Bluefors to Open R&D Facility on Delft Campus in the Netherlands

Quantum computing at TU Delft flourishes with the arrival of Finnish firm Bluefors

 
Source: TU Delft

The goal of establishing a quantum computing ecosystem at Delft Technical University (TU Delft) took a step closer last week when Finnish company Bluefors announced its intention to establish and R&D office on the TU Delft campus. The announcement came during the Innovation Expo event in nearby Rotterdam.

Rapid growth

Bluefors, whose mission is to develop cryogenic cooling technology for quantum computers, is following in the footsteps of Microsoft, which was the first company to locate at the so-called ‘Q-campus’ housed in the old Applied Sciences building. The research center has grown rapidly over the last five years to more than 200 FTE.

Cool business

Bluefors develops and produces cryostats that are required for cooling quantum chips – that are developed in Delft – to extremely low temperatures necessary for certain operations. Current cryostats contain chips of a few dozen qubits – the basic units of quantum computers. If the technology is to be scaled-up over the coming years, then the cryostats will also need to be developed further.

Knowledge exchange

‘It is important for us to be able to design these new specifications with leading users and to benefit from each other’s knowledge,’ explains Bluefors CEO, Rob Blaauwgeers. ‘That is why we decided to carry out R&D close to the Delft research groups. In our new R&D lab, we would like to collaborate not only with the Delft groups but also with our other customers and partners from all over the world.’ The Bluefors site is a new step towards a local ecosystem where students, researchers and private companies work together on developing this key technology of the future.

Quantum hub

Ronald Hanson, Scientific Director of QuTech, is delighted with the arrival of Bluefors: ‘I am happy to welcome Bluefors to the TU Delft Campus. It is an important step in our ambition to create a flourishing quantum hub here, that accelerates scientific, technological and market developments.’ A feasibility study conducted by the Dutch government together with QuTech / TU Delft indicates that Delft has the potential to grow into one of the top quantum hubs in Europe, with up to 900 direct jobs in 2023.

Source: QuTech

4 October 2018