VTT & IQM Enter Co-Innovation Partnership to Build Finland’s First Quantum Computer

(HPC.Wire) VTT and IQM have entered into an agreement to establish a co-innovation partnership and begin building Finland’s first quantum computer.
The cooperation will bring together top expertise in quantum technologies and enable a leap in Finland’s quantum capabilities. The government of Finland has granted the project EUR 20.7 million funding.
The computer will be built in Espoo, Finland at VTT’s and Aalto University’s joint national research infrastructure Micronova, where the clean room environment used to manufacture the quantum components is located. Work will begin already during 2020.
“Finland has the potential to be the European leader in quantum technologies. I look forward to witnessing the opportunities that quantum will present to Finnish and European businesses and the competitiveness of the entire region,” states Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Mika Lintilä.
The innovation partner, IQM, was selected as a result of an international public tender.  Earlier this month, IQM announced the completion of a new successful funding round, which puts its total funding to EUR 71 million.
“We are proud to be part of this cooperation and excited to work with the leading experts from VTT. This project is extremely prestigious for us and will offer a great opportunity to work together in ways that help build the future of quantum technologies.” says Jan Goetz, CEO of IQM.
The project will proceed in three phases. In the first phase, within approximately a year, the aim is a functioning five-qubit quantum computer, which will demonstrate Finland’s expertise in building quantum computers. The overall goal of the project is to build a 50-qubit device, by 2024.