The European Union (EU) has selected the SUPREME consortium to advance the industrial production of superconducting quantum chips. Coordinated by VTT (Finland), the consortium comprises 23 partners from 8 Member States. The central objective of SUPREME is to develop stable fabrication processes for European superconducting quantum chips, with a focus on improving repeatability and yield. This initiative aims to provide European academia, SMEs, and large enterprises with access to these fabrication processes.
SUPREME will focus on developing technologies such as angle evaporated and etched Josephson junctions, 3D integration methods, and hybrid quantum processes. These technologies are intended for applications in quantum computing, sensing, and communication. Validation efforts will be conducted through pilot line demonstrators, specifically utilizing 3D-integrated qubit assemblies for large-scale Quantum Processing Units (QPU), travelling wave parametric amplifiers (TWPA), and superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPD). This work directly addresses stability and yield challenges that have affected the scaling of superconducting quantum technologies beyond research prototypes.
The developed stable fabrication processes will be made accessible to the European quantum ecosystem through Process Design Kits (PDKs), supporting users in designing and developing their own devices and systems. This pilot line operation is a step designed to support technology development and market creation before industrial foundries potentially undertake quantum chip manufacturing. The Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) has approved the Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA), outlining a technology roadmap for SUPREME. The pilot line is expected to commence operations in early 2026, with initial technologies available for external users in 2027.
This initiative is set to support the European ecosystem and market development, contributing to the growth of startups and SMEs in quantum hardware. The consortium combines expertise from European research organizations, academia, industrial technology developers, and end-users, including Infineon Technologies AG, IQM Finland Oy, Alice & Bob, QuantWare BV, and Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech S.L. The effort seeks to enhance Europe’s capabilities in the global quantum hardware landscape by providing reliable building blocks and facilitating technology transfer for future industrial manufacturing supply chains.
Read the full announcement from VTT here.
July 10, 2025
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