IQM’s €40M Bet to Industrialize Europe’s Quantum Future

ESPOO, Finland – November 26, 2025 – In a significant move poised to shift the quantum computing landscape, Finland’s IQM Quantum Computers has announced a strategic investment of over €40 million to expand its production facility. The investment signals a critical transition for the industry, moving from bespoke laboratory instruments to industrialized manufacturing, and solidifies Europe’s position in the high-stakes global technology race.

This expansion, which will increase the company’s state-of-the-art facility to over 8,000 square meters, is not merely about adding floor space. It represents a calculated push to scale the entire quantum value chain, from chip fabrication to full-stack system assembly, under one roof.

From Lab to Industrial Scale

The core of the investment is geared towards dramatically increasing production capacity. IQM plans to double its assembly line capabilities, enabling the company to produce over 30 full-stack quantum computers per year. This move from single-digit production to industrial-scale output is a crucial step in meeting the burgeoning demand from high-performance computing (HPC) centers, research laboratories, and enterprises seeking to harness quantum capabilities.

The expanded facility will feature a significantly larger cleanroom area and a dedicated quantum data center, accelerating the development, fabrication, and testing of the company's advanced superconducting quantum processing units (QPUs). By vertically integrating these processes, IQM aims to shorten innovation cycles and enhance quality control.

"This will be one of the world’s most advanced production facility for quantum computers combining assembly lines and chip production," said Pasi Kivinen, Vice President of Operations at IQM Quantum Computers. "This approach will enable us to scale up in critical areas which are essential to deliver quality, quantity, and stable, advanced solutions to the market. The expansion is an important step to deliver next-generation quantum computers to serve our customers and also make a remarkable impact.”

This industrialization follows significant financial momentum. While the expansion is backed by IQM's formidable fundraising, including a landmark €128 million Series B round in 2022 and a strategic €35 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) in 2023, the €40 million injection into manufacturing infrastructure marks a pivot from securing capital to deploying it for tangible market growth.

Navigating the Global Quantum Race

IQM’s aggressive scale-up places it in a dynamic and fiercely competitive market. The field of superconducting quantum computers is currently dominated by U.S. tech giants like Google and IBM, which have leveraged their vast resources to push the boundaries of qubit counts and cloud accessibility.

However, IQM has carved out a distinct niche by offering on-premises, full-stack quantum computers. This model provides customers with full control over their hardware and software stack, a crucial feature for national HPC centers and research institutions managing sensitive data or requiring deep hardware integration. By ramping up production, IQM is directly addressing this segment, positioning itself not just as a research entity but as a reliable industrial partner.

The ability to deliver over 30 complete systems annually could significantly alter the market dynamics, providing a robust European alternative and reducing the continent's reliance on non-EU quantum providers. This move strengthens IQM’s standing against other global players, including trapped-ion leader Quantinuum and fellow superconducting competitor Rigetti Computing.

The Ambitious Path to Fault-Tolerant Computing

Beyond near-term market share, the facility expansion is a cornerstone of IQM’s long-term vision: achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2030. This is the holy grail of the industry—the point at which quantum computers can correct their own errors, enabling them to solve complex problems far beyond the reach of even the most powerful classical supercomputers.

Today's systems are in the "Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum" (NISQ) era, where fragile qubits are susceptible to environmental noise, limiting the complexity of computations. Achieving fault tolerance requires sophisticated quantum error correction (QEC) codes, which in turn demand a massive increase in the number and quality of physical qubits to create a single, stable "logical qubit."

While many experts believe true fault tolerance is more than a decade away, IQM's 2030 target is a bold declaration of intent. The new facility is designed to support this ambition by providing the infrastructure needed for rapid prototyping and testing of large-scale QPU designs.

"By enhancing our fabrication capabilities to produce large-scale quantum chips for error-correction technology, we will not only better serve our customers but also reinforce our leadership in superconducting quantum computing,” stated Jan Goetz, Co-CEO and Co-founder of IQM. This focus on the hardware foundation for QEC is a critical, tangible step toward turning a theoretical concept into an engineering reality.

Bolstering Europe's Technological Sovereignty

This investment resonates far beyond IQM’s corporate headquarters, aligning directly with the European Union's strategic goals for technological sovereignty. Initiatives like the Quantum Flagship and the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking aim to build a world-class quantum ecosystem within Europe, ensuring the continent can compete and innovate independently in this critical future technology.

IQM's decision to scale up its chip manufacturing and quality control in Finland directly addresses a key vulnerability: the reliance on global supply chains for advanced hardware. By creating an end-to-end production capability on European soil, the company helps build a resilient regional supply chain, fostering local expertise and creating high-value jobs. The EIB's earlier loan further underscores the strategic importance that European institutions place on IQM's role in this continental effort. The facility is not just a factory; it is a strategic asset for Europe's ambition to achieve autonomy in the digital age.

The Blueprint for Green Quantum

In a field often criticized for its high energy consumption—particularly the cryogenic cooling required for superconducting qubits—IQM is also embedding sustainability into its growth strategy. The company is taking concrete steps to build a carbon-neutral facility, a move that sets an important precedent for the burgeoning quantum industry.

The expansion includes the installation of an advanced abatement system to treat and neutralize direct emissions from the chip fabrication process, a best practice borrowed from the mature semiconductor industry. Furthermore, the entire facility will transition to 100% renewable district heating. Given that heating and cooling are major energy drivers for cleanrooms and data centers, this shift to renewable sources will substantially reduce the facility's operational carbon footprint.

This commitment to environmental responsibility demonstrates a mature understanding that long-term technological leadership must be coupled with sustainable practices. By tackling the environmental impact at the manufacturing stage, IQM is helping to define what "green quantum" could look like, ensuring that the next generation of computing power does not come at an unsustainable environmental cost. This proactive approach positions the company not only as a technological pioneer but also as a responsible industrial citizen in the climate-conscious European market.