EHNINGEN, Germany, Oct. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, senior European government officials and European-based global enterprises, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled the first IBM Quantum Data Center located outside of the United States It is the company's second quantum data center in the world and marks a significant expansion of its fleet of advanced utility-scale quantum systems available to global users via the cloud Europe's first IBM Quantum Data Center includes two new utility-scale and will soon feature a new IBM Quantum Heron-based system These systems are capable of performing computations beyond the brute-force simulation capabilities of classical computers IBM Heron is the company's most performant quantum chip yet and advances the company's mission of bringing useful quantum computing to the world by enabling users to increase the complexity of algorithms they are exploring on real quantum hardware When the IBM Heron-based system is made available at the IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe it will be the third IBM Heron installed across IBM's fleet of quantum systems that can be accessed by the company's global quantum network of more than 250 enterprises IBM Heron offers up to a 16-fold increase in performance and 25-fold increase in speed over previous IBM quantum computers as they were measured two years ago When it is deployed alongside the now-available utility-scale systems installed in the new IBM Quantum Data Center the IBM Heron-based system will expand the more than a dozen quantum computers IBM currently offers through the cloud – the largest fleet of its kind in the world The opening of the new quantum data center was celebrated at a ribbon-cutting event attended by senior government officials including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Dr State of Baden-Württemberg. IBM CEO and Chairman Arvind Krishna gave remarks alongside Chancellor Scholz and the Chancellor also spoke at length with IBM leaders including Dario Gil IBM Senior Vice President and Director of Research; Ana Paula Assis Vice President of IBM Quantum; and IBM Quantum's German-based team about the importance of quantum computing's adoption and growth in the region the landmark moment was attended by several senior leaders of European-based global enterprises as well as research institutions such as Ikerbasque in Spain and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft These organizations are among the more than 80 European-based organizations within the IBM Quantum Network many of which have the opportunity to access the systems within the IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe to search for the algorithms and applications of quantum computing that could solve some of the most complex challenges across their industries "The opening of the IBM Quantum Data Center in Ehningen is good news for Germany It will serve as a location for innovation and business growth and is an expression of investors' confidence in the German market IBM enriches the German quantum computing landscape with this new data center The German government is providing targeted support for the development of quantum technologies It is thereby driving forward the development of competencies and capacities in quantum computing in order to promote a robust ecosystem around the development of quantum computers," said Olaf Scholz Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany "The opening of our first IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe marks a pivotal moment for the region's technological development and underscores the key role of collaboration with industry academia and policymakers for a pan-European quantum ecosystem This state-of-the-art facility will foster innovation around quantum computing creating new opportunities for talent attraction and ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of global technological advancements," said Ana Paula Assis General Manager and Chairman of IBM Europe "Our collaboration with IBM for the 'scaling' phase of quantum computing is progressing according to plan We are working to develop concrete applications that improve the experience of our customer and members and create value for the Group's businesses," said Frantz Rublé President of Euro-Information and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale "The availability of this quantum data center on European soil addresses our constraints in terms of processing proximity and Crédit Mutuel's approach to regulatory compliance And it also means we can look forward to the next stages of the quantum project with confidence at Crédit Mutuel "We believe that enabling our scientists and engineers to tackle demanding problems in materials sciences and providing state-of-the-art quantum computing access will be key to make disruptive progress in all those disciplines," said Javier Aizpurua Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and director of BasQ will give rise to a scenario of new possibilities not only in fundamental research but also in industrial innovation." "Bosch aims to drive innovation in the field of material simulation using quantum computing our team is creating scalable algorithms that aim to revolutionize product development This includes the creation of new materials for sustainable carbon-free mobility and the reduction of rare earth elements," said Dr President of Corporate Sector Research and Advance Engineering "The European IBM Quantum Data Center allows us to run quantum calculations in close proximity supporting Bosch's approach to compliance with European data protection regulations This accelerates our research and development efforts and bolsters the European quantum ecosystem paving the way for advancements in mobility "E.ON is investigating quantum computing to tackle energy transition challenges IBM's first European Quantum Data Center's location is also helpful for EU/German public funding opportunities which may be available for local access to quantum computational resources and on-site expertise This milestone underscores Europe's and Germany's leadership in quantum computing and marks a significant advancement in propelling enterprises into the quantum era," said Chris d'Arcy E.ON Digital Technology GmbH and Chief Data and AI Officer "Quantum computing can be the next big thing to solve problems in material science IBM's Quantum Data Center in Europe provides access to their unique quantum infrastructure and thus represents an indispensable another piece of the bridge between quantum computers and industrial application at scale We are proud to be part of that journey to utilize quantum computing for the transformation into future sustainable and smart mobility," said Dr with more IBM quantum systems available in Europe we're excited to further strengthen our ties in Europe and partner with an even larger ecosystem of industries and scientists to demonstrate TEM's utility — and progress toward quantum advantage," said Sabrina Maniscalco IBM recently published evidence that Qiskit is the world's leading and most performant quantum software Together with access to IBM's advanced quantum hardware IBM's ecosystem of users across Europe and globally can access tools and systems that can help them to more easily advance the discovery of algorithms that could open the doorway to useful quantum computing and reach quantum advantage: the point at which a quantum computer can solve a practical problem better than any classical method The IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe can be accessed through the IBM Quantum Platform continuing IBM's mission to enable the development of quantum computing use cases and to support clients as they press forward with algorithm discovery in the era of quantum utility PRESS RELEASE — In a recent press release IBM announced the ribbon-cutting of Europe’s first IBM Quantum Data Center in Ehningen a representation of the intentional expansion of the company’s global quantum computing capabilities the first outside of the United States and the second in the world will bring IBM’s utility-scale quantum systems to users across Europe and beyond and European government officials attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony adding weight to the importance of this milestone for quantum innovation in the region The data center fulfills IBM’s 2023 announcement to build its first European-based quantum data center designed to expand accessibility to quantum computing for companies IBM Fellow and Vice President of IBM Quantum “The planned quantum data center and associated cloud region will give European users a new option as they seek to tap the power of quantum computing in an effort to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.” along with the additional utility-scale systems in the new European IBM Quantum Data Center expands IBM’s offering of more than a dozen quantum computers available to clients via the cloud—the largest fleet of its kind in the world The