Eleqtron
Overview
Laser-free trapped ion quantum computing using magnetic field gradients and globally applied microwave pulses. Eliminates the complex optical systems required by competitors — could prove critical for scaling, as individual laser addressing becomes exponentially harder with more qubits.
0Key Milestones
- 2020: Spun out of Leibniz University Hannover
- 2023: Won Cyberagentur contract for defence quantum computing
- 2024: Demonstrated laser-free trapped ion gate operations
Technology Approach
Eleqtron’s key innovation is completely eliminating lasers from trapped ion quantum computing. Instead of individually addressing each ion with a precisely aimed laser beam (the standard approach), Eleqtron uses magnetic field gradients and globally applied microwave pulses.
This is more than an engineering convenience. Individual laser addressing is one of the primary scaling bottlenecks in trapped ion systems — aligning hundreds or thousands of laser beams with sub-micron precision is extraordinarily difficult. Microwave control, by contrast, scales naturally through chip-level integration.
Competitive Position
Strengths: Potentially the most scalable trapped ion approach. German government defence backing.
Challenges: Early stage, no public performance benchmarks. Microwave-driven fidelities need to match laser-driven competitors. Part of a crowded German quantum ecosystem (IQM, PlanQC, Kiutra).