Quantum computers based on Rydberg atoms are considered a particularly promising concept to realize superfast computing. The European Commission has just launched the “European infrastructure for Rydberg Quantum Computing (EuRyQa)” project aimed at establishing Rydberg quantum processors as a leading platform for scalable quantum computing in Europe. Led by the University of Strasbourg, the consortium is assembling eleven partners from seven countries, including the Institute of Theoretical Physics III and the Institute of Physics (5) at the University of Stuttgart.
Ultracold trapped atoms have recently emerged as one of the most promising physical platforms for digital quantum computing, having already demonstrated systems with more than 200 qubits (the computational unit of a quantum computer) with strong interactions mediated by their highly excited Rydberg states and a clear path to further scalability to thousands of qubits. To develop the next generation of fully programmable and scalable quantum computing systems based on ultracold Rydberg atoms, EuRyQa will bring together four complementary European Rydberg platforms. In this way, the consortium aims to provide a unique European solution for Rydberg-based quantum computing, together with the first pan-European benchmarking and standardisation of the technology. The main goal of the project is best summarized by Prof. Guido Pupillo from the University of Strasbourg, who coordinates EuRyQa: "We will provide a common quantum computing stack for Rydberg atoms, a federated cloud service, solutions to concrete computational problems, and key technology for fault-tolerant quantum computing with Rydberg qubits. The success of EuRyQa will be a game changer for Europe in a global competition for quantum computing."
The University of Stuttgart is represented in this consortium by the Institute of theoretical physics III of Prof. Hans Peter Büchler and 5th Institute of Physics of Prof. Tilman Pfau. Especially, the team in Stuttgart is currently building a digital and universal quantum computer with high gate fidelities based on Strontium atoms in optical tweezers. „Our team will contribute to the European project with this expertise in building, operating, and optimizing the performance of such a Rydberg quantum computer, as well as the development of a hardware specific compiler“, say Büchler and Pfau.
EuRyQa is starting in October 2022 and will be funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme with a total budget of almost five million euros over the next three years. (HORIZON-CL4-2021-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-30). To achieve its aims, the consortium unites partners from academia at the forefront of ultracold-atom-based quantum technology with industrial partners providing complementary expertise on quantum hardware, classical electronics, firmware, and software. EuRyQa is coordinated by the University of Strasbourg (France) and other partners include the SMEs PASQAL (France) and QM Technologies (Israel), the University of Stuttgart, the spin-off Qruise GmbH from the Research Centre Jülich, and the consultancy EURICE GmbH (Germany), the University of Amsterdam and the Technical University of Eindhoven (Netherlands), the research institute Idryma Technologias Kai Erevnas (Greece), Associacao Portuguese Quantum Institute (Portugal), and Università degli Studi di Padova (Italy).
Expert Contact:
Prof. Hans Peter Büchler, University of Stuttgart, Institute of Theoretical Physics III, Prof. Tilman Pfau and Dr. Florian Meinert, University of Stuttgart, Institute of Physics (5) , Phone +49 711 685 64975, E-Mail