planqc wins 29 million euro contract from DLR

The German Aerospace Center has awarded planqc a contract worth 29 million euros to develop a scalable quantum computer with neutral atoms. Strategic partnership concluded with Menlo Systems and ParityQC.

Munich-based start-up planqc has been awarded an impressive contract by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The company is to develop a digital hardware and software platform for quantum computing based on neutral atoms that is scalable and can demonstrate quantum algorithms for real-world problems. The order is worth 29 million euros and is the first order for a digital quantum computer based on neutral atoms in Europe. planqc is cooperating with Menlo Systems and ParityQC, which are providing critical components in the form of the laser system, software and architecture.

This contract is an important milestone in our commercialization and growth strategy, which includes expansion into other key industries and global markets as the next step.

Alexander Glätzle, CEO & Co-Founder planqc

The development of a digital quantum computer based on neutral atoms is a field that has the potential to fundamentally change the future of computing technology. Through the collaboration of planqc, Menlo Systems and ParityQC, critical components can be provided to achieve this goal.

With this project, we are adding another promising technology to our quantum computing portfolio at the Ulm site

Dr. Karla Loida, Project Manager QCI

With the help of optical gratings, a technology developed in Munich, thousands of atoms can already be trapped in a standing wave light pattern generated by a single laser beam. The quantum information is stored in the electronic states of strontium atoms, the same states that are used to build the world's best atomic clocks, due to their exceptionally long coherence times. This unique combination of quantum technologies has the potential to be one of the fastest ways to scale thousands of qubits with superior gate accuracy, a prerequisite for industry-relevant quantum advantages.

For the neutral atoms to become qubits, they must first be trapped and held by laser beams in a vacuum

Dr. Robert Axmann, Head of DLR Quantum Computing Initiative

The start-up, which was founded in Garching near Munich (Germany) in April 2022, builds on decades of pioneering research and technology development at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Munich. The contract comes at a time of growth for planqc, following the appointment of Hermann Hauser as a member of the Advisory Board. Hauser is regarded as one of the co-founders of Silicon Valley in the USA and founded the company ARM, among others. The founders of planqc are Alexander Glätzle, Sebastian Blatt, Johannes Zellner, Lukas Reichsöllner, Ann-Kristin Achleitner and Markus Wagner.