planqc is a German neutral-atom quantum computing company built on research from the Max-Planck-Institute for Quantum Optics. Its technology uses individual atoms confined in crystals of light as qubits, and the company has demonstrated scaling of neutral atoms to 1,200 qubits. Current systems achieve 256 physical qubits.

In July 2024, planqc secured EUR 50 million in Series A financing led by CATRON Holding and the DeepTech & Climate Fonds, with the funding directed toward establishing a quantum computing cloud service and developing quantum software for industries such as chemistry, healthcare, and finance.

planqc was selected to lead the EUR 20 million MAQCS project, the Multicore Atomic Quantum Computing System, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, to build and deploy a 1,000-qubit neutral-atom quantum computer at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre in Germany. In May 2023, planqc received a EUR 29 million order from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to develop a scalable neutral-atom quantum computing platform.

In March 2026, planqc partnered with Saarland University, BMW, and Infineon on the EUR 2.3M QIAPO project, the Quantum-Informed Approximate Optimization project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. The three-year project combines neutral-atom quantum computing with classical optimization for automotive production and semiconductor manufacturing. Update 2026-04-08: PlanQC hired Quantum Hardware Engineer Martina Matusko to build a neutral-atom quantum computer. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/martina-matusko-joins-planqc-build/ Update 2026-03-27: PlanQC hired Eda Sorani as a Business Development Specialist to focus on applying advanced research to industry needs. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/quantum-information-science-planqc-highlights/

PlanQC

QUDORA Technologies is a German quantum computing company that spun out of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany's national metrology institute, in Braunschweig in 2021. It builds trapped-ion systems, confining ions in electromagnetic traps and manipulating them with precisely tuned signals. Its Near Field Quantum Control (NFQC) technology uses on-chip microwave electronics made through standard semiconductor processes, with a focus on industrial scalability. The approach allows room-temperature operation, which reduces infrastructure costs compared with superconducting circuits.

QUDORA secured a 42 million euro contract from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to build its 50-qubit Xaphiro quantum computer, with a roadmap targeting 200 qubits by 2027. The company recently trapped its first single ions at the DLR Innovation Centre in Hamburg and launched Qamelion, a quantum emulator with adaptive noise modelling for algorithm development.

In September 2025, QUDORA announced a collaboration with South Korean research institutions to set up quantum computing research centres in Seoul and Daejeon. In October 2025, it partnered with Kensho, a Taiwanese distributor, to advance quantum computing commercialization in Taiwan's precision-manufacturing sector. In March 2026, QUDORA's QVLS-iLabs industry cluster received 15 million euros from the German Federal Government's Clusters4Future initiative in its second funding phase, supporting application-oriented quantum computing and quantum metrology research. Update 2026-05-28: QUDORA Technologies has launched a new subsidiary named QUDORA Japan K.K. to expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific quantum computing market. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/qudora-japan-quantum-asia-pacific-computing/

QUDORA Technologies

eleQtron is a German trapped-ion quantum computing company founded in 2020 as a spin-out of the University of Siegen. It builds trapped-ion quantum computers using microwave-based quantum gates, in contrast to the laser-based gates used by IonQ and Quantinuum. This all-microwave control makes the hardware simpler, more compact, and less sensitive to optical alignment.

In May 2026, eleQtron raised a EUR 57M Series A led by Schwarz Digits, one of the largest quantum Series A rounds to date, and reported an order backlog above EUR 60M. It builds systems of up to 30 ions, targeting industrial-scale deployment through its MAGIC platform, short for Microwave Addressable Gate Ions for Computing. Its partners include German federal quantum programs and European Quantum Flagship projects. eleQtron is based in Siegen, Germany.

eleQtron

Kipu Quantum is a German quantum software company founded in 2019 and based in Karlsruhe and Berlin. It develops application- and hardware-specific quantum algorithms that use digital compression methods to enable quantum advantage on today's quantum processors. Its solutions include the first commercial quantum machine learning service with proven quantum advantage, HUBO optimization algorithms, and counterdiabatic protocols. The company has raised 10.5 million euros, acquired the PLANQK platform, and serves more than 250 organizations.

Key 2025 milestones include the general availability of Rimay, its quantum-enhanced machine learning product, BASF selecting Kipu for logistics optimization, the launch of the Iskay Quantum Optimizer on IBM's Qiskit Functions Catalog, and a partnership with Pasqal for industrial quantum advantage. Work with BASF also covers battery materials research. Named customers include KPMG, which uses Rimay for satellite-based tree species classification. Kipu Quantum reports a 5% improvement in credit risk assessment versus classical models, a company-reported figure.

In December 2025, co-founder and CEO Daniel Volz stepped down and a leadership transition began.

In May 2026, Kipu Quantum demonstrated a quantum-enhanced AI workload on a 156-qubit system, extending Rimay's reach to current-generation IBM Heron hardware. Update 2026-04-15: Kipu Quantum integrated its Iskay Quantum Optimizer into IBM's Qiskit Functions Catalog. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/kipu-quantum-launches-advanced-optimization-application-via-ibm-qiskit-for-solving-complex-problems-on-quantum-systems/ Update 2026-02-20: Kipu Quantum has made its quantum-enhanced ML tool, Rimay, generally available for advanced quantum feature extraction. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/kipu-quantum-rimay-ml/ Update 2025-12-03: Daniel Volz has stepped down as CEO of Kipu Quantum. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/kipu-quantum-daniel-volz-ceo-change/ Update 2025-10-09: Ki

Kipu Quantum

HQS Quantum Simulations is a quantum software company that develops quantum algorithms and applications for materials science, chemistry, and pharmaceutical research. It was founded in 2017 by Michael Marthaler, Iris Schwenk, and Konstantin Willeke from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The company specializes in quantum simulations of molecular and material systems that are computationally challenging for classical computers, developing software for drug discovery, catalyst design, battery materials, and chemical process optimization.

HQS works with pharmaceutical companies, chemical manufacturers, and materials research organizations. Its algorithms simulate molecular interactions, electronic structures, and chemical reaction pathways, and its platform integrates with existing quantum hardware and classical simulation workflows to bridge current computational chemistry methods and future quantum advantage. The company has established partnerships with quantum hardware providers and major industrial customers.

