The U.S. National Science Foundation (USF) yesterday announced a $20 million grant to CU Boulder to launch a facility known as the National Quantum Nanofab (NQN).  Researchers and quantum experts from Colorado will be able to utilize this facility to design and build incredibly small devices, which will help translate discoveries in the quantum world into technologies that have a greater impact on society.

Led by IQM Quantum Computers, the Q-Exa consortium has collaborated with the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) to integrate a 20-qubit quantum computer into Germany's SuperMUC-NG supercomputer. The Q-Exa project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with an investment of over 40 million euros, aims to connect quantum processing units (QPU) based on superconducting circuits to a supercomputer and to develop interfaces and control tools for this purpose. 

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has initiated a new tender process to seek R&D partners to scale up the country’s most powerful quantum computer to 300 qubits. In addition to increasing the qubit count, VTT will examine, together with the selected partner, whether it is possible to optimize the quantum computer to solve specific types of mathematical problems. VTT has previously developed 5-qubit and 20-qubit quantum computers with current partners, and a third system featuring 50 qubits is set to launch in the second half of 2024.

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) of Japan officially announced yesterday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for research cooperation with IBM on May 10th to strengthen collaboration for the industrialization of quantum technology. AIST said that to stimulate the quantum hardware and component industry, it will work with IBM to promote the development of next-generation quantum computers and their supply chain.

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) of Japan recently announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Keysight Technologies to jointly carry out quantum research and drive the industrialization of quantum technology.

According to media reports, the Queensland government has announced a new budget that will invest AUD 89.7 million in the Queensland Quantum Academy and the Queensland Quantum and Advanced Technologies Strategy over the next five years. The Queensland Quantum Strategy was announced in early October last year when the state pledged to invest AUD 76 million over four years. The new budget has allocated an additional AUD 7.7 million to support the quantum strategy, bringing the total investment to AUD 83.7 million over five years.

IBM and Pasqal jointly announced yesterday that they plan to collaborate on developing a common approach to quantum-centric supercomputing and promoting application research in chemistry and materials science. They will work with leading institutions in high-performance computing to integrate quantum computers with advanced classical computers to create the next generation of supercomputers.