On the invitation of planqc and Mag. Alexander Sarlay, Dr. Paul Swarovski visited planqc in Garching near Munich for an exclusive innovation exchange. At the centre of the meeting stood the future applications of quantum technology and its potential across a wide range of industries.
Dr. Swarovski was welcomed by Dr. Alexander Glätzle, CEO and co-founder of planqc, and Dr. Sebastian Blatt, CTO and co-founder of planqc. A member of the Swarovski family, whose name has been synonymous with crystal and precision technologies for generations, Dr. Swarovski brought a perspective from an industry rarely connected with quantum computing. During the visit, Dr. Swarovski gained insight into the development of planqc's quantum computers and the progress the team is making towards useful quantum advantage.
In an open, interdisciplinary dialogue, the participants explored the connections between quantum technology, optics and crystal technologies. The conversation centred on the crystal and precision-materials industry, and on how quantum computing could help design and understand crystals and advanced materials at the atomic level, in a detail that classical computing cannot reach. Several of these ideas were developed jointly by planqc and Alexander Sarlay ahead of the visit and explored further on site.
"It was a real pleasure to welcome Dr. Swarovski to Garching and to think together about where quantum technology can take us. At planqc, our focus is on building machines that solve real problems – but some of the most exciting opportunities often appear at the edges, where our work in quantum physics and optics meets other disciplines. Quantum computing lets us understand and design materials at a level of detail that was previously out of reach, and that opens genuinely new perspectives for products and technologies", says Dr. Alexander Glätze.
"Exchanges like this one help us recognise that potential early and turn it into something concrete."
The participants agreed that the most promising innovations often begin exactly where different fields meet. Both sides expressed strong interest in continuing the dialogue and turning these first ideas into concrete directions.
"Quantum technologies will ultimately reach far beyond classical IT and influence numerous industries. The exchange between science, industry, and creative disciplines is essential to recognise this potential early and make it usable."
For planqc, exchanges like this one are a natural part of building the future of computing: not in isolation, but in conversation with the industries that will one day put it to work.
