EIFO, the export and investment fund of Denmark, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, an independent Danish enterprise foundation, are investing €80 million in the establishment of a new Nordic quantum initiative, QuNorth, to advance the region’s technological development. Microsoft and Atom Computing will bring to QuNorth the world’s most powerful quantum computer and the first operational deployment of a machine powered by logical qubits.
The commercial and geopolitical stakes in quantum technology are immense, and significant technological advances have been made over the past decade. Despite a historically strong position in quantum research, Denmark and the Nordic region risk losing ground in the global race due to the lack of access to next-generation quantum systems, the Level 2 quantum computers.
To address this, EIFO and the Novo Nordisk Foundation are investing €80 million to establish QuNorth, a new Nordic quantum initiative. QuNorth’s primary mission is to acquire and operate the world’s most powerful commercial quantum computer to date.
The computer will be named Magne, inspired by Norse mythology, where Magne, the son of Thor, is known for his immense strength. Magne is currently set to become the world’s most powerful commercially available quantum computer as one of the very first Level 2 quantum systems globally which is characterized by performing calculations using so-called logical qubits. With Magne, Denmark and the Nordic region will gain unprecedented research and commercial potential, contributing to a global leadership position.
Morten Bødskov, Danish Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, commented:
"The world has changed, and the competition for critical technologies is fierce. China and the USA are investing massively while Europe is falling behind. Quantum technology comes with enormous potential, and Denmark and the EU must seize this opportunity. With the investment in the world's strongest quantum computer, we are making a solid shift in the global quantum race. This will benefit all of Europe. We need to harness the untapped possibilities of quantum technology for Danish and European businesses, society, and security. Denmark and the EU must lead the race in developing new technologies."
Both EIFO and the Novo Nordisk Foundation have intensified their focus on quantum technology over the past year. With the investment in QuNorth and Magne, the two foundations aim to strengthen both the Danish and Nordic quantum ecosystems.
Peder Lundquist, CEO of EIFO, commented:
“A quantum computer of Magne’s caliber maximizes the likelihood that Denmark will be among tomorrow’s winning nations. Having access to one of the world’s very few Level 2 quantum computers will give Danish researchers and companies a unique advantage of national significance. With QuNorth, Denmark is taking a quantum leap into a future laid by the foundations of Niels Bohr’s research.”
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, commented:
“Today, the Nordic countries have limited access to the latest quantum computers on the market. This means our researchers and companies risk falling behind compared to other parts of the world. With the investment in QuNorth and Magne, we aim to provide a strong platform that prioritizes access for Nordic users.”
QuNorth will work proactively to support researchers and industry in leveraging Magne – among other things by developing new applications across areas such as material science and chemistry related product development, and by helping to attract talent and new quantum investments to the Nordic region. QuNorth will collaborate closely with other stakeholders involved in the development and commercialization of quantum research in the Nordic region, which is expected to also provide a European competitive advantage.
Magne will be delivered by a partnership between Microsoft and Atom Computing – both are world-leading companies in the field of quantum technology and are already strongly rooted in the Danish ecosystem. Microsoft has invested significantly in building and expanding its global quantum innovation center just north of Copenhagen and will equip Magne with their specialized quantum software and applications powered by the recently unveiled Microsoft Discovery. Atom Computing decided last year to establish its European headquarters in Copenhagen as EIFO and a local pension fund invested in the company. Atom Computing has developed a “neutral atom” technology, currently considered the best performing quantum technology.
Jason Zander, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Corporation, commented:
“We are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with Denmark and the Nordics - key to Europe’s quantum ambitions. Together with Atom Computing, we are striving to build the world’s most powerful quantum computer that applies Microsoft’s advanced error correction to Atom Computing’s high-fidelity qubits. We are proud that this state-of-the-art system comes to life in Denmark, also home of our decades-long investment in advanced quantum fabrication and research. We welcome this era of collaboration with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, EIFO, and industry leaders, accelerating innovation across scientific breakthroughs, from drug discovery to disease modelling. Reliable quantum computing is now a reality.”
