Custom System: DiNAQC: Digital Neutral Atom Quantum Computer

DiNAQC is a €29 million flagship project of the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) Quantum Computing Initiative (DLR QCI). Led by planqc, it develops a scalable 100-qubit neutral-atom quantum computer for a wide range of quantum applications at DLR.

DiNAQC lays the foundation for scaling neutral-atom quantum processors to thousands of qubits within a single system. Developed in close cooperation with DLR experts, the project ensures that hardware, software, and algorithms are aligned with real-world application requirements.

The system uses ultracold strontium atoms trapped in reconfigurable optical traps, where each atom serves as an identical qubit. Quantum gates are implemented via laser-driven excitation to Rydberg states, enabling fully digital quantum computation without cryogenic cooling.

Beyond building a programmable 100-qubit processor, which will have the largest number of qubits of any DLR QCI system, DiNAQC serves as a demonstrator for future error-corrected neutral-atom quantum computers. A key objective is the development and execution of application-relevant quantum algorithms for DLR domains such as, for example, aerospace, energy, transport, security, and materials science.

In November 2025, the project achieved a major milestone with the successful assembly of a defect-free 10 × 13 register of individual strontium atoms, demonstrating deterministic atom loading and rearrangement on the path to the full 100-qubit system.