In April 2024, HQS launched HQStage, a modular quantum simulation toolkit covering input, simulation, model analysis, and quantum computing workflows for researchers and developers. In January 2025, HQS received a EUR 2.5M EIC Transition Grant for the HQS-NextNMR project, which is developing a high-precision NMR spectroscopy prediction tool for personalized medicine and biological sample analysis. The tool runs on classical hardware and delivers accuracy superior to existing software.

HQS Quantum Simulations

Q.ANT is a Stuttgart-based photonic processor company and TRUMPF spin-off founded in 2018. It develops Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) photonic chips for AI and HPC co-processing under its LENA (Light Empowered Native Arithmetics) architecture, claiming 30x energy efficiency gains and a potential 100x increase in data center capacity. The company also has a quantum sensor division with applications in prosthetics and industrial sensing.

In July 2025, Q.ANT raised a EUR 62M Series A co-led by Cherry Ventures, UVC Partners, and imec.xpand, with participation from L-Bank and TRUMPF. ARM founder Hermann Hauser sits on its advisory board. The company ships Native Processing Servers (NPS) to selected partners and operates a TFLN chip pilot line with IMS CHIPS in Stuttgart.

In November 2025, Stanley Druckenmiller's Duquesne Family Office invested $80M, the largest photonic computing financing round in Europe at the time. That same month, Q.ANT launched NPU 2, its second-generation photonic processor for AI and HPC in a 19-inch rack-mountable form factor with PCIe connectivity, with customer shipments scheduled for H1 2026. Update 2026-04-08: Q.ANT appointed Michael Krueger as Vice President of Commercials. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/qant-appoints-20-year-intel-vet/ Update 2025-11-18: Q.ANT unveiled its NPU 2 processor which combines photonics and traditional electronics to accelerate AI and high-performance computing workloads. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/qant-npu-ai-photonic-processing/

Q.ANT

Quantum Diamonds is a Munich-based startup, founded by Kevin Berghoff, Kristina Liu, and Fleming Bruckmaier, that develops commercial quantum sensors based on diamond NV centers. The company creates diamond-based quantum magnetometers and quantum sensing systems for industrial applications, including semiconductor manufacturing, materials characterization, and medical diagnostics. It raised a 3 million euro seed round from IQ Capital and Earlybird for its diamond NV center sensors.

In December 2025, Quantum Diamonds raised 152 million euros to build a Munich production facility for its quantum diamond microscopy (QDM) chip inspection systems, co-funded by German and Bavarian government grants under the European Chips Act. Nine of the ten largest semiconductor manufacturers have completed proof-of-concept projects with the company's NV-center devices, which map electrical current at micrometer precision for non-destructive fault isolation in 2.5D and 3D chip packages. The European Commission has cited the company's strategic potential as comparable to ASML.

Quantum Diamonds

ADVA Optical Networking, now Adtran Networks following a 2022 merger, is a German telecommunications equipment company founded in 1994 and headquartered in Munich and Meiningen.

The company develops quantum-safe networking solutions, including quantum key distribution (QKD) integration, optical network infrastructure for quantum communications, and post-quantum cryptography implementations. It works with quantum technology providers and telecommunications operators to deploy quantum-safe optical networks across Europe. ADVA serves telecommunications operators, enterprises, government agencies, and critical infrastructure sectors that need quantum-safe communications, and it contributes to European quantum communication infrastructure as the industry prepares for the quantum internet and post-quantum security transitions.

ADVA Optical

Akhetonics develops all-optical, reconfigurable processing units that can function as quantum computers, analog processors, and digital processors. The company claims a 60x improvement in energy efficiency, and says the technology can be manufactured using legacy 90-250nm semiconductor nodes. Its focus is on general-purpose optical processors with quantum computing capabilities.

In November 2024, Akhetonics raised €6 million in seed funding led by Matterwave Ventures, bringing total funding to €8.3M including an earlier €2.3M raise, to advance its cross-domain optical processor technology. The company is also participating in the SPOC project with Fraunhofer IZM, backed by €400K in funding from IBB for 2024-2026, to advance photonic computing.

Akhetonics

Aqarios is a Munich-based quantum software company developing tools and platforms for quantum algorithm development and optimization. The company focuses on making quantum computing more accessible to enterprises through user-friendly interfaces and industry-specific solutions. Aqarios is part of the growing quantum ecosystem in Bavaria.

Aqarios

Avanetix is a Berlin-based quantum computing startup founded in early 2019 by Naimah Schütter (CEO) and Christian Nietner (CTO, who holds a PhD in theoretical quantum physics from TU Berlin). The company automates and optimizes supply chains using quantum computing, with application software that combines classical optimization methods, machine learning, and quantum computing in a hybrid approach.

Avanetix targets efficiency and productivity gains across supply chain use cases in logistics, manufacturing, and planning, providing fast reaction speed and transparency in complex business scenarios, simulations, and optimization tasks. By combining quantum computing and machine learning, it can simulate and optimize complex scenarios and produce production-ready software that scales across an organization. The company serves manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain industries that need quantum-enhanced optimization for complex planning and operational challenges.

Avanetix

BASF SE is a German multinational chemical company founded in 1865 and headquartered in Ludwigshafen, Germany. It is the largest chemical producer in the world.

BASF explores quantum computing for computational chemistry, including catalyst design, materials discovery, chemical process optimization, and molecular simulation. The company works with quantum computing providers such as IBM and Microsoft to develop quantum algorithms for the chemical industry, and it investigates quantum simulation as a way to understand chemical reactions and design materials with improved properties. By pursuing these applications, BASF aims to accelerate materials discovery and chemical process optimization through quantum technology. Update 2025-11-06: BASF and D-Wave demonstrated a 100x speedup in solving complex manufacturing scheduling problems using quantum computing. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/basf-d-wave-manufacturing-scheduling/

BASF

BMW Group (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG) is a German manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles founded in 1916 and headquartered in Munich. It is pursuing quantum computing for automotive design and manufacturing optimization.

Quantinuum worked with BMW and Airbus to model fuel cell catalyst reactions for battery development. BMW partnered with the neutral-atom company Pasqal to improve partial differential equation modeling for automotive systems, and it joined Classiq and Nvidia to optimize the electrical and mechanical architectures of future cars using quantum algorithms. BMW applies quantum computing to drivetrain optimization, cooling system design, engine and battery integration, and production processes such as robot route planning. The company invests in quantum computing research to support its work on next-generation electric vehicles and sustainable automotive technologies.

Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and is exploring quantum computing for drug discovery and molecular simulation. The Ingelheim-based company is investigating quantum algorithms for protein folding, molecular dynamics, and compound screening to speed up pharmaceutical research and development.

