First Norwegian Centre for Quantum Technology Is Being Rolled Out

(ScienceBusiness) Research colleagues at SINTEF, NTNU, and the University of Oslo want to make Norway “quantum-ready”, and have taken the matter into their own hands by together establishing the Norwegian Quantum Computing Centre. In addition to a Board comprising four persons, a total of 13 research scientists from the three institutions.
“There is currently almost no research activity in this field in Norway”, says researcher Franz Fuchs, who works with mathematics and cybernetics at SINTEF. ”We are years behind the rest of the world, so the challenge is now to get up to date as soon as possible”, he says.
The initiative has been awarded so-called “Gemini Centre” status. This means that the various research teams will be tasked to build an effective and visible centre of expertise in the field of quantum technology, and to establish networks with world-leading researchers and industry partners.
“It is important to start building up our expertise right now, and not in five years’ time,” says Morten Dalsmo, Executive Vice President at SINTEF Digital. “This is why we are rolling out this centre together with our research partners. When the technology is in place, Norwegian businesses must be ready so that we do not lose out to the competition. This makes it essential that research funding is allocated to the development of quantum technology, and that educational opportunities are created in this field so that we can equip ourselves for the future,” he says.
“We will be looking into potential applications,” says Fuchs. “We will evaluate problem structures and develop algorithms that will facilitate solutions with improved performance, but with a minimum of resources. The idea is to create something that is both valuable to industry and relevant to society,” he says. Several Norwegian companies have signalled their interest in the centre, which they want to be a hub for research and state-of-the-art development in quantum technology. The centre is now applying for research funding and has major ambitions in the field of software development for quantum computers.”