planqc and the LOGIQC consortium have been selected as one of six consortia to compete in Germany’s Quantum Computing Competition (QCC). The QCC is a major initiative of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) to advance error-corrected quantum computing in Germany.
With up to €640 million in funding planned, the competition aims to advance different technological approaches towards at least two error-corrected quantum computers at the European technological frontier by 2030 and make them accessible for industrial applications. The six selected consortia span three technology platforms: neutral atoms, trapped ions and superconducting circuits, with two consortia selected for each approach.
Building an error-corrected quantum computer with neutral atoms
LOGIQC – Logical Operations, Gates and Infrastructure for Quantum Computing – is coordinated by planqc and has its roots in the Munich Quantum Valley. The consortium brings together leading research and industry partners, including the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), the University of Tübingen, Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), and TOPTICA Photonics.
“The selection of LOGIQC is a strong validation of our technological approach and the capabilities of the entire consortium.”
The project will develop a hardware-efficient, error-corrected quantum computer based on neutral ytterbium atoms, capable of performing universal logical operations on encoded qubits. Complementary infrastructure will provide the laboratories, laser systems, test facilities and pilot-line capabilities needed to scale the technology and prepare critical hardware for industrialization.
“Germany has all the ingredients to play a leading role in quantum computing. The critical step now is to bring these strengths together and scale them. The QCC comes at exactly the right time to help turn Germany’s strength in quantum research into industrial leadership.”
Next stage: technical milestones
The QCC is designed as a staged competition with defined technical milestones. The selected consortia will now enter the next stage, with at least one partner in each consortium required to demonstrate a functioning system meeting defined entry criteria by March 31, 2027. The projects will then work towards increasingly ambitious targets for scale and error correction, with a further selection after 30 months determining which projects continue to receive support.
Source: Handelsblatt: „Sechs Quantencomputer-Konsortien bewerben sich um Förderung“
