Quantum computing: Groundbreaking ceremony for JUNIQ

On 30 July 2020, the groundbreaking ceremony for JUNIQ, the new Jülich user infrastructure for quantum computing, took place next to the main building of the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. The building is scheduled for completion in winter 2020/21. JUNIQ is funded by the BMBF and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. JUNIQ stands for Jülich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum Computing. Under the guidance of experts, researchers will be able to use quantum computer simulators and the first quantum computer prototypes in various degrees of maturity and develop application prototypes for them. At the same time, user support, training and other services for users are planned. The first computer to go into operation there at the beginning of 2021 will be the D-Wave Quantum Annealer - the first in Europe - in one of the two computer rooms being built.

The JUNIQ building will be around 18 metres square and about five metres high. The windowless façade will be made entirely of larch wood for ecological reasons. A special feature of the future building: instead of a basement, it will have a sprung foundation in both computer rooms. This will ensure that vibrations from outside cannot disturb the quantum computers - for example, if construction work is taking place nearby.