Heron-based systems offer a 16-fold increase in performance and a 25-fold increase in speed over previous quantum computers making them central to IBM’s mission of bringing quantum advantage to global users through the cloud This technology will enable users to develop and test increasingly sophisticated quantum algorithms with the goal in mind of solving real-world problems with quantum computing “Since IBM made the first quantum computer available on the cloud in 2016 we have broken barriers across quantum hardware and software to build our largest and highest-performing fleet of globally accessible quantum systems,” said Jay Gambetta “Our quantum data center in Poughkeepsie is the epicenter of these efforts with more organizations around the world using our systems here in the Hudson Valley to explore industry-relevant problems on real quantum hardware As we continue to expand our quantum computers in Poughkeepsie and globally we will work with our network of more than 250 organizations to accelerate the pace of discovery in quantum computing.” The Germany data center will serve IBM’s global quantum network which now includes over 250 organizations spanning enterprises some of Europe’s leading enterprises and academic institutions are set to take advantage of the power of these new quantum systems to advance their research and explore practical quantum applications in their industries President of Euro-Information and Deputy CEO of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale emphasized the strategic importance of the center for their operations: “Our collaboration with IBM for the ‘scaling’ phase of quantum computing is progressing according to plan We are working to develop concrete applications that improve the experience of our customers and members and create value for the Group’s businesses The availability of this quantum data center on European soil addresses our constraints in terms of processing proximity and regulatory compliance.” The opening of the quantum data center was celebrated in Ehningen in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and IBM executives including Dario Gil IBM Senior Vice President and Director of Research professor at the University of the Basque Country’s Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) highlighted the potential impact of quantum computing on scientific progress: “We believe that enabling our scientists and engineers to tackle demanding problems in materials sciences and providing state-of-the-art quantum computing access will be key to making disruptive progress in all those disciplines will give rise to new possibilities not only in fundamental research but also in industrial innovation.” the systems at the IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe are designed to support complex computations that exceed the capabilities of classical computers pushing the boundaries of what is possible in fields such as sustainability The IBM Quantum Heron-based system is expected to be particularly useful in supporting research into quantum algorithms and helping users address some of the most intricate computational challenges The data center’s offerings will be accessible via the IBM Quantum Platform allowing users to conduct cloud-based quantum computing research With the addition of the IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe IBM is providing the tools necessary on a global-scale to support the development of quantum use cases potentially preparing clients for the era of quantum utility and eventually quantum advantage Keep track of everything going on in the Quantum Technology Market One of our team will be in touch to learn more about your requirements You have successfully joined our subscriber list Subscribe to our industry leading leading newsletter for the latest in quantum news and insights Company's second dedicated facility for quantum computers IBM has launched a quantum data center in Germany The company this week announced the launch of the facility at IBM's campus in Ehningen near Stuttgart in a ceremony attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Plans for the facility were first announced last year It is IBM's second quantum data center It features three systems - one based on IBM's Heron processor alongside two other new systems that will be made available to customers through IBM's cloud service Introduced late last year, IBM’s Heron quantum processors offer 156 qubits. The company recently installed two other Heron-based systems at its New York facility joining more than a dozen other quantum computers our team has worked to deploy multiple generations of quantum systems with increasingly advanced performance," said an IBM spokesperson "We look forward to expanding this quest further with our clients accessing the new systems in Europe’s first IBM Quantum Data Center and discovering the vast potential of quantum computers across materials design Users of the systems in the new data center are enterprises and research institutions including Credit Mutuel “Our collaboration with IBM for the ‘scaling’ phase of quantum computing is progressing according to plan We are working to develop concrete applications that improve the experience of our customer and members and create value for the Group's businesses,” said Frantz Rublé president of Euro-Information and deputy CEO of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale “The availability of this quantum data center on European soil addresses our constraints in terms of processing proximity and regulatory compliance And it also means we can look forward to the next stages of the quantum project with confidence at Crédit Mutuel Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia this new IBM quantum data centre is the first of its kind outside the United States and the second in the world This development signifies a strategic expansion of IBM’s cutting-edge quantum computing systems accessible to users worldwide via the cloud commented on the landmark development: “The opening of the IBM quantum data centre in Ehningen is good news for Germany “It will serve as a location for innovation and business growth and is an expression of investors’ confidence in the German market IBM enriches the German quantum computing landscape with this new data centre “The German government is providing targeted support for the development of quantum technologies It is thereby driving forward the development of competencies and capacities in quantum computing in order to promote a robust ecosystem around the development of quantum computers.” IBM’s new quantum data centre houses two advanced quantum systems based on the IBM Quantum Eagle chip These state-of-the-art quantum systems surpass the computational limits of classical computers and institutions unprecedented computing power to tackle complex challenges The Heron chip is IBM’s most advanced quantum processor to date It supports more intricate algorithms and promises a performance boost of up to 16 times and a 25-fold increase in speed over older systems it will be the third of its kind across IBM’s global quantum fleet enhancing Europe’s access to the largest network of quantum computers in the world This expansion is crucial for advancing research and commercial applications of quantum computing especially as organisations push toward achieving quantum advantage—the point where quantum computers outperform classical ones in solving practical problems The opening of the IBM Quantum Data Center in Germany is not only a technical achievement but also a strategic decision that underscores Europe’s growing leadership in quantum technology. IBM’s new quantum data centre opens the door to more than 80 European organisations all of which are part of the IBM Quantum Network Research institutions like Ikerbasque in Spain and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in Germany are already exploring quantum solutions to complex industry challenges further solidifying Europe’s role in this next technological frontier users across Europe can tap into this vast quantum infrastructure advancing the discovery of new algorithms and applications The platform is designed to support organisations as they push forward with real-world quantum use cases moving closer to quantum utility—the era when quantum computing becomes indispensable for solving key problems across multiple industries added: “The opening of our first IBM quantum data centre in Europe marks a pivotal moment for the region’s technological development “This state-of-the-art facility will foster innovation around quantum computing creating new opportunities for talent attraction and ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of global technological advancements.” As IBM continues to expand its quantum offerings globally Europe is now positioned at the forefront of quantum innovation The quantum data centre  in Germany is a pivotal step in enabling global access to quantum technologies and fostering collaboration among researchers and governments to explore the full potential of quantum computing By enhancing accessibility to advanced quantum systems and tools IBM is empowering organisations to innovate and bring quantum advantage closer to reality As Europe deepens its involvement in the quantum computing landscape the continent is poised to become a key player in solving some of the most complex computational problems of the future Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Innovation News Network brings you the latest research and innovation news from the fields of science Disclaimer: This website is an independent portal and is not responsible for the content of external sites.Please Note: Phone calls may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.