IBM unveils quantum computing centre in Germany

The unveiling was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, senior European government officials and European-based global enterprises.

Then center features a new IBM Quantum Heron-based system, alongside two other new systems able to perform utility-scale computations beyond the brute-force simulation capabilities of classical computers.

First introduced late last year, IBM Heron is the company’s most performant quantum computer yet, and advances the company’s mission of bringing useful quantum computing to the world by enabling users to increase the complexity of algorithms they are exploring on real quantum hardware.

According to Jay Gambetta, Vice President, Quantum for IBM the Heron-based system offers a 16-fold increase in performance and 25-fold in speed over previous IBM quantum computers as they were measured two years ago.

The center will soon be to IBM’s global quantum network of more than 250 enterprises, universities, research institutions, and organizations.

This system, along with the additional new utility-scale systems now installed in the new IBM Quantum Data Center, will expand the more than a dozen quantum computers IBM offers its clients via the cloud – the largest fleet of its kind in the world.  

The unveiling was attended by several senior leaders of European-based global enterprises, including Crédit Mutuel, Bosch, E.ON, Volkswagen, and others, as well as research institutions such as the University of the Basque Country in Spain and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

As members of the more than 80 European-based organizations within the IBM Quantum Network, these pioneers plan to access the systems within the IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe to search for the algorithms and applications of quantum computing that could solve some of the most complex challenges across their industries.  

“IBM is pioneering the field of quantum computing by heavily investing in bringing advanced quantum hardware architectures and performant quantum software directly to our users,” said Jay Gambetta, .“In the past several years, our team has worked to deploy multiple generations of quantum systems with increasingly advanced performance. In doing so, we are working with our clients to push forward the problems and algorithms on these systems that will unlock quantum advantage. We look forward to expanding this quest further with our clients accessing the new systems in Europe’s first IBM Quantum Data Center, and discovering the vast potential of quantum computers across sustainability, materials design, sustainability, life sciences, finance, and other areas.”    

“Our collaboration with IBM for the ‘scaling’ phase of quantum computing is progressing according to plan. We are working to develop concrete applications that improve the experience of our customer and members, and create value for the Group's businesses,” said Frantz Rublé, President of Euro-Information and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale. “The availability of this quantum data center on European soil addresses our constraints in terms of processing proximity and regulatory compliance. And it also means we can look forward to the next stages of the quantum project with confidence at Crédit Mutuel, CIC and then at Targobank.” 

"We believe that enabling our scientists and engineers to tackle demanding problems in materials sciences, high-energy physics, and biosciences through quantum computing, and providing state-of-the-art quantum computing access will be key to make disruptive progress in all those disciplines,” said Javier Aizpurua, professor at the University of the Basque Country Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC). “A combined use of quantum computing, AI, and data science, if generalized, will give rise to a scenario of new possibilities not only in fundamental research but also in industrial innovation." 

The availability of breakthrough quantum hardware with Qiskit, the world’s most performant quantum software, will enable IBM's ecosystem of users across Europe and globally to access the data center for cloud-based quantum computing research and advance the algorithmic work necessary to reach quantum advantage: the point at which a quantum computer can solve a practical problem better than any classical method.  

The IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe can be accessed through the IBM Quantum Platform, continuing IBM’s mission to enable the development of quantum computing use cases and to support clients as they press forward with algorithm discovery in the era of quantum utility, and towards quantum advantage.

Quantum roll–out: ; Ana Paula de Jesus Assis, General Manager of IBM EMEA in IBM.s new quantum computing centre in Ehningen, Germany