On June 24-26, the Nordic quantum ecosystem was gathered for the annual IQT Nordics conference for a three-day update on quantum technology in the Nordics and beyond. This year’s conference was hosted by the Finnish ecosystem under the title “Scaling quantum computers towards real-world applications”.
Fostering a strong Nordic quantum ecosystem is a key priority for Danish Quantum Community, and it was great to experience the engagement and interest from our Nordic counterparts in Sweden, Finland and Norway. DQC co-organized the Danish delegation to IQT Nordics, including a Danish pavilion with our national quantum stakeholders, in collaboration with Invest in Denmark.
A Danish footprint on the Nordic quantum ecosystem
The program had several Danish speakers whose presentations and discussions served as a great testament to Denmark’s dedication to accelerating the development and commercialization of quantum technologies:
- Andreas Boor from Quantum Foundry Copenhagen gave a keynote on how Quantum Foundry and NQCP are working to make possible the development of a fault-tolerant quantum computer and new fabrication facilities.
- Asger Jensen from NKT Photonics showcased how the company is utilizing fiber lasers for quantum with the key message being “use IR lasers as much as possible”.
- Ulrich Hoff from Kvantify chaired a panel on how photonic solutions can enable the scaling up of quantum computing – with participants from QphoX, NKT Photonics, Vexlum Oy, Modulight and Iloomina.
- Stig Elkjær Rasmussen from Kvantify gave a talk on democratizing quantum computing through the cloud and provided listeners with a breakdown of what it takes for quantum algorithms to become financially and commercially competitive against HPC computing.
- Cathal Mahon from Deep Tech Lab – Quantum explained how the NATO DIANA program is paving the way for new quantum innovation and the opportunities within the Danish quantum accelerator located in Copenhagen.
- Peter Viereck from the Niels Bohr Institute participated in a panel on the strongholds of the Nordic quantum ecosystem and highlighted how Denmark has put quantum technology on the political agenda with our national strategy, our engagement with NATO and new political initiatives driving forward the quantum agenda.
Gearing up towards Nordic quantum collaboration
The first ever edition of the IQT Nordics conference was hosted in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 2023 and served as the kick-off for building a sense of community and collaboration for the Nordic quantum nations. IQT Nordics has become a great place to do quantum business across the Nordics and the experience the open dialogue and onus of collaboration that characterized the Nordic quantum ecosystem.
Unlocking the potentials of joint Nordic quantum initiatives is a key priority for Danish Quantum Community. The Nordics have a strong tradition for collaboration and information sharing, and we look forward to continuing our effort towards building a Nordic quantum community.
Next year’s IQT Nordics conference will be held in Gothenborg, Sweden, on May 20-22, 2025. We look forward to being there! More information about the IQT Nordics conference can be found here.