Dr. Ben Bloom, CEO at Atom Computing, commented:
“The team at Atom Computing is excited to deliver its cutting-edge technology into the hands of a broad range of users, as Atom’s hardware integrates advanced compute capabilities that enable deep technical research into novel logical qubit algorithms and quantum error correction. On top of that, together with Microsoft, the system provides a full-stack solution that empowers quantum innovation and applications for academia and industry. We believe that together with Microsoft and QuNorth, the Danish and Nordic quantum ecosystems will take a global leadership position for years to come.”
Construction of Magne will begin in autumn 2025, and the computer is expected to be ready for its first tasks by the new year 2026/27. The selection of Microsoft and Atom Computing in making Magne possible is the result of a thorough evaluation of various quantum platform’s current technological strengths and benefits, as well as the solution’s overall contribution to the Nordic quantum ecosystem, including access for researchers to the physical hardware.
Magne will be 100% Danish-owned, with EIFO and the Novo Nordisk Foundation each investing approximately €40 million in the establishment of QuNorth. Search for a CEO for the new company will now begin, and QuNorth plans to build a small organization of around 10 employees, whose primary task will be to ensure optimal utilization of Magne across commercial and academic users in the Nordic region. In addition, QuNorth will establish four PhD/postdoc roles in collaboration with Microsoft.
QuNorth will present its commercial and academic program at a Nordic quantum event to be held in autumn 2025. Both Magne and QuNorth will be based in Copenhagen.
About QuNorth
About Magne
About quantum technology and level 2 computers
The three levels of quantum computing are:
About EIFO, www.eifo.dk
About Novo Nordisk Foundation, www.novonordiskfonden.dk
At the end of 2024, Atom Computing and Microsoft demonstrated the entanglement of large numbers of logical qubits in Atom’s flagship systems, and used them for running algorithms. Since then, the team at Atom has been improving the quality, reliability, and robustness of these logical qubits.
Today, researchers at Atom Computing demonstrated new error correction capabilities which enable high-depth logical circuits on Atom’s neutral-atom quantum processors. Leveraging these capabilities, the team also demonstrated improved system reliability with deterministic creation of logical qubit quantum states (logical Bell pairs) and increased system robustness by replacing qubits that are lost mid-circuit without disrupting the rest of the running algorithm, thereby enabling the platform to run circuits indefinitely.
The key enablers of this progress are an upgraded implementation of Atom’s unique mid-circuit measurement technique (the ability to read out a subset of the qubits in the platform without disturbing all other qubits) with immediate qubit reset and reuse, and the integration of real-time conditional branching (the ability of the system’s software stack to decide what its next operation should be, based on the mid-circuit measurement results).
Atom Computing continues to execute on its roadmap towards fault-tolerant quantum computing, both through advanced research projects and participation in the DARPA QBI program. This progress shows that Atom Computing’s neutral atom technology is not only scalable in the number of logical qubits, but also in their performance. Improvements along both vectors is crucial for being able to build and deliver platforms that can solve large computational problems that enable scientific and economic value beyond classical computing.
Dr. Ben Bloom, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Atom Computing, said “These demonstrations of our technology continue to prove that Atom is a leading contender to win the race to fault-tolerant quantum computing. With our scalable logical qubits, both in numbers and in quality, we are looking forward to enabling our customers to fully leverage this technology for their researchers and ecosystems.”
The work was supported by researchers from the Microsoft Quantum team.
April 3, 2025 – Berkeley, CA – Atom Computing has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to explore how Atom’s highly-scalable neutral atom technology will realize utility-scale quantum computing in the near term.
The Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI), an expansion of the existing Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program, aims to determine the possibility of building an industrially useful quantum computer much faster than conventional predictions.
Atom Computing has been selected for Stage A of the QBI program, which focuses on the conceptual description of a utility-scale quantum computer that has a plausible path to realization in the near term. As part of the program, Microsoft has agreed to also provide algorithmic support and error correction codes to Atom Computing.
