ESPOO, Finland, Dec. 14, 2023 – IQM Quantum Computers (IQM), a global leader in building quantum computers, today announced its expansion into the United States market and signed a strategic partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, in Quantum Information Science (QIS) through the development and operation of the next generation of advanced superconducting quantum processors.
- IQM kickstarts operations in the United States to drive quantum education, research and collaborate with HPC service providers
- As the first concrete step, IQM has signed a partnership with the University of California, Berkeley to advance superconducting quantum processors
The expansion aligns with IQM’s long-term strategy to drive quantum education and research while collaborating with high-performance computing (HPC) service providers across the US to commercialize its disruptive technology.
The US expansion will also offer IQM a myriad of opportunities to integrate with quantum research organisations. “In the long term, we aim at gaining a major foothold in the US market, driven by our unique technical capabilities,” said Dr. Juha Vartiainen, Global Affairs Officer and Co-founder of IQM Quantum Computers.
IQM recently announced its flagship product IQM Radiance and educational product IQM Spark. “The expansion is truly a big bang for IQM, and kicking it off together with UC Berkeley is exactly in line with our mission. We want to drive quantum democratisation and reach out to the American educational market to address a burning problem: the lack of quantum talent,” added Vartiainen.
Partnership with UC Berkeley
The partnership between IQM and UC Berkeley will develop the next generation of advanced superconducting quantum processors. The teams at IQM and UC Berkeley will fabricate 3D-integrated versions of novel quantum processors that have high quantum coherence and minimal levels of unwanted crosstalk. Both teams have extensive experience in the design, modelling, and fabrication of quantum hardware.
Speaking about the partnership today at the plenary of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), a leading stakeholder organisation aiming to enable and grow the quantum industry in Palo Alto, California, Irfan Siddiqi, Professor and Chair of the UC Berkeley Physics Department, said: “We’re excited to take part in a new type of collaboration where we can combine fundamental new ideas from academia with dedicated commercial hardware on-site, in an open collaborative environment. This will, no doubt, accelerate progress towards impactful quantum computations.”
Christopher Spitzer, Quantum Research Program Manager at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, added that “this is an example of what can be achieved through the Berkeley’s innovative partnership model, leveraging complementary strengths from across the quantum ecosystem to achieve outcomes that were previously out of reach.”
IQM’s US expansion and the partnership with Berkeley are the first manifestation of the declaration by the US and Finnish governments to foster cooperation in quantum information science and technology, along with 6G technology.
“We are excited to lead the way and put into practice this special relationship between Finland and the United States, which allows new players to enter the market with the support of both governments,” stated Vartiainen.
Additionally, the partnership with UC Berkeley proves how IQM stands out through its openness and close collaboration, allowing customers wide access to its technology.
“We firmly believe that for quantum to break through, close partnerships are key. While we begin our expansion with educational and research organisations, our next step will be partnering with high-performance computing (HPC) service providers, which will make our quantum computers available for a bigger market. This is a substantially different approach compared to others in the marketplace,” concluded Vartiainen.
