Quantum's Next Leap: Why the Race Has Shifted to Advanced Packaging

ST. FLORIAN, Austria – November 09, 2026 — The quantum computing industry is quietly undergoing a fundamental shift. For years, the sector has been defined by breakthroughs in theoretical physics and the generation of novel qubits in isolated laboratory environments. Today, however, the race toward fault-tolerant, commercial quantum systems is increasingly looking less like a physics experiment and more like a highly complex mechanical engineering challenge.

This week, ahead of the SEMICON Europa exhibition in Munich, EV Group (EVG)—an Austrian supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment—announced a strategic push to deploy its advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration expertise to support quantum chip developers. The announcement underscores a critical reality in deep tech: the path to realizing the projected $2.7 trillion in economic value that McKinsey & Company estimates quantum computing could generate by 2035 runs directly through the cleanrooms of traditional semiconductor equipment vendors.

As quantum architectures attempt to scale from tens of qubits to the thousands or millions required for robust error correction, packaging and interconnect density have emerged as the primary bottlenecks. By adapting mature microelectronics manufacturing techniques, companies like EVG are attempting to make industrial quantum chip fabrication a viable reality.

The Industrial Fab Shift: Engineering Over Physics

To understand the significance of advanced packaging in this space, one must look at the extreme environments in which these processors operate. Superconducting and spin qubits, two of the leading quantum modalities, require operating temperatures in the millikelvin range—colder than deep space.

At these temperatures, standard semiconductor packaging techniques routinely fail. Materials behave unpredictably; thermal expansion mismatches cause mechanical stress that can crack delicate substrates, and standard adhesives become brittle. More insidiously, common packaging materials like silicon dioxide can exhibit two-level systems (TLS)—microscopic defects that absorb energy and cause qubits to lose their fragile quantum states, a phenomenon known as decoherence.

"The quantum bottleneck is no longer just about generating qubits, but wiring them together without destroying their fragile states," noted one independent quantum hardware physicist familiar with the challenges of cryogenic integration. "Every interface, every bond, and every interconnect is a potential source of catastrophic signal loss."

EVG is addressing these highly specific challenges by deploying high-vacuum, oxide-free bonding alongside hybrid and fusion bonding techniques. By creating pristine, covalent bonds between wafers without intermediate adhesive layers or lossy oxides, these processes minimize interfacial defects and maintain structural integrity even when plunged into cryogenic freezers.

"Quantum computing is not a single technology, but a collection of fundamentally different approaches, each with its own materials and manufacturing requirements," stated Dr. Bernd Dielacher, director of business development at EVG. "As developers work to scale these technologies, the challenge is not simply increasing the number of qubits but finding ways to integrate them in increasingly complex chip architectures without compromising performance."

Navigating the Multi-Modal Quantum Race

Unlike classical computing, which universally relies on CMOS silicon, the quantum landscape is highly fragmented. Developers are pursuing superconducting circuits, trapped ions, neutral atoms, spin qubits, and photonic systems. Rather than betting on a single architectural winner, toolmakers like EVG are positioning themselves as architecture-agnostic suppliers, providing the specialized picks and shovels for the entire industry.

This strategy is evident in EVG's recently highlighted collaboration with Xanadu, a leading developer of photonic quantum computing. Photonic systems use particles of light (photons) to process information, requiring entirely different integration solutions than their superconducting counterparts. For Xanadu, the primary enemy is optical loss. If photons leak or scatter at the junctions between waveguides and detectors, the computational depth of the system collapses.

Through its NILPhotonics Competence Center, EVG is utilizing nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and precision wafer bonding to integrate different photonic components—such as silicon nitride waveguides and high-performance detectors—onto single chips. This heterogeneous integration allows Xanadu to leverage the best material for each specific function while using sub-micron alignment to ensure high-efficiency coupling.

EVG is not alone in recognizing this lucrative niche. The competitive landscape for quantum toolmaking is rapidly intensifying. German equipment manufacturer Suss MicroTec is actively positioning its own wafer bonding and lithography tools for quantum applications, emphasizing low-temperature processing and precision alignment. Meanwhile, high-volume manufacturing giants like Tokyo Electron (TEL) and Applied Materials are aggressively exploring how their core competencies in deposition and etching can be adapted for fundamental qubit fabrication.

However, while TEL and Applied Materials focus heavily on the front-end fabrication of the qubits themselves, EVG is carving out a distinct moat in the back-end—specifically targeting the 3D integration, heterogeneous material bonding, and advanced packaging required to wire these complex systems together.

Europe’s Sovereign Quantum Supply Chain

Beyond the technical hurdles, EVG's initiatives highlight a broader geopolitical narrative: the race to secure a sovereign quantum supply chain. The classical semiconductor industry has starkly demonstrated the vulnerabilities of relying on highly concentrated, offshore manufacturing hubs. European policymakers are determined not to repeat that mistake with quantum technology.

EVG is a strategic partner in the CHAMP-ION project, Europe's first open-access pilot line for the industrial-scale production of ion-trap quantum chips. Hosted by Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) and funded through the "Quantum Austria" initiative—backed by the European Union's NextGenerationEU recovery plan—the project aims to bridge the "valley of death" between academic research and commercial manufacturing.

Ion-trap quantum computers suspend individual atoms in electromagnetic fields, requiring incredibly precise microfabrication of electrode structures and integrated photonics for laser control. Within the CHAMP-ION project, EVG has demonstrated specialized low-temperature metal bonding processes capable of integrating distinct substrate materials without warping them—a critical step for packaging delicate ion-trap chiplets.

The open-access model of the CHAMP-ION pilot line is particularly significant. By providing startups, researchers, and industrial players with access to advanced, scalable manufacturing infrastructure, Europe is actively lowering the barrier to entry for domestic quantum innovation. It is a calculated move designed to foster a vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystem that aligns with the broader goals of the European Chips Act.

As the quantum industry matures, the spotlight is inevitably shifting away from the physicists who conceived these machines to the production engineers tasked with building them reliably at scale. The adaptation of mature semiconductor packaging technologies for extreme cryogenic and photonic environments is not merely an incremental step; it is the fundamental bridge required to turn theoretical quantum supremacy into tangible, industrial reality.