© Pan European Networks Ltd we cut the ribbon for Europe’s first IBM Quantum Data Center with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and representatives from partners across Europe in attendance Watch a replay of the inauguration of IBM’s first Quantum Data Center in Europe, here European organizations have long represented an important component of the IBM Quantum Network and the global quantum computing community With the launch of Europe’s first IBM Quantum Data Center we are providing more options to access cutting-edge quantum computing for companies Now, users will be able to execute workloads on utility-scale systems based in Europe, supported by a Europe-based team, using IBM Quantum Platform Europe-based QPUs are accessible through IBM Quantum Platform via the Premium Plan as well as through Qiskit Runtime on IBM Cloud through Pay-as-you-go and IBM is collaborating with regional business partners for third-party offerings organizations in Europe are making a lasting impact on the field of quantum These include our European Quantum Innovation Centers and other members of our IBM Quantum Network These organizations are advancing quantum physics through cutting-edge research We have long shown our commitment to Europe’s quantum ecosystem IBM built the first IBM Quantum System One located outside of the United States in Ehningen We maintain teams across Europe focused on quantum business IBM maintains additional business and development teams across Europe Our European Quantum Data Center is the next stage in that commitment and an opportunity for world-leading scientific institutions in Europe to continue pushing the boundaries of physics Last year, we demonstratedRead more about how a paper from IBM and UC Berkeley showed a path toward useful quantum computing we hope to bring utility-scale quantum computing to organizations around the world The European Quantum Data Center features two utility-scale quantum computers with the 127-qubit IBM Quantum Eagle chip a third based on the 156-qubit IBM Quantum Heron chip users will be able to execute workloads on utility-scale systems based in Europe Users will have access to quantum computers that outperform the competition in size and reliability IBM Quantum Platform is hosted in the United States We encourage clients to talk with IBM and provide us feedback so we can continue to update our services to suit client needs Pictured at the inauguration of the IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe from left to right: Dr Federal Government Coordinator for the Digital Economy and Start-Ups State of Baden-Württemberg; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; ; Dario Gil IBM Senior Vice President and Director of Research; Ana Paula De Jesus Assis The European Quantum Data Center formally launched today in a ceremony attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and representatives from our European partners like Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale Our Europe-based IBM Quantum Network members have already started exploring utility-scale applications using these utility-scale systems We are working to develop concrete applications that improve the experience of our customers and members and create value for the Group's businesses,” said Frantz Rublé President of Euro-Information and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale “The availability of this quantum data center on European soil addresses our constraints in terms of processing proximity and regulatory compliance To learn more, explore our offerings here. (opens in a new tab)Keep exploringView all blogsKeio University explores utility-scale quantum reservoir computing with Mitsubishi Chemical25 Apr 2025 • Daniella Garcia Almeida The IBM Quantum System One can be seen during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data centre at the IBM Campus in Ehningen Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday inaugurated US firm IBM's first quantum data centre in Europe saying Germany was aiming to be at the forefront of the revolutionary technology The centre -- IBM's first outside the United States near Stuttgart -- will allow dozens of European companies and research institutes to gain access to its quantum systems scientists believe that super-fast quantum computing will eventually be able to power innovation in a range of fields from smarter encryption software to artificial intelligence Minister of Economic Affairs of the southern federal state of Baden-Wuerttemberg Scholz hailed the data centre as "good news for Germany" adding that Europe's biggest economy needs such "key technologies" "It is precisely these future fields where we have to be at the forefront where we must not be dependent on others," he said Quantum research is seen as a critical field and both the United States and China have been investing heavily in the area while Washington has also placed restrictions on the export of the sensitive technology A Quantum system can be seen during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data centre The centre consists of two quantum computers linked to quantum processors One of the computers at the site was inaugurated in 2021 by Scholz's predecessor Quantum computers can process complex information at a mind-boggling speed and should eventually vastly outperform even the most powerful of today's conventional computers Regular computers function in binary fashion: they carry out tasks using tiny fragments of data known as bits that are only ever either expressed as 1 or 0 But fragments of data on a quantum computer can be both 1 and 0 at the same time -- allowing them to crunch an enormous number of potential outcomes simultaneously The quantum computers at the German site are vast metal stacks and other components connected via a mass of wiring and bear no resemblance to regular computers IBM already has 250 customers worldwide who are testing its quantum computers to develop applications in various areas The US firm has been seeking to develop the technology for 20 years in competition with other tech firms such as Google Companies that will have access to IBM's quantum systems via the new data centre include German auto titan Volkswagen and technology group Bosch IBM has just announced plans to build its first European quantum data center The chosen location involves the German town of Ehningen The data center could become operational as early as next year it will serve as the center of IBM Quantum’s European operations Researchers in the quantum computing field will be able to use it IBM says the data center is designed to comply with European regulations Data processing laws mostly demand that European user data be processed on the continent itself This brings the tally in terms of quantum data centers for IBM to two The facility in Ehningen will have been built a few years after the establishment of The Big Blue’s very first quantum data center in New York (2019) IBM Fellow and VP of IBM Quantum Jay Gambetta sees great opportunities for the new data center He thinks Europe has some of the most advanced quantum computing users and that interest in quantum computing is only accelerating now that processors using the technology can be deployed at scale Quantum computing could address the world’s most challenging problems The company reveals that there are already 60 organizations in Europe using quantum hardware and software the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) and T-Systems (which is part of Deutsche Telecom chief executive Adel Al-Salah readily explains the additional access to this quantum tech He points at that T-Systems work to combine quantum and classical computing in association with IBM This should give a foolproof and scalable experience for our customers who want to explore quantum applications “Having access to a quantum data center dedicated to Europe helps lower the barrier to entry,” Al-Salah goes on to say Also read: IBM launches 10-year plan for giant quantum supercomputer Techzine focusses on IT professionals and business decision makers by publishing the latest IT news and background stories The goal is to help IT professionals get acquainted with new innovative products and services but also to offer in-depth information to help them understand products and services better © 2025 Dolphin Publications B.V.All rights reserved IBM’s first quantum data centre in Europe may have been planned during his predecessor’s tenure but it was Olaf Scholz with entourage who descended on the small German town of Ehningen on Tuesday The reason was to welcome the first IBM Heron processor to be installed outside of the US When the Chancellor of Germany shows up to spend nearly half a day at an event, you know it is a pretty big deal. Indeed, attracting projects like IBM’s new quantum data centre might be what makes or breaks German — and European — aspirations on “technological sovereignty” in the emerging area of quantum tech The tech giant’s most powerful quantum processor to date Heron has 156 superconducting physical qubits While IBM has achieved over 1,000 qubits on the Condor chip unveiled last December “We did larger qubits to prove principles of scaling,” Jay Gambetta “The key for the Heron is that now we are focusing on the quality of the gates.”  