Finland: IQM’s Quantum Fabrication Facility krijgt een boost van € 35 miljoen van de EIB
- De financiering zal worden gebruikt om de ontwikkeling en commercialisering van de kwantumprocessors van IQM te versnellen
- Quantum computing wordt beschouwd als een sector van strategisch belang voor de Europese Unie met het potentieel om een revolutie teweeg te brengen in vele sectoren
ESPOO, Finland–(BUSINESS WIRE)– De Europese Investeringsbank (EIB) heeft €35 miljoen toegekend aan IQM Quantum Computers om de ontwikkeling en commercialisering van zijn kwantumprocessors, gebouwd in Europa’s eerste kwantumspecifieke fabricagefaciliteiten in Espoo, Finland, te versnellen. lening maakt deel uit van het risicoschuldproduct van het Europees Garantiefonds dat is geïntroduceerd om liquiditeit te verstrekken aan kleine en middelgrote ondernemingen die door de pandemie zijn getroffen.
Daarnaast profiteerde IQM van EIB Advisory Services-ondersteuning ter voorbereiding van de EIB-financieringsaanvraag.
Deze aankondiging volgt op de aankondiging van IQM in november van de opening van zijn eerste fabricagefaciliteit in Finland. De eerste tranche van de EIB-middelen zal worden gebruikt voor de uitbreiding van de faciliteit, het versnellen van materiaalonderzoek en de ontwikkeling van kwantumprocessors.
Finland: IQM’s Quantum Fabrication Facility Gets a €35 Million Boost From the EIB
- The funding will be used to accelerate the development and commercialisation of IQM’s quantum processors
- Quantum computing is considered a sector of strategic importance for the European Union with potential to revolutionise many sectors
ESPOO, Finland–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted €35 million to IQM Quantum Computers to accelerate the development and commercialisation of its quantum processors built at Europe’s first quantum-dedicated fabrication facilities in Espoo, Finland.The loan is part of the European Guarantee Fund’s venture debt product introduced to provide liquidity to small and medium-sized companies affected by the pandemic.
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IQM Quantum Computer (Graphic: Business Wire)
In addition, IQM benefited from EIB Advisory Services support in preparation for the EIB financing application.
This announcement follows IQM’s announcement in November of the opening of its first fabrication facility in Finland. The initial tranche of the EIB funds will be used for expanding the facility, accelerating material research and developing quantum processors.
Upon receiving this first debt financing from the EIB, IQM’s Chief Executive Dr Jan Goetz said, “Today’s chips shortage has exposed just how dependent the world is on semiconductor manufacturers in Asia. Quantum processors give us an opportunity to learn from this and become self-reliant first, and a global provider for quantum chips in the future. This EIB loan supports us in building more balanced and resilient quantum development in Europe. We are already working on the most advanced quantum technology in Europe and this loan will also help us create the next-generation European quantum ecosystem.”
EIB President Werner Hoyer said: “Quantum computing is still at an early stage. However, it has the potential to revolutionise many sectors, from drug and vaccine development to cybersecurity. Given the scale of the potential impact, global competition in quantum computing is fierce. Ensuring that companies such as IQM are well-funded is key to positioning Europe as a technological leader worldwide.”
EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros added: “As we consider quantum computing as a sector of strategic importance, we are glad to support the Finland-based company IQM. With our financing, we not only sustain and create jobs within a highly innovative industry, but we also place ourselves squarely behind technological know-how. Europe has a strong tradition of quantum research, and funding IQM ensures that the results of this research will be put into practice in real-world innovations.”
This financing announcement follows other news regarding IQM’s open-source processor design software KQCircuits, the Q-Exa project for quantum acceleration for HPC centres, and the opening of the quantum fabrication facility. With this funding, IQM will have full control over quantum processor development and strengthen its European leadership.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.
IQM is the pan-European leader in building quantum computers. IQM provides on-premises quantum computers for supercomputing data centres and research labs and offers full access to its hardware. For industrial customers, IQM delivers a quantum advantage through a unique application-specific, co-design approach.
IQM is building Finland’s first commercial 54-qubit quantum computer with VTT, and an IQM-led consortium (Q-Exa) is building a quantum computer in Germany. The computer will be integrated into an HPC supercomputer to create an accelerator for future scientific research. IQM has over 160 employees with offices in Paris, Bilbao, Munich and Espoo.
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Contacts
Kristiina Randmaa, Media Consultant
k.randmaa@ext.eib.org, tel.: +352 4379 72894
Website: www.eib.org/press – Press Office: +352 4379 21000 – press@eib.org
Raghunath Koduvayur, Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: Raghunath@meetiqm.com
Mobile: +358 50 4876509
Website: www.meetiqm.com