The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has initiated a tender for the installation of LUMI-Q, a new EuroHPC quantum computer. This computer will be located in Czechia and integrated into the EuroHPC supercomputer KAROLINA. LUMI-Q will be a digital quantum computer based on superconducting qubits in a star-shaped topology, which minimizes the number of swap operations and enables the execution of complex quantum algorithms.

The system will be hosted and operated by IT4Innovations National Supercomputing Centre in Ostrava, Czechia. It will be available to a wide range of European users, from the scientific community to industry and the public sector. The upcoming quantum computing infrastructure will support the development of a wide range of applications with industrial, scientific, and societal relevance for Europe.

The total cost of the system is EUR 7.0 million and will be co-funded by the EuroHPC JU and the LUMI-Q consortium, which involves 9 European countries. The closing date for submission of an application to tender is April 2, 2024. This is part of an effort by the EuroHPC JU to procure and operate quantum computers at six different European sites. A similar tender for a photonic based system was announced last week.

In addition, the EuroHPC JU launched a call for proposals on European Quantum Excellence Centres (QECs) in November 2023, to establish knowledge hubs for quantum computing and foster the development of a quantum computing ecosystem. The call is open until May 14, 2024. Additional calls targeting the development of hybrid HPC-Quantum Computing middleware technologies, as well as hybrid algorithms and applications, are planned for the near future.

Additional information on the tender is available in a news release available here and also a Funding and Tender Opportunities page with additional technical and other details can be found here.

February 14, 2024