Quantum gates are basic building blocks of quantum circuits used to manipulate and control the quantum states of the qubits Their accuracy directly impacts the overall error rate of a quantum system Along with solving the problem of reducing error rates there is also the matter of how fast the circuits can run “Our R&D team here is 25 times faster at running circuits because we’ve improved the whole software stack,” Gambetta added is where the key to pushing even “noisy” quantum machines into the era of utility — and business value — lies “There is this great surfacing of new codes in error correction. Using the old codes, people would say you’d need millions of qubits to do anything. But last year, we put out a paper that showed a new code that is 90% more efficient in numbers of qubits.”  will begin to have real impact when we discover the right algorithms companies to do that type of work that’s only just starting now.”  IBM collaborates not only with universities but also with a number of startups which develops algorithms to integrate quantum computing with classical computing to advance chemistry and life sciences says the company’s founder Sabrina Maniscalco is available through the Qiskit (IBM’s open-source software development tool) Functions Catalog we’re excited to further strengthen our ties in Europe and partner with an even larger ecosystem of industries and scientists to demonstrate TEM’s utility — and progress toward quantum advantage,” Maniscalco said Other startups currently partnering with IBM are quantum infrastructure software company Q-CTRL from Australia and quantum operating system developers QEDMA from Israel While there may be a universal fault-tolerant system in the future Gambetta is certain that the utility and business cases for quantum lie in hybrid systems where quantum computations will run as a very important subroutine IBM is installing a quantum computer right next to the Japanese supercomputer Fugaku That it was Germany and Ehningen that became the chosen location for IBM’s first Heron outside the US is hardly a coincidence The company has deep connections to the small town in Baden-Württemberg and the support from both local and federal governments has been instrumental in deepening the tech giant’s commitment to the region IBM is looking to position itself as a key player in the growing European quantum ecosystem “We are building a new industry,” said Dario Gil IBM senior vice president and director of research “Bringing the highest-performing quantum processor that we’ve ever built here is a commitment to bring the state of the art of the technology to Germany and to Europe.”  “The European Commission has defined quantum as one of the four key technologies for Europe to have capabilities on,” said Ana Paula Assis chairman and general manager of IBM Europe bringing this first [quantum] data center outside of the US to the region is a testament of our belief that we can contribute significantly to that progress.”  It also helps that plenty of the company’s prospective quantum solutions clients for whom the technology can solve complex optimisation problems IBM also has close ties with local research institutions Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week This website uses cookies to enhance your experience. Read our WAMU Privacy Notice This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again German chancellor Olaf Scholz descended on the city of Ehningen for the inauguration of IBM’s first quantum data centre in Europe the company’s most powerful quantum processor to date It is an investment worth approximately €290m The German economy and its chancellor are both experiencing turbulence the country’s goal to become a leader in quantum technologies which is backed by about €3bn in public support until 2026 is likely to survive a potential changing of the guard in Berlin The who’s who of German industry was in attendance at the IBM event — from E.On to SAP from Bosch to Volkswagen and T-Systems.  Investments into quantum computing are picking up as the technology achieves incremental breakthroughs that conspire to achieve scalability and overcome ‘noise’ making quantum computing actually useful and unlocking billions in business value Bets are being made by governments looking to ensure future prospects of ‘technological sovereignty’ such as the eyebrow-raising A$940m ($620m) in financial support for PsiQuantum to build a large-scale quantum computer in Queensland The Palo Alto-based company has also received £9m from the UK government for an advanced research and development facility in Daresbury in the north-west of England.  Germany’s cyber agency Cyberagentur has committed €35mn to the UK’s Oxford Ionics Australia’s Quantum Brilliance and Munich-based neQxt to deliver a portable quantum computer by 2027 Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund — as well as Pension Denmark — has invested into Californian Atom Computing successfully attracting the American company’s European headquarters.  although less readily available in Europe than the US France’s Pasqal secured significant funds from Singapore’s Temasek last year and has been chosen by Aramco to deliver Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer by the second half of 2025.  the return horizon on quantum computing is much further in the distance than for that of the rewards could potentially be tremendous Boston Consulting Group in 2024 reaffirmed its forecast that quantum computing will create $450bn to $850bn of economic value sustaining a market in the range of $90bn to $170bn for hardware and software providers BCG also said its previous view of commercial value in the so-called NISQ (Noisy-Intermediate Scale Quantum) era had been ‘optimistic’ This means that while the technology still holds tremendous promise Quantum computers promise to unleash breakthroughs in areas like drug discovery today’s small-scale machines remain prone to errors and the technological approach by which to reach quantum advantage is still in contention.  The concept of universal fully fault-tolerant quantum computing is still years in the making (Quantinuum, among others, has a roadmap targeting 2030) architecture-agnostic software can optimise current smaller-scale machines to run simulations as a side job for classical systems Australian quantum software infrastructure start-up Q-CTRL raised $113m in Series B funding There is also a whole market built around getting businesses and organisations ‘quantum ready’ providing hardware to practise on for when quantum utility becomes a reality — and those tapping into it are already generating significant revenue.  But even with supportive government policies and software optimisation commercial use cases remain minimal and technology timelines uncertain surfing the quantum investment wave remains not for the faint of heart.  for those who are patient and choose wisely there is not only potentially substantial returns to be won but also the added prestige of having ushered in a new era of computation as we know it.  