Infineon & Oxford Ionics to build a mobile quantum computer

This initiative, launched by the Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur), aims to strengthen Germany and Europe's technological sovereignty in quantum technologies. Supported by the German Federal Ministries of the Interior and Defence, the project will see three mobile quantum computers developed over the next three years, with one system ultimately chosen for further practical use. The Cyberagentur is investing €35 million in the research and development of these systems.

Clemens Rössler, Head of Ion Trap Development at Infineon, commented: "We are convinced that we will build a highly suitable quantum computer system that fulfils the most demanding conditions for working outside the laboratory. It will be so mobile that it can be used virtually anywhere. For us, the construction of the mobile quantum computer goes beyond a normal research project. It's about combining our technological expertise, including the Infineon QPU platform technology, with commercially available manufacturing technology to make quantum computing practical."

The mobile quantum computer will be built on ion-trap technology, which is known for its potential to perform complex operations such as machine learning and logistics optimisation in real-world environments.

Dr Chris Ballance, Co-Founder and CEO of Oxford Ionics, shared his enthusiasm: “We are thrilled to be delivering the first mobile variant of Oxford Ionics’ product line to the Cyberagentur. Since our inception, we have viewed the challenge of building powerful quantum computers as an engineering project – not a science project. This approach has yielded both the highest-performing qubits in the world and a robust technology that can deliver industry-leading performance within a small physical footprint based on unique customer needs. We look forward to leveraging Infineon’s expertise as we build the mobile quantum computer, including collaborating on QPUs that will scale up in qubit count based on our leading position in qubit quality."

The quantum computer being developed will have all the essential features needed for practical, high-level tasks. It will be compact, energy-efficient, and resilient to environmental disturbances, enabling it to perform operations outside of controlled lab environments. With the help of chips manufactured using high-volume semiconductor fabrication processes, the system can be scaled to support over 1,000 high-quality qubits.

The Cyberagentur's goal is to build a reproducible and programmable quantum computer that can be used on-site by security organisations, eliminating the need for highly specialised laboratory environments. The technology must be miniaturised and operate independently of typical lab conditions, such as dedicated power connections or stable environmental factors.