Under the terms of the joint initiative, an IBM Q System One quantum computer is to be installed at a German location. It will be the first facility of its kind in Europe. The IBM Q System One is designed to perform multi-qubit operations to an extremely high level of quality, stability, reliability and reproducibility. These factors and the resultant large quantum volume – a measure of the power of a quantum computer – mean that the IBM Q System One is the ideal platform for state-of-the-art research into concrete quantum computing applications in science and industry.
Quantum computing promises to deliver the power required to analyze the complex systems of business and industry, to disentangle the convoluted interdependencies in molecular and chemical reactions, to master complex optimization problems and to significantly increase the performance of artificial intelligence. Such advances could open the door to new scientific discoveries and deliver enormous improvements in supply-chain management, logistics and the modeling of financial data and data for classic engineering problems.
The German federal government is to invest 650 million euros over the next two years to promote the advance of quantum technology from basic research to market-ready applications. The establishment of the Fraunhofer Center for Quantum Computing is in accordance with the objectives of the federal government’s framework program. At the same time, it will provide the IBM Q Network with a major European hub for quantum computing. The focus here will be on achieving a unique concentration of quantum skills in Germany and building a community of researchers, developers, IT professionals and industry experts in this field.
This joint initiative between the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and IBM will bring together prominent partners from research and industry under the common roof of a new Fraunhofer competence center for quantum computing. To be known as the Fraunhofer Center for Quantum Computing, this facility will be operated and managed by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, which already conducts research throughout the field of quantum technology at 14 of its institutes.
