Insider Brief
- Universal Quantum and Atlas Copco Group have signed a strategic MoU to co-develop industrial vacuum systems for scalable, modular trapped-ion quantum computers.
- The collaboration focuses on extreme-high-vacuum systems that support multi-chip ion trap operation within a shared vacuum environment and a pathway toward manufacturable production.
- The partnership aims to establish UK and European supply chains and strengthen regional capability for utility-scale quantum computing infrastructure.
PRESS RELEASE — Universal Quantum Ltd, the company building utility scale quantum computers based on a modular and manufacturable silicon based trapped ion architecture, has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with Atlas Copco Group, a global leader in vacuum and cryogenic technologies.
This agreement aligns Universal Quantum’s long-term roadmap with Atlas Copco’s industrial expertise to co-develop integrated vacuum system solutions designed specifically for quantum computers that will operate at large scale.
Quantum Computers Built to Scale Inside One Shared Vacuum System
Universal Quantum’s trapped ion machines are engineered around a modular architecture, where multiple silicon ion trap chips operate together inside one continuous Extreme High Vacuum (XHV) environment. Each chip contains zones for logic, memory and ion transport, and the modules connect through UQ Connect, the company’s proprietary electronic interconnect that enables ions to be physically moved between chips with high fidelity.
Because all modules share the same vacuum environment, vacuum engineering becomes one of the most important components of the entire system. It must maintain long term stability, support fast ion transport, prevent background gas collisions, and operate reliably over the extended lifetimes required inside a quantum computer. It must also be manufacturable, serviceable and scalable.
This MoU directly strengthens one of the critical enabling technologies in Universal Quantum’s architecture: a vacuum platform designed not as research infrastructure but as industrial quantum machinery.
Why the Partnership Matters
Under the MoU, Universal Quantum and Atlas Copco, through its brands Edwards, Leybold, Gamma and Montana Instruments, will:
- Align technical roadmaps to support Universal Quantum’s modular ion trap systems at industrial scale,
- Co-develop advanced Extreme-high vacuum (XHV) systems designed for modular quantum architectures and identify a pathway from XHV into Acute High Vacuum (AHV).
- Build a United Kingdom and European supply chain for vacuum system equipment for quantum machines.
- Enable near term prototyping and long-term production capability for future quantum systems.
- Strengthen sovereign capability in the UK and Europe for next generation quantum technologies.
Driving Scalable and Manufacturable Quantum Systems
Vacuum engineering is one of the foundational pillars enabling trapped ion quantum computers to scale. Quantum ions require environments with near perfect isolation and long-term stability, especially when thousands of qubits and multiple modules operate in synchrony.
Atlas Copco’s Scientific Vacuum Division, has deep expertise in ultra clean environments, cryogenic compatibility, semiconductor grade manufacturing and advanced vacuum system design. These are all essential for the next generation of quantum systems.
By combining this industrial capability with Universal Quantum’s modular trapped ion design, the partnership creates a pathway to build the vacuum infrastructure required for utility scale quantum computers with UK and European provenance.
Executive Comments
Dr Michael Newman, VP Engineering at Universal Quantum, said:
“Utility scale quantum computing demands engineering precision from the ion trap chip all the way up to the vacuum system that houses the full machine. Our MoU with Atlas Copco brings world class industrial capability directly into our scaling architecture. Together we are building the vacuum backbone that will carry quantum computing from laboratory prototypes into fully manufacturable systems.”
Atlas Copco added — “Quantum computing is entering a stage in which the integration of vacuum and cryogenics into advanced vacuum system design are no longer laboratory tools but full production systems. Working with Universal Quantum gives us the opportunity to industrialise the vacuum environments required for the quantum computers of the future.”
