.

The first quantum computer demonstrator based on ion traps to be manufactured entirely in Germany was developed by NXP, ParityQC and the Hamburg-based hardware start-up Eleqtron on behalf of the German Aerospace Center. The work was carried out as part of a microelectronics initiative launched by the German government in 2021. 

Semiconductors as the raw material of the 21st century
For Scholz, promoting microelectronics is a strategic move. "Semiconductors are the raw material of the 21st century," said the Chancellor at the activation of the quantum computer. Germany and Europe must be at the forefront of all key future technologies on a global scale. In addition to quantum technologies, this also included artificial intelligence, biotechnology and nuclear fusion. "Only if we are at the cutting edge everywhere can we influence where the journey takes us," said Scholz.

The new demonstrator is intended to give companies and research teams early access to real quantum computing resources and enable them to use their advantages for applications such as climate modeling, global logistics or materials science. For example, there is already a cooperation with the utility company Eon, which involves the charging infrastructure for electric cars, said Felix Knoke, spokesperson for the quantum computing initiative. Further partners are to be acquired.

For the two ParityQC CEOs Wolfgang Lechner and Magdalena Hauser, the demonstrator is "a decisive step towards the successful commercialization of world-leading research and the creation of a sustainable quantum ecosystem that allows companies to scale and remain in Europe".