Imaging of Matter
"Hamburg School" for quantum computing to come
27 October 2022

Photo: UHH/CUI, Schonefeld
The Hamburg Senate has approved a four-part package of measures to strengthen the quantum computing ecosystem. This includes funding of around €17 million for the establishment of the "Hamburg Quantum Computing School", a joint project of the Center for Optical Quantum Technologies at Universität Hamburg and the Hamburg University of Technology.
"This is very good news for us," says Prof. Klaus Sengstock, who together with other partners has already been able to acquire the joint project "Rymax One". The goal of this project is to develop a quantum computer that can calculate real-world problems, such as in logistics, faster than current computer systems. The project has been funded for five years since December 2021 by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with a total funding amount of approximately €25 million euros as part of the "Quantum Computer Demonstration Setups" funding measure. It is led by Universität Hamburg and coordinated by Prof. Henning Moritz, Prof. Peter Schmelcher and Prof. Klaus Sengstock, who conduct research at the Center for Optical Quantum Technologies and in the Cluster of Excellence "CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter".
"The basis for our success is young scientists," Sengstock adds. The funding for the Hamburg Quantum Computing School (HQS) therefore addresses a key success factor for the establishment and expansion of the entire quantum computing ecosystem: The training of specialists in the areas of hardware, software and applications of quantum computers. At HQS, PhD students and post-docs in quantum physics, electrical engineering and computer science will receive further training and work on the central areas of hardware and software/applications across disciplines. Funding has been approved for five years.
The entire package of measures for all four areas, amounting to around €34.1 million until 2028, was developed jointly by the Ministry of Science, Research, Equality and Districts (BWFGB) and the Ministry of Economics and Innovation (BWI) in order to drive forward the development and expansion of this ecosystem in the best possible way.
Press release of the Senate with detailed information on the entire package of measures (in German).