In a significant move for the European quantum infrastructure, the LUMI AI Factory has announced a partnership with IQM Quantum Computers to deploy a pioneering superconducting quantum system. The project, designated as LUMI-IQ, aims to establish Europe's first quantum computer capable of supporting logical qubits. This milestone is set to be hosted at the CSC Kajaani data center in Finland, providing a robust foundation for next-generation quantum research.
The deployment is structured as a multi-phase rollout scheduled to conclude in 2029. The initial phase will introduce a system featuring 150 physical qubits. As the roadmap progresses, the infrastructure is designed to scale up to support nine fault-tolerant logical qubits, a critical threshold for executing complex, error-corrected quantum computations that surpass the limitations of current noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices.
Central to this initiative is the creation of a hybrid supercomputing environment. By integrating LUMI-IQ into the LUMI AI Factory, the project seeks to merge high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence with quantum capabilities. This synergy is intended to accelerate breakthroughs in fields requiring massive computational power, such as materials science, drug discovery, and complex optimization problems.
Financially supported by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, the project underscores a strategic commitment to sovereign European quantum capabilities. By moving toward logical qubits—where quantum information is protected from environmental noise through error correction—the LUMI-IQ system represents a transition from experimental physics toward practical, reliable quantum utility. This infrastructure will serve as a cornerstone for the European quantum ecosystem, fostering collaborative research and industrial application.