Boehringer Ingelheim works with quantum computing providers and academic institutions to develop practical quantum chemistry applications for identifying new drug candidates and optimizing therapeutic molecules. Its quantum computing initiative focuses on computational chemistry problems where quantum algorithms could provide significant advantages over classical methods, placing the company among the early movers in quantum-enhanced drug discovery.

Boehringer Ingelheim Quantum

Bosch Quantum Sensing is a joint venture between Element Six, which holds 51%, and Bosch, which holds 49%. It develops quantum sensors based on synthetic diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers for medical diagnostics and automotive and mobility applications.

The joint venture was established in Ludwigsburg, Germany, to commercialize diamond NV quantum sensing. It targets markets where room-temperature quantum sensors can outperform classical alternatives, including MRI-scale brain scanning without superconducting magnets, early disease biomarker detection, and in-vehicle navigation sensors that work even when GPS is denied. Element Six contributes synthetic diamond manufacturing expertise, while Bosch brings automotive-grade engineering and volume production capability.

Bosch Quantum Sensing

CTQG, short for Classical-To-Quantum Gateway, is a German quantum software company building algorithms and tools that bridge classical and quantum computing systems. It focuses on hybrid quantum-classical algorithms, quantum software development platforms, and quantum algorithm optimization for enterprises that want to integrate quantum capabilities with their existing classical infrastructure.

CTQG provides consulting services and software for organizations exploring quantum applications in optimization, machine learning, and scientific simulation. The company contributes to Germany's quantum technology ecosystem and to practical quantum software for industrial use.

CTQG

CreativeQuantum provides quantum mechanics-based R&D services for chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The Leverkusen company offers quantum chemistry consulting. CreativeQuantum helps chemical and pharmaceutical companies apply quantum mechanical simulation methods to accelerate R&D, improve product development, and solve complex molecular modeling challenges in materials science and drug discovery.

CreativeQuantum

Deutsche Bank AG is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company founded in 1870 and headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany.

Deutsche Bank explores quantum computing for financial services, including portfolio optimization, derivatives pricing, risk management, and trading optimization. It works with quantum computing providers and research institutions to develop quantum algorithms for banking, and it investigates quantum machine learning for financial market analysis and fraud detection. Serving global investment banking, asset management, and private banking markets, the bank contributes to quantum finance research and prepares for quantum advantage in computational finance.

Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Telekom AG is a German telecommunications company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Bonn. Its Deutsche Telekom Innovation Laboratories (T-Labs) operates the Berlin Quantum Lab and runs one of Europe's leading carrier-side quantum-networking research programmes.

In March 2025, T-Labs and Qunnect achieved a 17-day field demonstration of stable polarisation-entangled-photon distribution at 99% fidelity across 30 km of commercially deployed fibre with 1% downtime, presented at OFC 2025. In February 2026, T-Labs and Qunnect demonstrated quantum teleportation over a live Berlin commercial fibre network.

T-Labs partners with TU Berlin, TU Dresden, TUM Munich, and Fraunhofer HHI. Deutsche Telekom is positioning entanglement distribution and QKD as foundations for future quantum-secure enterprise services.

Deutsche Telekom

Diatope is a spin-off from Ulm University that manufactures engineered diamond materials with NV (nitrogen-vacancy) centers for quantum sensing and quantum computing applications. The company operates the world's first production line for quantum diamond 'Made in Germany,' centralizing all necessary processing steps including CVD diamond growth, ion implantation, and high-temperature annealing. Diatope participates in BMBF-funded DIAQUAM project and multiple EU-funded quantum initiatives including PROMISE and AMADEUS.

Diatope

Elmos Semiconductor SE is a German semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in Dortmund, founded in 1984, primarily serving the automotive industry.

In January 2025, Elmos partnered with ID Quantique to develop the world's smallest monolithically integrated Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG), measuring just 2mm x 2mm. The QRNG uses in-chip photoemission quantum principles to generate high-quality randomness with ultra-low power consumption and a very short start-up time. The partnership brings 40 years of semiconductor manufacturing expertise to quantum security, targeting mass-market applications such as mobile phones and IoT devices, with a strong cost-performance ratio for cybersecurity and encryption. Elmos serves automotive OEMs, tier-1 suppliers, and consumer electronics manufacturers that need quantum-grade random number generation for secure cryptographic key generation and data protection against quantum computing threats.

Elmos Semiconductor

Fraunhofer IAF Quantum Sensing develops quantum sensors based on diamond NV centers detecting magnetic and electric fields with nanometer resolution. The Freiburg institute commercializes quantum sensing technology. Fraunhofer IAF's diamond quantum sensors enable applications in materials science, semiconductor inspection, and biomedical imaging where ultra-sensitive nanoscale field measurements provide critical capabilities. In May 2025, Fraunhofer IAF installed a diamond NV quantum system from Quantum Brilliance, integrating it into the institute's HPC infrastructure.

Fraunhofer IAF Quantum Sensing

Fraunhofer IPMS Quantum Computing Group leads integrated German quantum computer development with 24 institutions, focusing on superconducting quantum chips with improved error rates. The Dresden research institute coordinates national quantum computing programs. Fraunhofer IPMS develops superconducting qubit fabrication processes, quantum chip integration, and packaging technologies to enable scalable quantum computing systems manufactured in Germany. In November 2025, the QSolid project made a 10-qubit superconducting processor available to external users through the JuDoor cloud platform, with a 30-qubit system targeted for the end of 2026.

Fraunhofer IPMS Quantum Computing Group

The Fraunhofer Society (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) is a German research organization founded in 1949 and headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its focus is applied research, and several Fraunhofer Institutes work across quantum computing, quantum communications, quantum sensors, and broader quantum technology development.

The society emphasizes practical applications and the transfer of quantum technology to industry. Its researchers work on commercialization, quantum system development, and applications for manufacturing, security, and communications. The institutes serve German industry and the wider quantum ecosystem through applied research and industrial implementations, supporting Germany's national quantum strategy.

Fraunhofer Society

HENSOLDT is a German defense electronics company applying quantum computing to radar sensing. It was awarded a contract by the DLR Quantum Computing Initiative (DLR QCI) for the QUA-SAR research project, which optimizes complex radar remote sensing scenarios using quantum computing. For this work, HENSOLDT collaborates with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Microwaves and Radar Institute and with Tensor AI Solutions GmbH to integrate classical Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) methods with quantum technology concepts.

