Finland’s 1st quantum computer opened for companies

The researchers of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has opened its 5-qubit quantum computer for Finnish and European companies, enabling them to develop quantum algorithms and software and assess their suitability for solving practical computational problems, said VTT in a press release on Monday.

The quantum computer is accessed through the LUMI supercomputer, which is located in CSC data center in Kajaani, Finland.

Finnish and European companies can now have access to a Finnish quantum computer based on superconductive technology by paying a fixed monthly fee.

The quantum computer can be used by all companies, regardless of the industry they represent or their size.

“The computing power of quantum computers as well as their ability to solve problems will develop fast over the coming years. Companies must therefore begin to learn about quantum computing now, so that they will gain an understanding of how they can use the new technology to develop their products and services,” said Pekka Pursula, Research Manager for quantum technologies of VTT.

In practice, companies can use the development environment to develop quantum algorithms and assess what the algorithms will make possible in the future when the number of qubits and the computing power of quantum computers increase.

The quantum computer can be used from one's own computer. The user will first contact the LUMI supercomputer, which will then establish a connection to the quantum computer. Users can program quantum algorithms with the Qiskit and Cirq programming tools.

"Collaboration paves the way for the future. Quantum and high-performance computing are complementary technologies: they are suitable for solving different types of problems and thus complement each other. LUMI, one of the world's most powerful supercomputers, will once again demonstrate its capabilities as a booster for both scientific and commercial calculations, creating new hybrid usage possibilities", said Kimmo Koski, Managing Director of CSC - IT Center for Science.