This article first appeared in the December 2024/January 2025 print edition of fDi Intelligence Do you want more FDI stories delivered directly to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletters attract investment and stay competitive in the world of foreign and domestic direct investment Facility in Ehningen expected to open in 2024 IBM is to build a data center to host quantum computers in Germany The company this week announced plans to open its first Europe-based quantum data center at the IBM campus in Ehningen near Stuttgart to facilitate access to cutting-edge quantum computing for companies The data center is expected to be operational in 2024 and set to host multiple IBM quantum computing systems each with “utility-scale quantum processors” of more than 100 qubits IBM said the new European region will help companies research quantum computing while adhering to European data regulations “Europe has some of the world’s most advanced users of quantum computers and interest is only accelerating with the era of utility scale quantum processors,” said Jay Gambetta “The planned quantum data center and associated cloud region will give European users a new option as they seek to tap the power of quantum computing in an effort to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.” added: “Our quantum data center in Europe is an integral piece of our global endeavor It will provide new opportunities for our clients to collaborate side-by-side with our scientists in Europe as they explore how best to apply quantum in their industry.” The facility will be IBM’s second quantum data center and quantum cloud region IBM offers access to its fleet of more than 20 quantum computers through the IBM Quantum Network IBM's Quantum Network currently has more than 60 organizations across Europe accessing quantum hardware and software via the cloud including Bosch; Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale “We are happy and proud to support the IBM Quantum team’s decision to set up their European quantum data center in Ehningen “The choice of location in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg will further strengthen the ecosystem that Fraunhofer has built with customers and partners from industry and research We are pleased to further continue our strategic partnership with IBM.” Company deploys 127-qubit system at main campus in Ohio we are collaborating with IBM to combine quantum and classical computing in a seamless and scalable experience for our customers to explore applications of quantum computing Having access to a quantum data center dedicated to Europe will help lower the access barrier for our customers as they decide on how to take their first decisive steps in exploring and using quantum.” IBM also offers on-premise or dedicated hosted quantum systems for customers. The company has deployed an on-premise system at US healthcare provider Cleveland Clinic’s HQ in Cleveland, Ohio, and at the Fraunhofer Society’s facility outside Stuttgart IBM’s most advanced processor is currently the IBM Osprey, a 433-qubit processor. The company expects to launch the 1,121-qubit single-gate Condor and the 133-qubit two-qubit gate-design Heron by the end of this year. By 2025, it hopes to develop a 4,000+ qubit processor built with multiple clusters of modularly scaled processors 10-year partnership with the University of Tokyo and the University of Chicago to develop technologies that will enable a 100,000-Qubit quantum computer IBM has been at the forefront of introducing quantum technology to the world," said Arvind Krishna "We have achieved significant progress along our roadmap and mission to globally establish useful quantum technology truly begin to explore and develop a new class of supercomputing anchored by quantum." - Nvidia plans to build a new lab with the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) that will feature a classical-quantum supercomputer in partnership with ParTec AG based on Nvidia’s quantum computing platform - Chinese company SpinQ Technology claims to be offering the first portable desktop quantum computers The company is offering the 2-qubit Gemini and the 3-qubit Triangulum and Triangulum Mini Prices start at more than $8,000 to more than $56,000 Shenzen-based SpinQ also offers access to its quantum systems via its Taurus cloud - China Telecom has invested 3 billion yuan ($434 million) to establish a new quantum unit China Telecom Quantum Information Technology Group Co will focus on developing quantum technology Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia ARMONK, N.Y. and EHNINGEN, Germany, June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced plans to open its first Europe-based quantum data center to facilitate access to cutting-edge quantum computing for companies research institutions and government agencies The data center is expected to be operational in 2024 with multiple IBM quantum computing systems each with utility scale quantum processors The data center will be located at IBM's facility in Ehningen and will serve as IBM Quantum's European cloud region Users in Europe and elsewhere in the world will be able to provision services at the data center for their cloud-based quantum computing research and exploratory activity The data center is being designed to help clients continue to manage their European data regulation requirements including processing all job data within EU borders The facility will be IBM's second quantum data center and quantum cloud region "Europe has some of the world's most advanced users of quantum computers and interest is only accelerating with the era of utility scale quantum processors," said Jay Gambetta "The planned quantum data center and associated cloud region will give European users a new option as they seek to tap the power of quantum computing in an effort to solve some of the world's most challenging problems." "Our quantum data center in Europe is an integral piece of our global endeavor," said Ana Paula Assis "It will provide new opportunities for our clients to collaborate side-by-side with our scientists in Europe as they explore how best to apply quantum in their industry." These clients across Europe are exploring potential uses for quantum computing including material science "We are happy and proud to support the IBM Quantum team's decision to set up their European quantum data center in Ehningen "The choice of location in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg will further strengthen the ecosystem that Fraunhofer has built with customers and partners from industry and research We are pleased to further continue our strategic partnership with IBM." we are collaborating with IBM to combine quantum and classical computing in a seamless and scalable experience for our customers to explore applications of quantum computing," said Adel Al-Saleh Deutsche Telekom board member and Chief Executive of T-Systems "Having access to a quantum data center dedicated to Europe will help lower the access barrier for our customers as they decide on how to take their first decisive steps in exploring and using quantum." The European cloud region is a key component in IBM's efforts to collaborate with leading European industry academia and government to advance quantum and build a quantum workforce in Europe IBM Quantum and the open source Qiskit® software is used in over 100 university classes in Europe One million learners in Europe have advanced their quantum skills through hackathons workshops and digital learning sponsored by IBM For more about IBM's first quantum data center in Europe, read the IBM Research blog Statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice and represent goals and objectives only Qiskit® is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation we’re announcing that IBM will build its first European quantum data center cloud-based quantum computing still carries some practical questions: How do you efficiently run a program across quantum and classical resources What if those resources and data are spread across the world governed by different data privacy laws and considerations Routing quantum-classical compute workflows around the world while delivering a seamless experience to the end user is no small task we’re developing a new software integration layer to help answer these questions Once we bring the European quantum data center online we will introduce the multichannel scheduler: a layer to manage access and resources across different regions and channels A channel can be a partner or institution that handles their users access and/or data and can combine with their own or third party classical resources to develop and integrate quantum into their own advance compute solutions the client can ensure their data is handled and processed solely in Europe institutions are exploring quantum computing in a variety of ways Some are hoping to extract business value by running quantum algorithms or building their own quantum software or integrating quantum solutions into classical applications Others are interested in exploring the frontiers of science on the latest in quantum computing hardware Some might be processing critical job data governed by data security policies or regional laws while others are running experiments that simply require whichever resources can be provisioned soonest The multichannel scheduler is a layer that sits between the user, their cloud services, and the quantum data centers. It serves to facilitate user access to multi-region computing that uses the IBM Qiskit Runtime primitives to run quantum programs — with the advantage of incorporating quantum resources from different regions depending on their needs or constraints The multichannel scheduler is especially important for users concerned about where their data is stored and processed It starts the journey towards quantum computation as a stateless service where the data ownership remains with our users Pictured: The multichannel scheduler will connect the IBM Qiskit Runtime service across different regions with