The company established its Quantum Sensing and Technologies initiative in early 2024 to shape its direction in quantum technologies. The QUA-SAR project addresses radar resource management challenges that conventional computers cannot solve in real time, focusing on radar antenna optimization, broadcast signal design, ambiguity suppression, and efficient processing of large radar data volumes. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, the project aims to deliver decisive advantages in radar sensor performance.

HENSOLDT

HÜBNER Photonics manufactures lasers and THz systems for quantum technology applications. Headquartered in Kassel, Germany, with manufacturing in Kassel and Stockholm, Sweden, plus offices in the USA and UK, the company offers single and multi-line lasers, the tunable C-WAVE laser, and laser combiners for quantum research. Its products serve spectroscopy, bioinstrumentation, metrology, nanophotonics, and quantum technology research.

HÜBNER expanded its research and production facilities in Kassel specifically to meet growing demand for tunable single-frequency laser sources in quantum technology research and augmented reality holography. The company has become a preferred supplier to major quantum research groups and public institutions worldwide.

HÜBNER Photonics

JoS QUANTUM is a Frankfurt-based quantum computing company founded in 2018 by Markus Braun and Niklas Hegemann that develops quantum optimization algorithms for quantitative finance, insurance, and energy markets, providing cloud-accessible GRUNDZUSTAND calculation engine that integrates various quantum and classical hardware for risk management, portfolio optimization, trading strategies, and fraud detection, serving clients including Deutsche Börse Group and DZ Bank while participating in German government-funded quantum research projects.

JoS Quantum

KEEQuant is a German quantum key distribution company founded in 2020 that develops QKD systems and quantum cryptography solutions for secure communications. Its quantum-safe key distribution infrastructure uses the principles of quantum physics to generate and distribute encryption keys with provable security guarantees.

The company provides QKD hardware, quantum network components, and secure communication solutions for government agencies, financial institutions, and enterprises that need communications infrastructure protected against both classical eavesdropping and future quantum computer attacks.

KEEQuant

KGAL is a German global asset manager that specializes in infrastructure investments. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Grunwald near Munich, the firm invests across critical infrastructure, telecommunications, energy, and transportation, sectors that increasingly require quantum-safe security technologies.

In March 2025, KGAL took part in Quantum Industries' 9.5 million euro seed financing round alongside Sparring Capital Partners and Findus Venture, supporting the Vienna-based quantum secure communications company. KGAL views quantum-safe communications as essential infrastructure technology that protects against quantum computing threats to current encryption standards, and it brings infrastructure investment expertise and strategic capital to quantum security companies serving critical infrastructure.

The firm serves infrastructure operators, utilities, telecommunications providers, and other critical infrastructure sectors. It invests in quantum key distribution, quantum-safe communications, and quantum security technologies that protect critical infrastructure communications, energy grid control systems, and transportation networks. Through this work, KGAL contributes to European infrastructure security and the deployment of quantum-safe technologies for critical national infrastructure.

KGAL Investment Management

Kiutra develops helium-3-free, cryogen-free cooling systems for quantum technologies and materials research. Founded in 2018 as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich by Alexander Regnat, Jan Spallek, Tomek Schulz, and Christian Pfleiderer, the company specializes in adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration (ADR). Its cryostats are designed to be efficient and easy to handle, supporting quantum computer operation and scientific research without the need for expensive and scarce helium-3.

In October 2025, Kiutra raised 13 million euros in new financing led by NovaCapital and 55 North to accelerate its global scale-up and expand production of next-generation quantum cooling solutions, addressing an infrastructure need for the growing quantum computing industry.

Kiutra

Qruise is a German quantum control software company founded in 2018 as a spinoff from Forschungszentrum Jülich. It builds machine learning software for quantum device development, producing 'digital twin' simulators and automated optimization algorithms that take over work quantum physicists have traditionally done by hand.

Through strategic partnerships with Quantum Machines and Zurich Instruments, Qruise integrates its ML Physicist software into quantum control systems. The software automates qubit tune-up, gate optimization, and device characterization across both superconducting and Rydberg atom quantum platforms. Update 2026-04-22: Qruise demonstrated its automated bring-up software, QruiseOS, achieving a quantum processing unit bring-up time of approximately 15 minutes. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/qpu-bring-up-time-qruise-cuts/

Qruise

Quantistry is a Berlin-based quantum chemistry startup founded in 2018 by Dr. Marcel Quennet, Dr. Vincent Pohl, Arturo Robertazzi, and Stefan Kupferberg as a spin-off from Freie Universitat Berlin. It developed QuantistryLab, a cloud-based computational platform that combines quantum technologies, physics-based simulations, and machine learning for chemical R&D and materials discovery.

The platform uses quantum-based simulations, multiscale modeling, and AI-driven insights to speed up the discovery and design of sustainable materials, including next-generation batteries, polymers, alloys, and carbon capture technologies. QuantistryLab gives users access to over 100 million molecular and material structures and lets them run their own quantum chemistry simulations in a single cloud package, serving the pharmaceutical, chemical, and materials science industries.

In March 2024, Quantistry secured EUR 3 million in funding led by Ananda Impact Ventures, with co-investors including Chemovator (BASF's business incubator), IBB Ventures, and a family office.

Quantistry

SaxonQ is a spin-off from the University of Leipzig that develops diamond-based quantum computers with programmable qubit systems operating at room temperature. Founded by professors Marius Grundmann and Jan Meijer of Leipzig University's Felix-Bloch-Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, the company builds NV-center quantum computers and has delivered systems to DLR's Ulm Innovation Center as part of Project SuNQC. Because the technology needs no cryogenic cooling, the computers can be deployed in any environment.

SaxonQ operates Saxony's first mobile quantum computer at Fraunhofer IWU and works to make diamond-based quantum computing commercially viable. In April 2025, the company demonstrated the world's first mobile quantum computer running real-time applications at Hannover Messe 2025, including live image recognition and quantum chemistry calculations at room temperature, a landmark in industrial and mobile quantum computing. The Hannover demonstration ran on a dual-core design with two NV-center processor cores. In November 2025, the technology investor TGFS Technologiegruenderfonds Sachsen took a stake in the company.

SaxonQ

Sparring Capital Partners is a European venture capital firm founded in 2019, focused on deep tech and enterprise software investments that include quantum security companies. It invests in early-stage and growth-stage technology companies developing quantum cryptography, cybersecurity, enterprise software, and other deep tech solutions.

