UK quantum computing company Universal Quantum is establishing its first dedicated research and development presence outside Europe in Singapore, which will also serve as the company’s Asia-Pacific hub.
The company said Wednesday it will set up an R&D Competency Centre focused on technologies needed to scale trapped-ion quantum computing, including ion-trap chip process development, integration and advanced packaging.
The expansion is supported by Singapore’s Economic Development Board, while EDBI, an arm of SG Growth Capital, has been announced as a strategic investor in Universal Quantum. The company did not disclose the size of the investment.
Singapore center to start with 25 people
Universal Quantum said the Singapore center will launch with an initial team of 25 and is expected to grow as the company expands its work in the country.
The center is intended to combine Universal Quantum’s chip-design expertise with Singapore’s semiconductor fabrication, packaging and engineering capabilities. The company said advanced packaging will be an important part of its longer-term technical plans, including work on chip architectures designed to support much larger quantum systems.
Universal Quantum is developing trapped-ion quantum computers, an approach that uses charged atoms as qubits. Its longer-term roadmap is aimed at fault-tolerant systems capable of operating at a scale that can address commercial and scientific problems beyond the reach of today’s quantum machines.
The Singapore work will include advanced ion-trap chip process development and integration. Universal Quantum said it also plans to work with local research institutions on packaging and other technologies required for a fully scaled quantum processing unit.
Expansion builds on Singapore’s quantum push
The move comes as Singapore continues to expand its quantum research and industry ecosystem. In July, Singapore’s defense agencies partnered IBM to explore quantum computing for mission planning and logistics optimization, one of several initiatives aimed at building local expertise in the technology.
Universal Quantum said its expansion builds on a partnership with Singapore’s National Quantum Office, which is responsible for implementing the country’s national quantum strategy. The National Quantum Office is hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research and funded by the National Research Foundation.
Ling Keok Tong, Executive Director of the National Quantum Office, said the new center would help anchor partnerships with researchers and industry participants in Singapore’s growing quantum ecosystem.
EDB Vice President for Global Enterprises Soo Haw Yun said the investment would deepen the country’s quantum R&D capabilities and create highly skilled jobs.
Asia-Pacific hub adds manufacturing dimension
Universal Quantum’s Singapore presence gives the company a base closer to Asia’s advanced semiconductor and manufacturing supply chains while expanding its R&D footprint beyond the UK and Europe.
The company said it intends to explore applications in sectors where Singapore has established industrial strengths. Its roadmap includes work on fault-tolerant quantum computing algorithms alongside hardware development.
Universal Quantum said its technology is already being used in systems at the German Aerospace Center under a €67 million contract awarded in 2022. The company is developing large-scale quantum systems for applications including drug discovery, battery design, materials research and climate modeling.
The Singapore center adds another element to the city-state’s effort to link quantum research with commercialization and advanced manufacturing. The practical test will be whether local semiconductor, packaging and research capabilities can help shorten the path from experimental quantum hardware toward systems that can operate reliably at much larger scale.