EUROPE’S SEARCH FOR THE NEXT SUPERCOMPUTER
Fred Bakker
Author-Speaker | European Industrial Policy, Technology, Energy, Digitalization, Sustainability
There’s a global search for more computer power, needed to address our ever growing desire to crunch numbers – be it to aid space travel, medicine research, mapping climate and traffic models or implementing AI. At the moment, much progress on the ’Supercomputer’ front is made in America and China, but also in Finland and other European countries.
The European Commission is eager to stay ahead in the global race for computer superpowers, and one of the strongest cards we have is the so-called Quantum Computer.
With special hardware, a quantum computer can bypass the standard 0/1 electric property of bits on a chip. Since a quantum bit (’qubit’) can be both 0 or 1 (using probability), it is capable of processing information much quicker than a standard chip. That said, producing reliable qubits is still a challenge: they tend to deteriorate, causing instability.1
At the moment, there is European research into four types of quantum computers: superconducting, photonic, trapped-ion and semiconductor spin-qubit computers. They combine different forms of probability with different materials and technology, but all promise to speed up processing power considerably. In 2023, and again in late 2024, Google claimed to have finished a calculation in a few seconds, that would have taken the fastest ’traditional’ supercomputer countless years. Obviously, these are just limited tests, but they still gives an idea of the possible scope of quantum computing in the years to come.
As will be shown below, the EU is purposefully spreading its resources across the four technologies, because it is yet too early to tell which one is most promising – maybe a combination of some or all of them, or with ’traditional’ supercomputers, turns out to be the way forward. Here, again, Sharing Brainpower is the way to go.
Superconductors
Usually made from superconducting materials, these quantum computers utilize tiny electrical circuits to produce and manipulate qubits. Research into superconducting quantum computers is mainly done in Finland, the Czech Republic and in Germany. Finland owns the fastest computer in Europe. It is maintained by IQM Quantum Computers , a 2018 spin-off from Aalto Technical University in Helsinki and the applied research goup VTT.
LUMI is one of the fastest supercomputers in the world. It uses 100% renewable hydroelectric energy, and its waste heat is used to warm nearby buildings. It became fully operational in February 2023.
Designated as a supercomputer that researchers from across Europe can use for collaborative research, this system is optimized for AI-based workloads. LUMI is also used as a ’partner’ for two other quantum computers, called QAL 9000 and Helmi, both based in Finland.
The LUMI-Q consortium built around the computer is intended to aid as many European researchers as possible. It is co-funded with a total acquisition cost of 5 million Euros. The consortium is a true pan-European collaboration effort with 9 European countries involved: the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The installation of the joint system will start in 2025.
The German ’branch’ of the consortium will be integrated into the Leibniz Supercomputer Centre LRZ. Their Euro-Q-Exa will be a digital quantum computer based on superconducting qubits that will provide two separate systems: a 54-qubit system, operational in the second half of 2025 and a 150-qubit system ready by the end of 2026.
Photonics
These types of quantum computers use photons (light particles) to carry and process quantum information. For large-scale quantum computers, photonic qubits are a promising alternative to trapped ions and neutral atoms that require cryogenic or laser cooling.
In France, a quantum computer named ’Lucy’ was initiated by GENCI and hosted by French research institute CEA. GENCI (Grand Equipement National de Calcul Intensif) is a large research infrastructure, created in 2007 as a public operator to democratize the use of digital simulation through high-performance computing. The University Politehnica of Bucharest (Romania), the Forschungszentrum Ju?lich (Germany) and the Irish Centre for High- End Computing are co-members.
Lucy (named after the Latin ’Lux’) will be a photonic quantum computer, offering 12 physical qubits.?Coupled with the GENCI supercomputer Joliot-Curie, it will allow the exploration of numerous hybrid Quantum/Supercomputing workloads for topics such as electromagnetic simulation, structural mechanics, engine combustion, material simulation, meteorology and earth observation.?
The total cost of the system is around 8.5 million Euros, which will be co-funded by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, an initiative between the EU, European countries and private partners, and the State of France (50%). Installation of the system will start in 2025.?EuroHPC JU also partially funded the LUMI-Q system.
Trapped ion
A trapped ion quantum computer involves using atoms or molecules with a net electrical charge known as ’ions’ that are trapped and manipulated using electric and magnetic fields to store and process quantum information. They are useful for precision measurements and other applications requiring high levels of stability and control.
In Austria, trapped-ion quantum research is mainly concentrated in Vienna and Innsbruck. Their research includes quantum computing but takes a much wider view, looking into time, space and gravity as well. In december 2023, a scientific excellence status was given to the Quantum Science Austria (quantA), which brings together over 60 research groups in Innsbruck, Vienna, Linz and Klosterneuburg. The coordination of quantum computing research (named Alpine Quantum Technology, AQT) is located in Innsbruck.
Poland has adopted AQT’s technology and has installed a research system in Poznan, which will be a digital, trapped-ion quantum computer offering 20-plus physical qubits. Owned by the EuroHPC JU, the system will be integrated into the local high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure allowing for remote access. The Pozan Supercomputer and Networking Center leads the consortium, which consists of two additional Polish partners and one academic partner from Latvia.
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EuroQCS-Poland, with a total acquisition cost of 12.28 million Euros, is also half funded by EuroHPC JU. The remaining half will be funded by the Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland. The installation of the system will start in the Summer of 2025.
EuroQCS is the umbrella name for six supercomputer projects selected by EuroHPC JU in Poland, Czechia (the aforementioned LUMI-Q), France (’Lucy’), Germany (Euro-Q-Exa), Italy and Spain. Their selection was based on the wish ’to ensure a diversity in quantum technologies and architectures, giving Europe an opportunity to be at the forefront of this still novel field, and providing European users access to diverse and complementary quantum technologies.’ Spreading funds and focus across these diverse technologies, in the manner of Sharing Brainpower, is taken to be the best approach to advance the field and Europe’s position in it.
Spin Qubits
Semiconductor spin-qubit technology is not yet under deployment in any other EuroHPC quantum computers; it will complement the EuroHPC quantum computing ecosystem currently being developed. However, it does align with EuroHPC JU’s general goal of providing European users with access to a diverse range of quantum computing platforms.
Silicon spin-qubit computers can use the two spin states of a single isolated electron to mimic the 0/1 electrical states of a regular bit. Reseach on spin qubits is mainy done in In Luxemburg ( LuxProvide ) and the Netherlands ( SURF ).
A key advantage of the spin-qubit approach is that it builds on Europe's well-established semiconductor industry, which is positioned to play a pivotal role in the mass production of quantum chips. Leveraging Europe's existing infrastructure and expertise, there is strong potential for scaling up manufacturing capabilities to meet future demand as the technology matures.
Investments in ’regular’ sumpercomputers
While all of the above is promising in terms of research and development, EuroHPC JU is still also investing in ’traditional’ supercomputers. As late as October 2024, a second rack for one of the fastest chip-based supercomputers, called Jupiter, was installed at the Jülich Supercomputer Centre in Germany. It is the first European computer surpassing the threshold of 1 exaflops (a billion billion flaoting point calculations per second). This development is necessary to keep the technological level on a par with China and the US. And while it is primarily designed for scientific uses, Jupiter can act as an ’intermediate machine’ for industry, filling a gap since it would take an individual company three or four years to install their own machine, and at great cost.
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1 ?A lucid longer explanation is available to read at https://www.ibm.com/topics/quantum-computing