European Commission selects Creotech Instruments for pioneering project to build large quantum computer for European Union!

An international consortium led by the University of Innsbruck, whose ranks also include Poland’s Creotech Instruments, has been selected by the European Commission to build the first large quantum computer for the European Union. This international project aims to build a 100-qubit quantum computer by 2025 and achieve technological readiness to deliver a 1000-qubit solution by 2029. The expected budget of the first stage for the consortium, which includes Creotech, will be around EUR 18-20m. The project’s first phase will be fully funded under the Quantum Flagship, a program dedicated to developing quantum technologies within Horizon Europe. The underlying framework agreement will be concluded in 2022. It is estimated that in 2026, the value of the global quantum computing market will reach USD 1bn, up from USD 472m in 2021.

“Quantum computers show great promise for the development of compute and digital technologies. Quantum computers’ biggest strength is qubits, i.e. units of quantum information. Therefore, it is with great pleasure and pride that I would like to announce that on 13 May 2022, the European Commission invited Creotech Instruments to join a unique project seeking to build a large quantum computer for the European Union. What makes us feel particularly honored is that this is the first contract in the field of quantum computing of this magnitude in EU history. The project will be carried out by a consortium led by the University of Innsbruck. Its task will be to build a 100-qubit quantum computer by 2025 and achieve technological readiness to build a 1000-qubit solution by 2029. This marks a major milestone in our history as it gives us a chance to present our capabilities to an international audience and poses an opportunity to take Creotech Instruments to the next level of growth. Of course, one of our most important short-term business goals is to place the EagleEye satellite in orbit, followed by Earth observation satellites for the defense sector as part of the PIAST project. However, through our involvement in such a key quantum technology project, we can develop technology that will position us to become a leader in the European market of electronics for quantum computers and boost the competitiveness of our solutions in the satellite segment,” says Grzegorz Brona, President of the Management Board of Creotech Instruments S.A. “We are counting on the success of this strategic project and are fully ready to get to work. First, however, we need to conclude the framework agreement, a task scheduled for 2022,” adds Grzegorz Brona.

Signing the contract with European Commission will give the company access to financing tools intended only for the two consortia selected for the framework agreement. Creotech Instruments plans to submit an application for financing for the first 3.5-year stage of the project at the turn of Q2 and Q3 2022. The expected budget of the first stage for the consortium, which includes Creotech, will be around EUR 18-20m. The project’s first phase will be fully funded under the Quantum Flagship, a program dedicated to the development of quantum technologies within Horizon Europe.

“Our experts will be responsible for the development and implementation of the electronics controlling quantum computers, namely the subsystem responsible for reading the qubit state, as well as the cryogenic subsystem responsible for delivering signals to the ion trap and ASIC cryogenic integrated circuits used to control the position of qubits and transport them between sections of the quantum processor,” says Dr Anna Kamińska at Creotech Instruments S.A., responsible for the development of the quantum segment. “These systems are necessary to further scale the compute power of a quantum computer,” adds Anna Kamińska.

The quantum computer for the EU Union is not Creotech Instruments’ first project quantum computing project. In line with its strategy, since 2019 the company has been co-creating Sinara, the most advanced hardware ecosystem for controlling qubits on the market, developed in collaboration with leading research groups, including the University of Oxford. Offering a 20-fold improvement in quantum system efficiency, Sinara’s other features include standardized management and reduced energy consumption.

Creotech Instruments, a NewConnect-listed company, is also one of the leaders in the Polish space market. In April 2022, the company completed the first phase of PIAST, a project which seeks to place observation satellites in Earth orbit in 2024. Creotech Instruments is also pursuing its strategic EagleEye project. Weighing 50 kg, EagleEye is Poland’s first observation microsatellite based on the HyperSat platform. The project is carried out as part of a program financed by the National Center for Research and Development (NCBiR). The satellite is scheduled for launch to low Earth orbit at the turn of 2023 and 2024.

Moreover, on 10 May 2022, the company held the first public presentation of its new product line, including the prototype of CreoSky 6000, an innovative astronomy camera. The camera’s primary purpose is to detect space debris and very dim objects. The product was developed for the purposes of the European Space Surveillance and Tracking System designed to address Europe’s need for an early warning system against threats to space assets. Valued at PLN 7.3m, the project is scheduled for commercialization in mid-2023.