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Bechtle Adds IQM Quantum Systems to DLR Initiative
Bechtle will provide the German Aerospace Center’s Quantum Computing Initiative with cloud-based access to IQM superconducting quantum systems through June 2027. The agreement also includes a dedicated server at IQM’s Munich data centre for
Quantum.world Team · Written with AI · fact-checked ·
“With our production-grade superconducting quantum computers, the DLR QCI gains direct access to powerful quantum systems operated in Europe and backed by deep technical expertise and practical support.”
Jan Goetz, CEO and co-founder of IQM Quantum Computers
Bechtle announced on 20 October that it will provide cloud-based computing time on IQM quantum systems to the German Aerospace Center’s Quantum Computing Initiative (DLR QCI). The framework agreement expands the systems available to the initiative’s application teams and adds superconducting hardware to a portfolio already spanning several quantum-computing approaches. The announcement also describes opportunities to compare the new systems with quantum systems DLR QCI already uses.
IQM Resonance handles access and accounts
Users will connect through IQM Resonance, IQM’s cloud platform for planning, developing, running and managing quantum algorithms. The platform also supports user and group management across the development process. Bechtle’s IT System House Bonn will handle user onboarding and account administration, as well as provide computing time on IQM’s superconducting systems. Bechtle and IQM teams will support operation, according to the announcement.
The agreement builds on a partnership the companies began in 2024. DLR QCI’s cloud access to IQM systems is set to run until June 2027. The announcement does not name a processor model or qubit count, and it gives no access quotas, pricing or performance targets.
A dedicated server supports hybrid work
The cloud access comes with conventional computing resources at IQM’s data centre in Munich. A server provisioned exclusively for DLR QCI is intended to support hybrid workloads and algorithms that combine high-performance computing with quantum resources. The announcement specifies the server’s location and purpose, but does not provide technical details such as its configuration or capacity.
That classical component matters for research workflows in which quantum processors form one part of a larger computing job. The contract provides infrastructure and a route for application teams to test and compare systems; it does not announce a benchmark result or a performance advantage over other approaches.
Superconducting hardware joins four other approaches
DLR QCI commissions companies to develop quantum computers, algorithms and applications, with work focused on areas including materials research, aerospace, mobility and security. The initiative brings together start-ups, industry, research institutions and the public sector, and is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. Its work includes practical use cases in those fields, while the agreement adds another system type for its application teams to access.
Its existing mix includes trapped-ion, neutral-atom, photonic and NV-centre approaches. IQM’s superconducting systems add another hardware type for teams to access through the initiative. The stated service term is specific: cloud-based access continues through June 2027, alongside the dedicated Munich server for conventional computing and hybrid workloads.