each channel The multichannel scheduler will allow for the use of IBM Quantum systems in both the US quantum data center as well as the new European quantum data center regardless of where they’re submitting code from Users in Europe can continue exploring early prototype systems provided only in the US data center and to apply those lessons learned to Europe-only systems (opens in a new tab)Keep exploringView all blogsDynamic circuits enable essential circuit cutting methods for quantum-centric supercomputing11 Dec 2024 • Daniel J Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information A model of a Quantum System Two quantum computer by IBM in Ehningen The Canadian bank will join another 50 industry organizations including financial institutions such as Wells Fargo & Co. and HSBC Holdings Plc in gaining access to IBM’s quantum systems The technology will be used by a team of quantum specialists BMO is currently building Copyright © techoraco and its affiliated companies 2025 Located in Ehningen, Germany, IBM’s Quantum Data Centre houses two utility-scale quantum computers which enables users to execute workloads in Europe while accessing its US-based IBM Quantum Platform The connectivity news and insights that matter - straight to your inbox The site was formally launched at an event attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and leaders from Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale “Our collaboration with IBM for the ‘scaling’ phase of quantum computing is progressing according to plan,” said Frantz Rublé president of Euro-information and deputy chief executive officer of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale Computers housed in IBM’s European Quantum Data Centre feature 127-qubit Quantum Eagle chips based on IBM’s Quantum Heron chips will be added in the future The new data centre will support European businesses looking to access quantum computing of which IBM said more than 80 European organisations have already accessed their quantum systems “The availability of this quantum data centre on European soil addresses our constraints in terms of processing proximity and regulatory compliance,” Rublé added “It also means we can look forward to the next stages of the quantum project with confidence at Crédit Mutuel IBM's first European quantum data centre heads to Germany IBM, KQC partner on bringing IBM watsonx and quantum computing to Korea EU launches €65m scheme to boost quantum semiconductor research You have reached the limit for gifting for this month Cancer patients’ medical records can often comprise up to 100 terabytes of individual — and usually very heterogeneous — data it has been virtually impossible to use this wealth of information efficiently due to a lack of appropriate processing mechanisms the possibility of using promising personalized treatment approaches remains purely theoretical for many cancers and patients are still receiving standard treatments.  the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg is planning to use quantum computing to drive forward research in this area: “We want to explore how we can systematically process and use this heterogeneous data with the aid of a quantum computer so that we can identify new and more targeted options for patients who do not respond so well to immunotherapies we are asking which patient can benefit from which treatment and how,” says Dr Head of Department of Translational Immunotherapy at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Senior Physician at the German National Center for Tumor Diseases Linked to this topic are some applied research questions: Which signaling cascades and biological processes play a role in the disease How can we use these to select a treatment on an individual basis What kinds of problems actually lend themselves to being solved by quantum computers The DKFZ team has already worked out the mathematical principles and carried out some initial work using other globally available systems and simulators there is a huge difference between working on a simulator with perfect qubits and working on a real quantum computer such as IBM Q System One in Ehningen It is only with the latter that you can see how stable things are at a certain level of complexity where the pitfalls are and what is possible The researchers now want to use the Ehningen system to further develop and flesh out their ideas via an application-oriented approach The aim is to find out which algorithms are suitable for processing the information in question and how they can be adapted or redeveloped as necessary — but also how error corrections can be optimized further The DKFZ team is still looking for more cooperation partners from various fields of research and industry to enable an interdisciplinary investigation into the possibilities that quantum computing offers in the area of new cancer treatment approaches “We are very pleased to have DKZF as a collaborative partner,” said Prof Director of Research Management and Governance at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft “The use of quantum computing in a field as complex and significant as personalized cancer therapy highlights the potential that quantum computing offers for medicine and numerous other industries.” there are three important criteria when working with the quantum computer: data protection The scientists are still working with test data at the moment but when real patient data is used in the future “it will be very advantageous that the Ehningen quantum computer operates under German data protection legislation and that the data remains on site,” says the physician which could make quantum computing superior to conventional computing in the future is another key criterion because — when it comes to cancer patients — every day counts and decisions need to be made quickly As quantum processors can process data in parallel rather than in succession they have the potential to analyze huge volumes of data in a fraction of the time that normal computers require the flexible monthly ticket model that the Fraunhofer Competence Network Quantum Computing offers to its partners is also an important factor to use the system flexibly as and when needed without having to invest huge sums over a long period,” he says Fraunhofer is an important scientific partner for us and our collaboration allows us to bridge the gap between theoretical and applied research for the benefit of the patient.” Interactive mobile apps have become ubiquitous in daily life The Covid-19 pandemic has escalated the use of disease-specific monitoring apps Mobile apps enabling cancer patients to self-manage… Mathematical models used as patient surrogates could help clinicians select the best cancer treatment before going to the patient’s bedside Siri and Alexa are leading the way: the virtual assistants meet many daily needs similarly programmed software and a ‘digital patient twin’ will be launched into the medical world –… This website uses cookies to give our readers the best website experience. Please refer to our privacy policy to find out how we use cookies and how you can edit your preferences your new go-to podcast to spice up your weekday mornings with relevant news and behind-the-scenes from Brussels and beyond From the economy to the climate and the EU's role in world affairs this talk show sheds light on European affairs and the issues that impact on our daily lives as Europeans Tune in to understand the ins and outs of European politics Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries Deep dive conversations with business leaders Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society Europe's water is under increasing pressure floods are taking their toll on our drinking water Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters and to discover some of the best water solutions an animated explainer series and live debate - find out why Water Matters We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt and its streets are filled with children playing football No one would expect that a few kilometres from the residential area lies an industrial hub home to one of the most groundbreaking technological revolutions: the first International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) quantum computing data centre in Europe the US company officially launched its first quantum data centre in Europe – and only its second one worldwide – in Ehningen attended the ceremony for what was presented as a groundbreaking step towards the future of technology Quantum computers are extremely powerful computers that are expected to revolutionise our future While regular computers use bits that can be either 0 or 1 Qubits can be both 1 and 0 at the same time which means they can explore many possible outcomes all at once the Ehningen data centre has two Eagle processors IBM will be adding a third processor called Heron that will boost the centre’s performance Heron has 156 qubits and it’s the most powerful quantum chip the company has made so far “Heron was a