Q.ANT-led Consortium Receives €50 Million in Research Funding for Quantum Computing

Stuttgart/Jena/Paderborn, Germany – Q.ANT, a quantum start-up and a wholly owned subsidiary of TRUMPF, will lead a consortium that will receive €50 million in research funding. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will pay approximately €42 million, while the consortium partners will contribute around €8 million. The funds will be used to build a system for demonstrating and testing quantum computer chips and other quantum computer components. This will allow the consortium to perform research into photonic quantum computing algorithms and technologies, as well as prepare for industrial scale-up. Q.ANT recently presented a way for fabricating incredibly powerful quantum computer chips. This photonic chip process can transport, control, and monitor quanta with nearly little loss, even at room temperature, by creating highly specialized optical channels on silicon chips. This will allow the chips to be utilized in conventional mainframe computers in the future.

Building quantum computers in Germany

Underscoring that the funding is a clear indication of Germany’s strength as a hotbed of innovation, Michael Förtsch, CEO, Q.ANT, stated, “We’re on the cusp of the quantum computing era, and the global race to secure market share in this future technology has begun. The funds that have now been earmarked for this research alliance are a key enabler on the path toward building quantum computers in Germany.” The research project, dubbed ‘PhoQuant’ for short, will last five years.

Q.ANT is in charge of the consortium’s industrial side, which involves 14 other German companies, applied research institutions, and universities, including Q.ANT GmbH, Paderborn University (UPB), University of Münster, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, University of Jena, Ulm University, HQS Quantum Simulations GmbH, Humboldt University of Berlin, Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems, Swabian Instruments GmbH, TEM Messtechnik GmbH, ficonTEC Service GmbH, FU Berlin, and Menlo Systems GmbH

Quantum computer chips and jobs

Experts now anticipate that computers containing quantum chips will be used in sectors such as the chemical industry, biomedicine, and materials science. Förtsch added, “If we want to achieve the goal of German-made quantum computer chips – plus all the jobs that would involve – we need to get top-class researchers and companies working together. The only way to harness Germany’s expertise as a major player in the world of science and research and transform it into successful industrial products is by fostering close cooperation between businesses, universities, and applied research institutions.” The project partners want to submit an initial prototype within two and a half years, and they intend to build a quantum computer chip capable of performing large-scale calculations within five years.

Germany’s fundamental research

The Institute for Photonic Quantum Systems (PhoQS) Paderborn site offers significant expertise in integrated optics and quantum optics, quantum information theory, algorithms, and electrical engineering. Within the alliance, PhoQS will strive to consolidate this expertise to implement, control, and characterize large quantum systems for light-based quantum information processing. Prof Christine Silberhorn, Paderborn University, commented, “Over recent years and decades, we’ve carried out some of the world’s most pioneering basic science work in this area of research. For the first time, this project gives us an opportunity to put the results of this work into practice through demonstration set-ups.”

Putting research into practice

The consortium’s numerous partners each bring a unique set of abilities to the table. The universities’ task is to develop and contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental features of quantum behavior. In the meantime, applied research institutions will help to put this knowledge into practical methods. The alliance’s start-ups will be in charge of developing and building components for quantum computing chips. The PhoQuant project is financed by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the framework program ‘Quantum technologies - from basic research to market’. The Jena-based Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF is one of the project’s participants.

Prof Andreas Tünnermann, Director, Fraunhofer IOF, elaborated, “Researchers in Jena are working on a number of developments within the scope of this project, including integrated optical quantum light sources and low-loss integrated optical and fiber-optical interferometers as the basic building blocks of photonic quantum computers. This requires expertise not only in quantum optics and photonics, but also in hybrid packaging and interconnection technology. We’ll be injecting these skills into this highly dynamic project and working with all the participating companies and institutions to reach our common goal of creating a powerful photonic quantum computer.”

Image Source: TRUMPF