In March 2025, Sparring Capital Partners led Quantum Industries' EUR 9.5 million seed financing round alongside Findus Venture and KGAL, backing the Vienna-based quantum secure communications company. The firm brings capital, strategic expertise, and industry connections to quantum security startups commercializing quantum communications technologies, and it invests in quantum key distribution companies, post-quantum cryptography developers, quantum networking startups, and quantum-safe communications providers.

Sparring Capital Partners serves the European quantum technology ecosystem by connecting startups with corporate partners, research institutions, and follow-on investors. Its work supports companies building quantum-safe infrastructure for critical communications, government agencies, financial institutions, and telecommunications operators.

Sparring Capital Partners

Vsquared Ventures is a Munich-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2020 that invests in deep tech companies addressing major societal challenges. Its focus areas include quantum and novel computing, sustainable energy, robotics, AI/ML, emerging space technologies, synthetic biology, and healthcare innovation.

The firm manages roughly EUR 450 million in assets, including a second fund of EUR 214 million that closed in 2024, and is one of Europe's most active deep tech investors, with particular emphasis on quantum technology. Its quantum portfolio includes IQM Quantum Computers, where it took part in the EUR 275M Series B, and Lightium, a Zurich-based photonic quantum interconnects company. Vsquared Ventures has co-invested alongside 55 North in European quantum deals.

The founding team has backgrounds in physics, engineering, and technology entrepreneurship, giving the firm strong technical credibility for evaluating quantum technology.

Vsquared Ventures

Commutator Studios is a quantum software company based in Düsseldorf, Germany, founded in 2023 by Dr. César A. Rodríguez Rosario and Dr. Jan M. Knaup, who met as researchers at Harvard University.

The company develops a hardware-agnostic Quantum Error Management Platform that automatically finds optimal execution parameters for quantum circuits across different quantum computers, including hardware selection, compilation, and error mitigation settings. Its AI-driven approach delivers results up to 20 times faster and more accurately than manual tuning.

In July 2025, Commutator Studios secured €1.5 million in seed funding led by Backtrace Capital and Preston-Werner Ventures, the fund led by GitHub co-founder Tom Preston-Werner. The company is part of the IBM Quantum Network and works with partners including QuantumBasel and QCentroid.

Commutator Studios

The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) conducts quantum technology research, with a particular focus on space-based quantum communications and quantum sensing for aerospace applications. It is a central partner in Germany's quantum strategy and in the European Space Agency's quantum satellite programmes.

DLR's quantum communications work covers satellite-based QKD, free-space quantum links, and space-ground quantum entanglement distribution. The center took part in developing and operating the Chinese-German QUESS (Micius) satellite experiments and leads European efforts on quantum-ready satellite communication payloads. The DLR Institute of Quantum Technologies in Ulm researches cold-atom interferometry for quantum inertial sensing, next-generation satellite navigation, and fundamental physics tests.

DLR runs quantum sensing experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) through the MAIUS programme, which achieved the first Bose-Einstein condensate in space. Cold-atom gravimeters and accelerometers developed at DLR have applications in Earth observation, geodesy, and autonomous navigation. The center also participates in the German Quantum Computing Initiative, exploring quantum optimisation algorithms for aerospace engineering and air traffic management.

Forschungszentrum Julich is one of Europe's largest research centres, located in Julich, North Rhine-Westphalia. Through its Julich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), it hosts quantum computing systems integrated with classical high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure, making it a key node in European quantum computing access.

Julich hosts quantum computers from multiple vendors including IBM Eagle and Heron processors and IQM, and it participates in the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) quantum integration programme. The institute operates the JUNIQ (Julich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum computing) platform, which gives European researchers access to gate-based and quantum-annealing systems through a unified interface. Forschungszentrum Julich is a key node of the German Quantum Computing Initiative and the Helmholtz Quantum Center.

Quantum research at Julich spans quantum algorithms, quantum simulation, quantum error mitigation, hybrid quantum-classical computing, and materials modelling. The institute's Peter Grunberg Institute (PGI) conducts foundational quantum materials research relevant to topological qubits and superconducting circuits. Julich participates in the OpenSuperQ European quantum computer project and is a consortium member of multiple EU Quantum Flagship projects. As part of the Helmholtz Association, Julich coordinates with 18 other German research centres on quantum technology strategy.

Forschungszentrum Jülich

The Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres is Germany's largest scientific organisation, made up of 18 research centres with a combined annual budget of roughly 5 billion euros and more than 43,000 employees. The association coordinates Germany's major quantum computing and quantum technology research through a dedicated Quantum Initiative spanning multiple member centres.

Key Helmholtz centres with major quantum programmes include Forschungszentrum Julich (FZJ), which hosts the JUNIQ quantum computing platform; the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), developing superconducting qubits and quantum materials; Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), conducting quantum materials research; DESY in Hamburg, contributing to quantum sensing; and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), with quantum sensing and quantum materials activities.

The Helmholtz Quantum Center coordinates quantum activities across all member centres under Germany's 3 billion euro national quantum strategy, established in 2021. The association participates in the EU Quantum Flagship and manages Germany's contributions to European quantum computing infrastructure through EuroHPC and the OpenSuperQ European quantum computer initiative. Helmholtz provides access to its quantum computing testbeds through the Helmholtz Quantum Platform (HQP), letting German academic and industrial researchers use gate-based and analogue quantum systems.

Helmholtz Association

Leibniz Rechenzentrum (LRZ) operates the Quantum Integration Centre which hosts Alpine Quantum Technologies' ion-trap quantum computer, the first of its kind installed in a computing center as of 2024. LRZ integrates quantum computing resources with high-performance classical computing infrastructure to enable hybrid quantum-classical applications. This pioneering integration model demonstrates how research computing centers can provide users with access to both quantum and classical computing resources through unified infrastructure and workflows.

Leibniz Rechenzentrum Quantum Integration Centre

Leybold GmbH was founded by Ernst Leybold in Cologne in 1850 and is still based in Cologne, now as part of the Swedish industrial group Atlas Copco. The company celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2025. Its core competencies are the development of components and systems for generating vacuum and for gas management engineering.

