Dutch electronics company NXP is collaborating with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and other partners on ion trap-based quantum computers.

As part of the DLR’s quantum computing initiative, the collaboration aims to build quantum computers to enable innovations across energy, automotive, government, aerospace and other critical infrastructure.

Quantum computers can process data significantly faster than classical computers, allowing them to solve complex problems that can help society in many ways, including weather and climate model calculations, accelerated development of medications and vaccines, improved model calculations for mobility and logistics, and cyber security protection. While these complex machines are rapidly evolving, they remain difficult to build, require deep levels of expertise and a path towards industrialisation must be further developed.

To help, NXP is collaborating with companies in the field of quantum computing. Together with EleQtron, Parity QC, Qudora Technologies and the Technical University of Hamburg, NXP will pool expertise from across the industry to enable advances in quantum computing and help roll out scalable and marketable products in the near future.

With its long-standing track record in the scaling and miniaturisation of physical applications required for industrial component manufacturing of chip-based detection logic and sensor technologies, NXP will provide the control electronics necessary for embedding quantum computing in a classical computing environment, as well as cryogenically-suitable packaging and photon detection for the reading of quantum states.

“Quantum computers will bring about the next big wave of innovation in our society,” said Lars Reger, CTO at NXP. “In collaboration with the DLR and other participants in this project, NXP’s experts will be at the forefront of that innovation, contributing their expertise to enable new innovations that will help our society become smarter, safer and more secure.”

Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, chair of the DLR executive board, added: “DLR is awarding contracts as part of its quantum computing initiative, with the aim of creating qubits based on ion traps. This technology is considered highly promising and will be explored through targeted research. This brings us one step closer to a programmable, fault-tolerant quantum computer. Through the close cooperation of business and science, synergies are created that strengthen the quantum computing ecosystem and thus also provide start-ups with new opportunities.”

To support a close collaboration between the organisations involved, the DLR’s innovation centre is at NXP’s site in Hamburg, Germany, and is scheduled to be launched early next year.

EleQtron is a spin-off from the Department of Quantum Optics at the University of Siegen. Founded in 2020, the company develops, produces, operates and markets computing time on ion trap-based quantum computers. As the first German quantum computer manufacturer, it is building increasingly powerful quantum computers and connects them to the cloud. Its proprietary technology eliminates the need for laser light for quantum logic operations, providing a clear path to scalability.

Parity QC is a quantum architecture company. Its focus is the development of blueprints for quantum computers and their operating system. Parity QC works with hardware partners around the world to build quantum computers with applications ranging from universal error-corrected quantum computing to solving optimisation problems on near term devices.

Qudora Technologies is a deep tech spin-off of Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig University of Technology and Leibniz University of Hanover, rooted in the Quantum Valley Lower Saxony (QVLS) ecosystem. The start-up develops trapped-ion quantum computers based on integrated quantum processors utsing a scalable laser-less quantum gate mechanism.

Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, NXP has approximately 31,000 employees in more than 30 countries and posted revenue of $11.06bn in 2021.