Technical Research Centre of Finland to Build Country’s First Quantum Computer

(Telecoms.com) The Technical Research Centre of Finland is going to build the country’s first quantum computer, joining a growing European contingent to compete at the front of next generation computing technology.
VTT, Finland’s state-owned Technical Research Centre (Teknologian tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy) announced that it will design and build the country’s first quantum computer, in partnership with “progressive Finnish companies from a variety of sectors”, aiming to “bolster Finland’s and Europe’s competitiveness” in this cutting-edge technology.
“In the future, we’ll encounter challenges that cannot be met using current methods. Quantum computing will play an important role in solving these kinds of problems,” said Antti Vasara, CEO of VTT. Referring to the country’s challenge of post-COVID-19 recover, Vasara said “it’s now even more important than ever to make investments in innovation and future technologies that will create demand for Finnish companies’ products and services.”
The multi-year project, with a total cost estimated about €20-25 million, will run in phases. The first checkpoint will be about a year from now, when VTT targets to “get a minimum five-qubit quantum computer in working order”, it said in the press release. Qubit, or “quantum bit”, is the basic information unit in quantum computing, analogous to binary digit, or “bit”, in classical computing.