Leybold provides forevacuum pumps and turbomolecular pumps, including the oil-free ECODRY plus multi-stage roots pump with very low vibration, for quantum computing. Quantum computers require some components chilled to near absolute zero while others are kept in ultra-high vacuum (UHV). Leybold's COOLPOWER range of Gifford-McMahon closed-cycle coldheads enables faster pumping to UHV, and its PHOENIX range provides leak detection that meets the accuracy and speed requirements of quantum research. The company serves quantum computing research laboratories and manufacturers that need ultra-high vacuum environments and precision leak detection for quantum processor fabrication and operation.

Leybold

Marqov is a quantum technology company focused on solving the replicability crisis in computational research through quantum-classical hybrid computing approaches. The company develops solutions for reproducible computational workflows and verification of scientific computing results, using quantum computing techniques to enhance research integrity and computational verification across scientific domains.

Marqov

The Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) is a German non-profit association of research institutes founded in 1948, with origins reaching back to 1911, and headquartered in Munich, Germany. Several Max Planck Institutes conduct quantum research, including the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, covering quantum physics, quantum computing, quantum materials, and quantum technologies.

The society's institutes have produced numerous Nobel Prize winners in quantum physics, and their researchers contribute to fundamental quantum science, quantum hardware, and quantum applications. Through this work, the institutes serve the global quantum research community and support German quantum research excellence.

Max Planck Institute

Menlo Systems is a spin-off from the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics specializing in Nobel Prize-winning optical frequency comb technology for precision metrology and quantum applications. The company delivers ultrastable lasers, femtosecond lasers, terahertz systems, and complete turnkey systems for quantum technology 2.0, combining frequency combs with ultrastable reference lasers for quantum optics, spectroscopy, time/frequency distribution, and semiconductor testing. Menlo Systems has global presence in US, Japan, and China serving quantum research and industrial applications.

Menlo Systems

Munich Quantum Instruments develops photonic quantum sensors for applications such as optical quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communication. The company is part of the Munich Quantum Valley ecosystem and specializes in creating high-performance single-photon detectors and quantum light sources. Munich Quantum Instruments provides critical components for photonic quantum systems.

Munich Quantum Instruments

Munich Quantum Valley is a German quantum initiative supporting startups like planqc (first MQV startup), coordinating research and commercialization in Bavaria with significant government funding. The initiative brings together universities, research institutes, and companies in the Munich region to build Germany's quantum technology capabilities. Munich Quantum Valley provides funding for quantum research, supports quantum startup formation, and coordinates efforts across Bavaria's quantum ecosystem.

Munich Quantum Valley

NVision is a spin-off from the University of Ulm's Institute of Quantum Optics and Institute of Theoretical Physics. It uses nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond for quantum sensing in medical imaging. The company was founded by Prof. Fedor Jelezko, Prof. Martin Plenio, Prof. Alex Retzker, and Ilai Schwartz (CTO), with Dr. Sella Brosh as CEO.

NVision raised a $30 million Series A in June 2023 to deploy quantum-powered hyperpolarizers for MRI imaging, which can enable earlier assessment of cancer treatment. Its technology improves MRI sensitivity through dynamic nuclear polarization using NV centers in diamond, connecting quantum physics with clinical medicine.

In May 2026, NVision raised a $55M Series B led by Abbott, bringing total funding to about $120M, and expanded beyond sensing into quantum computing. Its new PIQC platform integrates organic molecular qubits onto photonic chips for drug discovery and validation, with deployments planned at centers including Memorial Sloan Kettering, the University of Cambridge, and TU Munich. Update 2026-05-14: NVision deployed its POLARIS quantum sensor at 20 cancer centers worldwide this year. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/nvisions-polaris-deployment-cancer-centers-worldwide/

NVision

Nextnano develops simulation software for semiconductor nanostructures and quantum devices. The Munich-based company provides computational tools for designing and optimizing quantum dots, quantum wells, and other nanostructures used in quantum computing and quantum sensing. Nextnano's software is widely used in academic research and industrial development of quantum devices.

Nextnano

The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) is Germany's national metrology institute, founded in 1887 and headquartered in Braunschweig with facilities in Berlin. PTB is Europe's leading authority on quantum metrology, maintaining and improving SI unit standards through quantum physics. Germany's quantum strategy lists PTB as a central institution for quantum sensing, quantum time standards, and metrology infrastructure.

PTB operates some of the world's most accurate optical atomic clocks, including ytterbium ion and strontium lattice clocks that have achieved fractional uncertainties below 10-18, which enables a next-generation redefinition of the second. Its quantum sensing research covers precision magnetometers, gravimeters, voltmeters based on the Josephson effect, and resistance standards based on the quantum Hall effect. The quantum Hall resistance standard at PTB defines the unit of electrical resistance, traceable to the fundamental constant e2/h.

PTB collaborates closely with NIST in the USA, NPL in the UK, SYRTE in France, and other national metrology institutes through the BIPM and EURAMET frameworks. It participates in European Quantum Flagship projects and coordinates quantum sensing standardisation across Europe, providing calibration and traceability services for companies developing commercial quantum sensors, QKD systems, and quantum computing hardware.

ParTec develops quantum-HPC integration solutions and hybrid computing architectures that combine quantum processors with classical high-performance computing systems, making it possible to bring quantum computing into existing computational workflows for research institutions and enterprises.

In May 2025, ParTec entered a strategic partnership with ORCA Computing to integrate photonic PT Series quantum systems into its ELBJUWEL and VESUVIO AI supercomputers, targeting energy, healthcare, and aerospace workloads. In December 2025, DLR, the German Aerospace Center, contracted ParTec, together with ParityQC, for a quantum mobility optimization project.

ParTec

Peak Quantum is a spin-off from the Walther Meißner Institute developing robust processors for quantum computers with a novel, fault-tolerant architecture that are ten times more reliable than current models. The company is part of the Munich Quantum Valley ecosystem and focuses on creating more stable qubits through advanced error correction techniques. Peak Quantum aims to address one of the biggest challenges in quantum computing: maintaining qubit coherence.

Peak Quantum

PicoQuant is a research and development company specializing in optoelectronics, founded in 1996 and headquartered in the Berlin-Adlershof science and technology park in Germany. It is a world leader in single photon counting applications.

The company's photon counting products include high-end modules for time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and event timing, single photon sensitive detectors, and analysis software for time-resolved fluorescence measurements and quantum correlations. Its detectors span photomultiplier tubes (PMT), hybrid photomultiplier detectors (HPD), and Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD), covering spectral ranges from UV to NIR with picosecond timing resolution. The PDM SPAD series covers 400 nm to 1000 nm with better than 50 ps (FWHM) photon timing resolution.

