IonQ Unveils Its First Quantum Computer in Europe, Online Now at a Record #AQ36.

IonQ announced the delivery of IonQ Forte Enterprise to its first European Innovation Center at the uptownBasel campus in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Achieved in partnership with QuantumBasel, this major milestone marks the first datacenter-ready quantum computer IonQ has delivered that will operate outside the United States and the first quantum system for commercial use in Switzerland. 

Forte Enterprise is now online servicing compute jobs while performing at a record algorithmic qubit count of #AQ36, which is significantly more powerful than the promised #AQ35. With each additional #AQ, the useful computational space for running quantum algorithms doubles. A system with #AQ36 is capable of considering more than 68 billion different possibilities simultaneously. With this milestone, IonQ once again leads the industry in delivering production-ready systems to customers. 

“The successful commissioning of Forte Enterprise in Europe – on schedule and at an even higher performance level than announced previously – demonstrates IonQ’s commitment to driving global quantum adoption through technological leadership and operational excellence,” said Peter Chapman, CEO and President of IonQ. “Achieving #AQ36 is a significant leap forward, opening new possibilities for applications including logistics, finance, pharmaceuticals, chemistry and artificial intelligence.”

“Offering the state-of-the-art Forte Enterprise quantum computing platform to our ecosystem will accelerate the development of quantum applications across a range of fields,” said Damir Bogdan, CEO of QuantumBasel. “By collaborating with IonQ, we’re positioning the uptownBasel campus as a leader in quantum innovation, fostering breakthroughs that address real-world challenges.”

IonQ’s next generation commercial quantum systems such as Forte Enterprise are optimized for data center environments, sporting a rack-mounted form factor, low energy profile, and minimal environmental isolation requirements.

Today’s IonQ Forte Enterprise system commissioning represents the culmination of IonQ’s engineering innovation, operational excellence, and enterprise-grade production capabilities.

“This milestone reflects the hard work and ingenuity of teams across IonQ and QuantumBasel,” said Dr. Dave Mehuys, VP of Production Engineering. “We aligned our system build with on-site datacenter construction and IonQ’s manufacturing and production teams leveraged their decades of expertise to bring this groundbreaking system online faster than anticipated.”

IonQ’s record-breaking achievement of #AQ36 signals the company’s dedication and success in advancing quantum performance. Forte Enterprise expands the potential for driving groundbreaking research in areas such as quantum chemistry and machine learning.

“IonQ’s ability to deliver Forte Enterprise with #AQ36 reflects our growing capabilities to execute on our mission to drive significant quantum advancements globally,” said Dr. Dean Kassmann, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology at IonQ. “Each step we take demonstrates our commitment to bringing quantum computing from the lab to practical, impactful, and commercial uses.”

IonQ’s first European Innovation Center will allow the company to service its European customers out of its QuantumBasel location and to drive research and development of next generation quantum applications in Europe.

As part of its partnership with IonQ, QuantumBasel will offer its ecosystem– including enterprises, research institutes, startups, and universities – direct access to the #AQ36 Forte Enterprise system. 

With datacenters now in the Washington, D.C., Seattle, and Basel, Switzerland areas, IonQ has firmly established a global data center footprint, reinforcing its position as a leader in quantum technology.

Source: IonQ media announcement