completely new technology that we had to develop and that required completely different controls,” Jay Gambetta vice president of IBM Quantum and IBM Fellow The Heron processors are 16 times more powerful and can run up to 25 times faster “The hardest question that we need to answer as a community is how do we write algorithms?” Gambetta explained when asked about the purpose of the IBM data centre This function will be highly beneficial to IBM's 250 partners told Euronews Tech Talks that these companies will resort to the IBM data centre and quantum computing to face practical challenges including how to improve risk management in insurance policies for housing or how to make cars more performative and reduce emissions IBM’s decision to establish its data centre in Ehningen does not come as a surprise The German town is already home to an IBM campus and a quantum computer is an industrial hub with a remarkable economic weight in Germany’s GDP In 2023, Baden-Württemberg was Germany's largest exporter and in 2022 it held the distinction of being the German region with the highest investment in research and development “It's an area that comprises a lot of companies in key industries that we believe are going to benefit from quantum computing like industrial plants she highlighted that the EU is at the forefront of the quantum computing race “When we look at the entire ecosystem of quantum there will be more than €1 billion of investment in Europe in this area,” she said But how will European citizens practically benefit from the creation of this centre Tune in to the podcast to find out the answer Additional sources • Executive producer: MARTA RODRIGUEZ The data center will be designed to help those clients struggling to keep up with challenging EU data regulations IBM has announced plans to launch its first European quantum data center and cloud region Housed at IBM’s facility in Ehningen the data center is expected to be operational by 2024 and will serve as a host site for IBM Quantum’s European cloud region Once operational, the center will enable access to “cutting-edge quantum computing for companies and government agencies,” the firm claimed The center will house multiple IBM quantum computing systems each of which will include “utility scale” quantum processors capable of more than 100 qubits “The planned quantum data center and associated cloud region will give European users a new option as they seek to tap the power of quantum computing in an effort to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems,” said Jay Gambetta The Ehningen facility will be IBM’s second quantum data center and cloud region, following the launch of a center in New York in 2019 A key factor in the launch of this data center and cloud region centers on ensuring data sovereignty for European-based clients Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives IBM said the data center will be designed specifically to “help clients continue to manage their European data regulation requirements” such as the processing of all job data within EU borders DOWNLOAD FOR FREE Data sovereignty has been a recurring topic in recent months amid plans by the EU to implement stricter rules for non-EU companies processing data within the union These labeling proposals could mean that major cloud providers would be required to enter into a joint venture with an EU-based firm to ensure a point-of-contact for regulatory purposes This move to bolster data sovereignty forms part of a wider push via the EU certification scheme (EUCS) which aims to establish a union-wide certification regime for cloud providers and companies handling EU data The scheme has sparked repeated criticism from industry stakeholders amid suggestions that cloud providers outside the EU could be pressured into establishing dedicated headquarters within the union to ensure compliance A report from the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) in March described the proposed certification scheme as “discriminatory” toward non-EU providers IBM plans to introduce a "multichannel scheduler" to help manage access and resources across different regions and channels “A channel can be a partner or institution that handles their users' access and/or data and can combine with their own or third party classical resources to develop and integrate quantum into their own advance compute solutions,” the firm explained in a blog post IBM said this multichannel scheduler is particularly important for users concerned about the storage or processing of data and begins the journey toward “quantum computation as a stateless service” data ownership remains with users and will ensure that data is handled and processed solely in Europe “The multichannel scheduler will allow for the use of IBM Quantum systems in both the US quantum data center as well as the new European quantum data center regardless of where they’re submitting code from,” IBM said “Users in Europe can continue exploring early prototype systems provided only in the US data center and to apply those lessons learned to Europe-only systems.” responsible for leading the brand's news output and in-depth reporting on the latest stories from across the business technology landscape during which time he developed a keen interest in cyber security He graduated from Edinburgh Napier University in 2016 with a BA (Hons) in Journalism and joined ITPro in 2022 after four years working in technology conference research For news pitches, you can contact Ross at ross.kelly@futurenet.com, or on Twitter and LinkedIn IBM today announced plans to open its first Europe-based quantum data center next year in Ehningen providing access to quantum computing for companies The data center is expected to offer multiple IBM quantum systems The data center will be located at an IBM facility in Ehningen and will serve as IBM Quantum’s European cloud region IBM also has quantum data center in Poughkeepsie The IBM Quantum Network currently has more than 60 European organizations accessing quantum hardware and software via the cloud including Bosch; Bundeswehr University; Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale including its technology subsidiary Euro-Information and Targobank; Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY); the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN); Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft; Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC); and “Users in Europe and elsewhere in the world will be able to provision services at the data center for their cloud-based quantum computing research and exploratory activity,” IBM said “The data center is being designed to help clients continue to manage their European data regulation requirements including processing all job data within EU borders.” “Europe has some of the world’s most advanced users of quantum computers and interest is only accelerating with the era of utility scale quantum processors,” said Jay Gambetta IBM fellow and vice president of IBM Quantum “The planned quantum data center and associated cloud region will give European users a new option as they seek to tap the power of quantum computing in an effort to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.” “We are happy and proud to support the IBM Quantum team’s decision to set up their European quantum data center in Ehningen “The choice of location in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg will further strengthen the ecosystem that Fraunhofer has built with customers and partners from industry and research We are pleased to further continue our strategic partnership with IBM.” we are collaborating with IBM to combine quantum and classical computing in a seamless and scalable experience for our customers to explore applications of quantum computing,” said Adel Al-Saleh “Having access to a quantum data center dedicated to Europe will help lower the access barrier for our customers as they decide on how to take their first decisive steps in exploring and using quantum.” The European cloud region is a component in IBM’s efforts to collaborate with European industry IBM Quantum and the open source Qiskit software is used in over 100 university classes in Europe IBM said 1 million learners in Europe have studied quantum through hackathons workshops and digital learning sponsored by the company you’re either forging new paths or stuck in traffic Tier 0 doesn’t just clear the road — it builds the autobahn The MLPerf1.0 benchmark has made one thing clear … organizations are increasingly turning to private AI solutions to maintain control over their data and customize AI models to meet specific needs According to IDC’s Spotlight report Powering Innovation: Private AI Infrastructure in the Enterprise This will be IBM’s second quantum data centre and quantum cloud region giving customers access to multiple quantum computing systems IBM is building a new quantum data centre to give European organisations access to quantum computing technology The data centre will be located at IBM’s facility in