PicoQuant's broader portfolio includes picosecond pulsed diode lasers, ultra-fast time taggers, photon counters, single photon detectors, time-resolved confocal microscopes, and fluorescence lifetime spectrometers for life sciences, materials sciences, and quantum technologies.

PicoQuant

Piezosystem Jena manufactures OEM piezo actuators and piezo stages for semiconductor, photonics, and aerospace with over 30 years of sub-nanometer precision experience. The Jena company provides precision positioning. Piezosystem Jena's piezoelectric actuators and positioning stages serve quantum technology applications requiring ultra-precise motion control for optical alignment, quantum device positioning, and scanning probe microscopy.

Piezosystem Jena

Pixel Photonics develops advanced photonic components and systems for quantum computing and quantum communication applications. The German company specializes in integrated photonics and silicon photonics technologies that enable scalable quantum systems. Pixel Photonics creates building blocks for photonic quantum processors and quantum networks.

Pixel Photonics

Promwad is an international electronics design house offering custom hardware and embedded software development, with particular expertise in FPGA-based solutions for quantum computing. Headquartered in Germany, with engineering offices in Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Serbia, the company develops FPGA-based digital logic for real-time control signal generation and qubit modulation using high-speed DACs and PLLs.

Promwad's FPGA technologies serve as building blocks in quantum computers for readout boards, parallel processing, and custom instrumentation. The company works with Xilinx and other FPGA platforms and serves the telecom, automotive, industrial automation, and quantum computing industries.

Promwad

QMware AG is a Munich-based hybrid quantum computing company founded in 2020 by Markus Pflitsch and George Gesek. It runs the QMware Cloud platform, which combines quantum and classical computing resources and offers quantum infrastructure as a service. The company's hybrid approach merges classical and quantum hardware to deliver higher computing performance.

In 2022, QMware was selected for a consortium to build Germany's first quantum cloud for industry, commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. Working with QuiX Quantum, it established the world's first fully integrated hybrid quantum computing data center in Enschede, Netherlands. QMware partners with Oracle to widen access to quantum computing.

Its services span quantum cloud computing, algorithm development, benchmarking, and quantum machine learning for business, research, and academia.

QMware

Qoro Quantum is building the missing link in quantum computing: a scalable network stack for distributed quantum computing. The company emerged from Munich Quantum Valley and develops software and protocols that enable multiple quantum computers to work together as a distributed system. Qoro Quantum's technology is crucial for creating quantum networks and enabling quantum internet applications. Update 2026-03-03: Qoro Quantum developed Maestro to dynamically optimize quantum simulation by integrating multiple simulation approaches. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/qoro-quantum-simulation-integration/

Qoro Quantum

Qrisp is an open-source project coordinated by the Eclipse Foundation, written in Python for creating and compiling quantum algorithms. It provides high-level programming abstractions that make quantum algorithm development more accessible to developers without deep quantum physics expertise.

The platform features automatic quantum circuit optimization, resource estimation, and simulation, and it supports multiple quantum hardware backends and simulators for flexible development and testing. It also includes libraries of common quantum algorithms and building blocks, helping bridge the gap between high-level algorithm design and low-level circuit implementation.

Qrisp was developed with support from German research institutions and funded through European quantum computing initiatives, and an active open-source community continues to expand its capabilities for quantum software engineering. Update 2026-04-23: Qrisp introduced a dedicated high-level abstraction within its framework to streamline the process of generating block-encoding for complex quantum algorithms. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/quantum-algorithms-block-encoding/

Qrisp

Quantagonia is a quantum computing firm whose Hybrid Quantum Platform is designed to run existing program code on both classical and quantum computer architectures, opening the way to new AI-based solutions. The platform gives customers access to AI, optimization, and simulation applications, and integrates with leading classical hardware makers (CPUs and GPUs) and quantum hardware, so organizations can take advantage of quantum computing while keeping compatibility with existing infrastructure.

In 2024-2025, Quantagonia secured €4.3 million in seed funding led by Tensor Ventures to advance its hybrid quantum computing and AI work.

Quantagonia

Quantum NRW is the North Rhine-Westphalia state quantum initiative, coordinating quantum technology research and commercialisation across Germany's most populous and industrially important state. Hosted at Forschungszentrum Julich and spanning partner universities including RWTH Aachen, the University of Cologne, the University of Bonn, and the University of Dusseldorf, Quantum NRW concentrates significant quantum research capability within a single German state.

NRW's quantum programme benefits from co-location with Forschungszentrum Julich, which hosts the JUNIQ quantum computing platform, and from NRW's major industrial base including companies in chemicals such as BASF, Bayer, and Henkel, automotive such as Ford Germany, and finance. The state programme channels funding into quantum algorithm development for industrial chemistry simulation, quantum sensing for materials characterisation, and quantum communications for financial institutions. Quantum NRW participates in Germany's national quantum strategy and coordinates with Munich Quantum Valley in Bavaria and Berlin quantum initiatives to form Germany's distributed quantum technology network.

NRW's academic quantum institutions contribute to foundational quantum theory through theoretical physics at Cologne and Bonn, experimental quantum optics at Dusseldorf, and quantum computing hardware at Julich. The programme facilitates industry-academia partnerships that connect NRW quantum research to German industry through quantum application pilots and technology transfer programmes.

Quantum NRW

Quantum Optics Jena is a Fraunhofer IOF spin-off specializing in entangled photon pair sources, polarization analyzers, and QKD systems for secure communications. The company completed a seven-figure euro seed funding round in 2021 to commercialize quantum photonic components. Quantum Optics Jena provides the Elvis QKD system for both fiber network and satellite quantum communication applications, offering complete solutions from photon sources to encryption systems for quantum-safe communications infrastructure. In September 2024, Quantum Optics Jena raised an EUR 8.5M Series A led by Join Capital.

Quantum Optics Jena GmbH

Qutools is a Munich-based company specializing in quantum optics instrumentation and photonic quantum technology equipment. The company manufactures single-photon detectors, quantum random number generators, and complete quantum optics setups for research and education. Qutools provides essential instrumentation for quantum physics laboratories and quantum technology development worldwide.

Qutools

Rohde & Schwarz (in partnership with Zurich Instruments) provides complete quantum computing control solutions with signal analyzers, AWGs, and signal generators, with Zurich's QCCS controlling 100+ qubits. The German test and measurement company combines its RF and microwave instrumentation expertise with Zurich Instruments' quantum control systems. Together they provide comprehensive quantum control electronics from signal generation to measurement, enabling researchers and quantum computing companies to build scalable control systems for large quantum processors.

