Italy's first on-demand quantum computer switched on

The first Iqm quantum computer in Italy, of which there are only 12 worldwide, was officially switched on this morning in the data centre of the Politecnico di Torino. It will place the Piedmont region at the forefront in Europe in the field of quantum technologies, the frontier of computing technology in the coming years. It is a five-qubit quantum computer, available to the world of research, industry and academia acquired as a result of a partnership between the Politecnico, Fondazione Links, an instrumental body of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, and Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica - Inrim. Compared to traditional Hpc (High Performance Computing) computers, quantum computers guarantee more complex calculations performed in significantly reduced times and at the same time ensure significant energy savings, enabling important innovations in the future in strategic sectors, including cryptography, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, finance, pharmacology, logistics and distribution The installed machine is equipped with an advanced cryogenic system that operates at a temperature of approximately 20 millikelvins, close to absolute zero (-273.15°C) and 100 times lower than deep space.

"The goal of our Politecnico ecosystem is to set up a first hub in which the academy and innovation centres work together, so as to make this technology usable and exportable to industry towards society," emphasised the Rector of the Politecnico, Stefano Corgnati. "We represent one of the first Italian applications using this type of technology: This is an important aspect for us because, on the one hand, it enables us to build innovative training paths, and on the other, it allows us to systemise these new scientific trajectories with the industrial fabric of the Italian system and the Piedmont system'. A hundred or so organisations, researchers and students are already working in the Turin area on these issues in connection with international networks, and significant spin-offs with a high impact on the ecosystem are expected through the possibility of its use by industries and research realities