To realize a utility-scale quantum computer, Atom Computing leverages the scalability and flexibility of its technology, as well as multiple critical platform capabilities such as high-fidelity gate operations, all-to-all qubit connectivity, 1,000+ physical qubits, long coherence times, and mid-circuit measurement with qubit reset and reuse. These capabilities enabled the recent joint demonstration with Microsoft of the entanglement of 24 logical qubits, and error detection, correction, and computation with 28 logical qubits.
“Pushing the state-of-the-art of quantum computing to utility scale is an exciting challenge, and it is an incredible honor to be selected to participate in DARPA’s QBI program”, said Dr. Ben Bloom, Founder and CEO of Atom Computing. “We are confident that Atom Computing’s technology and roadmap are on track with DARPA’s timeline for achieving utility-scale quantum computing.”
About Atom Computing
Atom Computing is developing large-scale quantum computers to enable companies and researchers to achieve unprecedented computational breakthroughs. Utilizing highly scalable arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms, the company has developed systems with over 1,000 qubits, featuring advanced capabilities towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. Atom Computing’s on-premises systems provide customers with new computational tools to address increasingly complex applications and to grow their quantum ecosystem. Learn more at atom-computing.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
MARCH 18, 2025 - Boulder, CO – Atom Computing announced today that it has been named to Fast Company’s renowned list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025.
This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations to set new standards and achieve remarkable milestones in all sectors of the economy. Alongside the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company recognizes 609 organizations across 58 sectors and regions.
Atom Computing is being recognized as #10 in the Computing category for its pioneering work in neutral atom quantum computing.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by Fast Company for our innovation and progress in developing cutting-edge quantum computing technology,” said Ben Bloom, PhD, Founder & CEO of Atom Computing. “We’re excited to enable researchers with new computational tools to explore breakthrough applications in chemistry, materials science, and beyond.”
To unleash the power of quantum computing, it is critical to develop new generations of systems that correct errors by using many physical qubits to produce “logical qubits.” These logical qubits can then run intricate quantum programs that address some of today’s most complex computational problems.
In 2024, Atom Computing became the first quantum company to surpass 1,200 physical qubits and demonstrated all the key ingredients required for error-corrected, logical qubit operation in its commercially available flagship quantum systems. Building on these achievements, Atom Computing went on to entangle a record-setting 24 logical qubits and executed an algorithm with 28 logical qubits in collaboration with Microsoft—groundbreaking steps toward harnessing quantum computing’s full capabilities.
Atom Computing also announced that it would make its systems available for on-premises deployment as part of a joint commercial offering with Microsoft, helping expand access to quantum technology and fostering a diverse and robust quantum ecosystem.
The World’s Most Innovative Companies stands as Fast Company’s hallmark franchise and one of its most anticipated editorial efforts of the year. To determine honorees, Fast Company’s editors and writers review companies driving progress around the world and across industries, evaluating thousands of submissions through a competitive application process. The result is a globe-spanning guide to innovation today, from early-stage startups to some of the most valuable companies in the world.
“Our list of the Most Innovative Companies offers both a comprehensive look at innovation today and a playbook for the future,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “This year, we recognize companies that are harnessing AI in deep and meaningful ways, brands that are turning customers into superfans by overdelivering for them, and challengers that are introducing bold ideas and vital competition to their industries. At a time when the world is rapidly shifting, these companies are charting the way forward.”
About Atom Computing
Atom Computing is developing large-scale quantum computers to enable companies and researchers to achieve unprecedented computational breakthroughs. Utilizing highly scalable arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms, the company has developed systems with over 1,000 qubits, featuring advanced capabilities towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. Atom Computing’s on-premises systems provide customers with new computational tools to address increasingly complex applications and to grow their quantum ecosystem.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow business publication Inc. For more information, please visit fastcompany.com.