Rohde & Schwarz

Rosenberger manufactures RF and mechanical components for cryogenic quantum technology including coax-sticks and sample pucks for dilution refrigerators. The Tittmoning company provides RF interconnects. Rosenberger's specialized cryogenic RF components enable signal transmission between room temperature electronics and quantum processors operating at millikelvin temperatures in dilution refrigerators.

Rosenberger Cryogenic Quantum

SAP SE is a German multinational software corporation founded on April 1, 1972, and headquartered in Walldorf, Germany. It develops enterprise software for managing business operations and customer relations.

SAP explores quantum computing applications for enterprise resource planning, supply chain optimization, financial modeling, and business intelligence, investigating quantum algorithms for optimization problems relevant to enterprise software and business process management. The company works with quantum computing providers and research institutions to explore practical quantum applications for its enterprise software customers.

SAP serves the global enterprise software market, where quantum-enhanced computation could help with complex business optimization, supply chain management, and financial analysis, and it is preparing for quantum advantage in enterprise software and business process optimization.

Sacher Lasertechnik GmbH is a German manufacturer of high-power tunable external cavity diode lasers for scientific and industrial use. The company was founded by Dr. Joachim R. Sacher, one of the pioneers of external cavity diode lasers, and grew over 30 years from a university spin-off into a globally recognized maker of laser systems.

Its patented technology underpins a portfolio of laser product families serving quantum technology, general research, spectroscopy, metrology, environmental science, biomedicine, space technology, and process control. The sub-kHz tunable diode lasers are designed specifically for advanced quantum applications, which makes Sacher an important supplier to quantum computing research labs and quantum sensing projects worldwide. Based in Marburg, Germany, the company celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022.

Sacher Lasertechnik

Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate founded on October 12, 1847, and headquartered in Munich, Germany. It explores quantum computing applications for industrial automation, manufacturing optimization, energy systems, and transportation.

The company investigates quantum algorithms for complex optimization problems in industrial systems, supply chain management, and infrastructure planning. It works with quantum computing companies and research institutions to develop practical quantum applications for industrial manufacturing and automation.

Siemens serves the industrial manufacturing, energy, transportation, and infrastructure sectors, where quantum-enhanced optimization could help with systems design, manufacturing processes, and supply chain management. The company invests in quantum technology research to advance these applications for industrial markets and smart infrastructure.

Siemens

Spectrum Instrumentation is a German instrumentation company providing arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs) widely used in quantum computing research, particularly the M4i.66xx-series 16-bit AWGs for qubit control. The company's high-performance AWG cards enable precise control signals required for manipulating quantum states in superconducting, trapped ion, and photonic quantum computers. Spectrum Instrumentation's products are deployed in quantum research laboratories and quantum computing companies worldwide, serving as critical control electronics for quantum processors.

Spectrum Instrumentation GmbH

TOPTICA Photonics is a German laser manufacturer supplying specialized diode and fiber laser modules with subkilohertz linewidths for quantum computing applications. The company provides ultra-stable narrow-linewidth lasers essential for trapped ion quantum computers, neutral atom systems, and quantum networking. TOPTICA's laser systems enable the precise optical control and manipulation of quantum states required in atomic and photonic quantum computing platforms, serving as critical components in quantum technology supply chains.

TOPTICA Photonics

The Technical University of Munich (TU München) is a public research university founded in 1868 in Munich, Germany. It conducts quantum research through the Munich Quantum Valley initiative and its own quantum computing programs, working on quantum algorithms, quantum hardware, superconducting qubits, and quantum applications.

TU Munich collaborates with German quantum companies, including IQM, and maintains strong European quantum partnerships. Through research, education, and technology transfer, the university advances quantum information science, supports Germany's quantum technology strategy, and helps position Munich as a European quantum technology hub.

TU Munich

Utimaco is a global platform provider of cybersecurity and compliance solutions, specializing in hardware security modules (HSMs), key management, data protection, and identity management for regulated critical infrastructures. The company has been investing in post-quantum cryptography since 2017 and in July 2019 launched the world's first commercial quantum-safe HSM in partnership with ISARA Corporation. Utimaco's HSMs are deployed across 80+ countries in over 1,000 installations and the company received Frost & Sullivan's 2024 Global Competitive Strategy Leadership Award in PQC.

Utimaco

Volkswagen is a German automotive company that was an early mover in applying quantum computing to the automotive industry. It developed quantum algorithms for traffic flow optimization, route optimization, and autonomous vehicle coordination, using D-Wave quantum annealing systems to optimize taxi routing in major cities.

The company has also investigated quantum machine learning for predictive maintenance, battery optimization for electric vehicles, and supply chain management. Volkswagen collaborates with quantum computing companies to explore where quantum methods can help with manufacturing optimization, materials simulation for vehicle design, and logistics across its global production and distribution network. Update 2026-03-31: Volkswagen Group developed a generative AI pipeline with AWS to create compliant marketing assets at scale. Source: https://quantumzeitgeist.com/volkswagen-builds-generative-pipeline/

Volkswagen

XeedQ is a German quantum computing company based in Ulm that builds compact, room-temperature quantum computers using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. Its XQ1i systems have been deployed to Germany's DLR Quantum Computing Initiative and to Goethe University Frankfurt. Because NV-center processors need no cryogenic cooling, they can be installed in standard environments, and XeedQ holds a EUR 30M DLR contract to scale its technology toward a larger quantum computer.

XeedQ

NeQxt GmbH is a full-stack quantum computing company and a 2022 spin-off of the Schmidt-Kaler research group at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. Based in Erlenbach am Main, Bavaria, with additional locations in Cologne and Mainz, the company has 11 to 50 employees and specializes in trapped-ion quantum computing. It handles complete hardware and software development for quantum computers and offers consulting, computing time, enabling technologies, and quantum computer development.

In 2024, neQxt won one of the largest research contracts from Germany's Cyberagentur, part of a total funding pool of 35 million euros, to develop 'maQue', a mobile quantum computer for security and defense applications. The maQue project aims to integrate trapped-ion technology into a compact, modular, and scalable system that is lightweight, energy-efficient, and durable against environmental conditions by 2027. Leadership includes CEO Sebastian Deuser and CSO Dr. Janine Hilder.

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