IQM Quantum Computers has brought its first quantum computer in Italy online.

According to the Finnish quantum computing company, the 5-qubit IQM Spark system has been installed in the Turin data center belonging to Politecnico di Torino (PoliTo), Italy’s oldest technical university.

The system was acquired as part of a partnership between PoliTo, the LINKS Foundation, and the National Institute of Metrological Research (NriM).

IQM’s Spark quantum machines have been specifically tailored for universities and research labs, offering high single-qubit and two-qubit gate fidelity, which the company says allows for reliable and accurate quantum applications. The quantum computer comes equipped with an “advanced cryogenic system” that operates at a temperature of about 20 millikelvin, close to absolute zero (-273.15°C or -459.67°F).

“The goal of our Polytechnic ecosystem is to create a first hub where academia and innovation centers work together, in such a way as to make this technology usable and exportable to industry activities towards society,” said the rector of the Polytechnic, Stefano Corgnati.

“We represent one of the first Italian applications that use this type of technology: for us, this is an important aspect because on the one hand it allows us to build innovative training paths, on the other it allows us to systematize these new scientific trajectories with the industrial fabric of the Italian system and the Piedmont system.”

Mikko Välimäki, co-CEO of IQM Quantum Computers, added: “Italy has enormous potential in the quantum field and our collaboration with Links allows us to take a step forward to strengthen the quantum ecosystem, especially in Piedmont.”

While the quantum computer at PoliTo is the first IQM system the company has bought online in Italy, in March 2025, IQM signed an agreement with Italian supercomputing center CINECA to integrate one of its 54-qubit Radiance quantum computers with the Leonardo supercomputer.

That system is expected to be delivered and installed in Q4 2025 and will be the first on-premise quantum computer at CINECA in Bologna, Italy.

DCD recently visited IQM’s Munich site, profiled in the upcoming issue of DCD>Magazine. Register here to download it for free.