The EU has established a consortium to support the fabrication of superconducting quantum chips.

Dubbed SUPREME, the group consists of 23 partners across eight member states and will be coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

In addition to VTT, partners include Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands; The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) in France; Infineon Technologies in Germany; IQM Finland Oy in Finland; Alice & Bob in France; and QphoX BV in the Netherlands.

The project aims to develop a stable fabrication process for superconducting quantum chips, which academia, SMEs, and enterprises can then access through process design kits (PDKs), enabling users to design and develop their own devices and systems.

Technologies the consortium will be focusing on include angle evaporated and etched Josephson junctions, 3D integration methods, and hybrid quantum processes for quantum computing, sensing, and communication, all of which will be validated through pilot demonstrators.

“Stability and yield challenges in superconducting quantum device fabrication have posed significant barriers to scaling quantum technologies beyond research prototypes,” said Jorden Senior, research team leader for quantum computing hardware at VTT and technical manager of SUPREME.

Pekka Pursula, VTT’s director for microeconomics and quantum research and coordinator of the consortium, added: “By developing stable fabrication processes for superconducting quantum chips, we push the boundaries of what is possible in quantum computing, sensing, and communication.”

The technology roadmap has been approved by the EU Chips Joint Undertaking and will be executed in two phases. The SUPREME pilot line is expected to commence in early 2026, with the first technologies slated to be available for external users from 2027.

Diraq closes $15 million funding round

Australian quantum startup Diraq has raised $15 million in a funding round that included participation from ICM Global Funds, Morgan Creek Digital, NewSouth Innovations, and Quantonation.

Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Sydney, Diraq builds quantum processors using silicon quantum dot technology. The company is aiming to release its first product in 2029, followed by a commercially useful “fault-tolerant” quantum computer by 2033.

Prior to this most recent funding round, Diraq closed a $22m extended Series A round in 2024. The company is also participating in the US Department of Defense’s quantum benchmarking program.

IonQ to deliver 100-qubit system to Korean research lab

US quantum computing company IonQ will deliver a 100-qubit quantum computer to the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) under the Korean government’s quantum initiative, which will see the establishment of the first quantum computing center in the country.

Development and operation of the system will be led by KISTI, while IonQ will provide the quantum technology. The partners intend to develop a hybrid quantum-classical computing environment that will be made available to both academia and enterprise via a private cloud.

This project is a significant investment in Korea’s research and innovation ecosystem, and we are proud to have been identified by KISTI to provide the technology and expertise to help realize its full potential,” said Niccolo de Masi, CEO of IonQ.

BDx Data Centers signs MoU with Anyon Technologies for Singaporean quantum deployment

BDx Data Centers and Anyon Technologies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deploy Singapore’s first commercial hybrid quantum AI testbed at the former’s SIN1 data center in Paya Lebar in the city state.

The deployment supports Singapore’s Green 2030 and Smart Nation objectives, with startups, enterprises, academia, and government agencies set to have access to the testbed. The two companies plan to expand this hybrid quantum model across other markets in Asia, including Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, to create a region-wide network of quantum-enabled data centers.

IQM announces quantum cloud platform update

Finnish quantum computing company IQM has announced a “major upgrade” to its Resonance quantum cloud platform in the form of a new software development kit.

According to the company, the enhancements include the introduction of a 54-qubit quantum computer powered by the company’s Crystal 54 chip, in addition to support for a new software development kit dubbed Qrisp, advanced error suppression and mitigation tools, expanded IQM Academy resources, and Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) library.

The Crystal-powered quantum computer will also be available by July 16 on Amazon Braket, and IQM is also making the new system available to users of its free ‘Starter’ tier for a limited time.