Europe’s Most Powerful Computer Goes Operational in Western Germany

The Forschungszentrum Jülich research center is home to a milestone in quantum computing with more than 5000 qubits. It’s the first of its kind in Europe.

The new supercharged digital brain is a collaboration of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) and D-Wave Systems, a leading provider of quantum computing systems. The computer is part of Jülich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum computing (JUNIQ), set up in 2019 to give German and European researchers access to quantum systems.

The region state government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) are underwriting JUNIQ with EUR 5 million apiece.

“Quantum computers promise enormous opportunities for our future and for research in Germany,” said Education and Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger at the ceremony where the computer went operational. “They have the potential to transform our everyday lives for the better – with regard to making optimal use of our power grid, optimizing investment strategies in the financial market or designing more effective medicines. This is why the Federal Research Ministry is providing intensive, broad-based support for quantum computer development.”