Ehningen which will also serve as IBM Quantum’s European cloud region The centre is expected to be operational by 2024 and will have multiple quantum computing systems with processors exceeding 100 qubits IBM said the facility is being designed to help clients manage their European data regulation requirements while giving quantum computing access to companies The facility will be IBM’s second quantum data centre and quantum cloud region “Europe has some of the world’s most advanced users of quantum computers and interest is only accelerating with the era of utility scale quantum processors,” said IBM Quantum VP Jay Gambetta “The planned quantum data centre and associated cloud region will give European users a new option as they seek to tap the power of quantum computing in an effort to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.” IBM has been investing in quantum research and technology for years The company’s most powerful quantum computer to date is Osprey which IBM claims is the largest in the world at 433 qubits which has more than 210 members such as companies universities and labs working on quantum research IBM said more than 60 of these organisations are in Europe exploring the potential uses for quantum computing such as material science Last month, IBM launched a $100m initiative with the University of Tokyo and the University of Chicago to develop a quantum-centric supercomputer over the next 10 years The goal of this partnership is to create a supercomputer powered by 100,000 qubits in a bid to transform high-performance computing 10 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the Daily Brief Silicon Republic’s digest of essential sci-tech news editorial@siliconrepublic.com The data centre will be situated at IBM's facility in Ehningen and allow users to process data within the EU US technology giant IBM has announced plans to set up its first Europe-based quantum data centre. the data centre will cater to the quantum computing needs of businesses which will serve as IBM Quantum’s European cloud area will be situated at IBM’s facility in Ehningen IBM said the facility is being designed to be compliant with European data regulations In line with the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) companies will be able to process all the data without sending it outside the EU borders IBM fellow and IBM Quantum vice president Jay Gambetta said: “Europe has some of the world’s most advanced users of quantum computers and interest is only accelerating with the era of utility-scale quantum processors Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis “The planned quantum data centre and associated cloud region will give European users a new option as they seek to tap the power of quantum computing in an effort to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.” the facility will be the second quantum data centre and quantum cloud region for IBM the European Organization for Nuclear Research and T-Systems are among IBM’s quantum computing clients Last month, it was reported that the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) is drafting a new, stricter mechanism to stop foreign governments from interfering with EU data Most recently, the EU imposed a record $1.3bn fine on social media giant Meta for failure to protect EU Facebook account data from US spy agencies According to the Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC) Whatsapp and Instagram parent had violated the GDPR Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times 1 and home to a third of Germany's world market leaders remains a top location for forward-looking investments and is consolidating its reputation as a center of innovation and industry in Germany As one of the strongest economic regions in Europe the German Southwest offers a unique combination of industrial expertise cutting-edge research and a thriving ecosystem of global corporations and innovative SMEs which once again attracted international investment in 2024 three key projects underline Baden-Württemberg's strengths in the fields of quantum computing With the opening of its first European quantum data center in Ehningen is sending out a strong signal for Baden-Württemberg as an investment location IBM has already had its German headquarter in Ehningen for decades and is further expanding its commitment to the region with this investment The state-of-the-art IBM Quantum Heron system offers a 16-fold increase in performance and a 25-fold increase in computing speed compared to previous systems The center will play a key role in the European quantum computing landscape fostering collaboration with leading academic institutions and helping companies tackle complex challenges in the fields of energy it will strengthen Baden-Württemberg's status as a global innovation leader Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the importance of the center for Germany's technological future and stressed that it will play a central role in “developing new things that will keep us at the forefront.” The investment underlines the confidence in Baden-Württemberg as a center of innovation with a strong research landscape and a flourishing quantum ecosystem “THE LÄND is the place of tinkerers and inventors The spirit of invention that people in Baden-Württemberg have is the stuff of legend,” says Wolfgang Wendt Chairman of the Management Board of IBM Deutschland GmbH The Swiss e-commerce group Digitec Galaxus AG is further expanding the presence of its German subsidiary Galaxus Deutschland GmbH the company is now strengthening its position on the German market with a new logistics center in Neuenburg am Rhein The investment will create up to 1,000 new workplaces in the region and strengthen the company's supply chain infrastructure to serve its growing customer base in Germany and Europe The new logistics center will comprise 90,000 square meters of warehouse space similar in size to Galaxus' largest logistics center to date in Wohlen The state-of-the-art facility will further optimize warehousing and shipping processes to enable faster and more efficient delivery The addition of a further hall in Neuenburg is already being planned This development underlines Baden-Württemberg's attractiveness as a location for e-commerce and logistics companies looking for strategic locations with excellent connections to the European market and qualified specialists a German subsidiary of the Swiss construction company ERNE AG Holzbau was founded in 2015 to realize construction projects in Southern Germany Due to the growing market and increasing demand for sustainable timber modular buildings the company is now expanding its presence in Germany with a new production site in Sinsheim This strategic investment ensures proximity to customers and projects creates new jobs and promotes growth in the region With an investment of 10 million euros and the recruitment of around 20 employees Erne GmbH is setting a strong example for sustainable construction in Baden-Württemberg The new production facility comprises a 4,600 square meter production hall and an office building in modular timber construction with a floor area of 230 square meters buildings will be prefabricated under controlled conditions in the new hall and then transported to the construction site where they will mainly be assembled into complete construction projects as part of a general contractor service The high degree of prefabrication ensures particularly short construction times on site Sustainability plays a central role in the expansion: the entire roof area of the production hall is equipped with a photovoltaic system with an output of around 530 kWp which produces more electricity than is required for the company's own operations energy-efficient heating systems are used in both the production hall and the office buildings On our newly designed website for investors Expänd into the Länd we regularly publish success stories from companies that have set up operations here and provide detailed information on the advantages of Baden-Württemberg as a business location Find out more - visit https://www.expaend.com/why-baden-wuerttemberg/best-practices Any reproduction in whole or part only with express written permission All efforts are made to ensure integrity of the content however we are not liable for any mistakes that may occur Promoted by Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action in accordance with a German Parliament resolution Please log in on this page with your log-in details The bride is the daughter of Helga and Peter Aster of Ehningen She is the granddaughter of the late Marianne and Lorenz Behringer and Ingrid and Klaus Aster Parents of the groom are Cathy and Chris Defant Fred Garrett and the late Martha and John Defant the bride wore a white strapless georgette gown accented by a beaded bodice The bride was attended by Nadine Aster of Ehningen Bridesmaids were Yasmine Aster of Ehningen sister of the bride; Jennifer Defant of Palm Harbor sister of the groom; and Alia Deerman of Tuscaloosa