IQM Quantum Computers has launched the Aalto Q20 quantum computer in Finland.
The 20-qubit system, which is operational at Aalto University, is the fourth quantum computer deployed by IQM in Finland, marking a milestone in the country’s growing quantum technology ecosystem.
Finland has recently been characterized as the No. 2 global quantum cluster and is amongst the top five countries for quantum patent applications.
“When institutions like Aalto University own their quantum computers, it means their data, their IP, and their expertise stay theirs. That’s not a feature — that’s a strategic posture to enable world-class research and education,” said Jan Goetz, CEO and co-founder of IQM Quantum Computers.
Aalto University aims to use the quantum computer to educate future talent in quantum engineering. The advanced specifications of the systems make it one of the highest-performance quantum computers deployed at a university, allowing world-class research in quantum computing.
The installation builds on IQM’s investments in education and collaboration with universities, research institutions, industry and policymakers in advancing research. Together with other offerings like IQM Academy the quantum computer installation is supporting the growing needs of the quantum ecosystem in Finland.
The Finnish quantum industry is projected to need around 3,000 new skilled employees to maintain the country’s leading position and deliver the goals laid out in the national quantum technology strategy. IQM’s deployment at Aalto directly addresses the talent gap and development.
In addition, the installation strengthens Finland’s quantum computing capabilities and expands the domestic supercomputing infrastructure.
For this purpose, Aalto University is also collaborating with CSC – IT Center for Science to integrate AaltoQ20 with LUMI. The latter is one of the EuroHPC pre-exascale supercomputers, to provide access to a broader community of users across the European Union.
IQM’s approach is to power local quantum ecosystems with an open and transparent hardware and software platform.
“As Finland’s fourth quantum computer, the Q20 is a show of strength for the Finnish quantum ecosystem of universities, companies, and research organizations,” said Tapio Ala-Nissilä, professor at the Department of Applied Physics at Aalto University.
“Q20 allows Aalto to have its own computer for researchers to easily access and students in the quantum technology major will get to use it as part of their studies, which is rare even on a global scale,” said Ala-Nissilä.
