Niels Bohr Institute Spinout Pelagic Systems Targets Quantum Hardware Control

Insider Brief

• Pelagic Systems, a spinout from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme at the Niels Bohr Institute, is launching software for calibrating, monitoring and controlling quantum hardware.
• The company says its platform has been demonstrated on superconducting quantum processors, where it can characterize and recalibrate key processor parameters on millisecond timescales.
• Supported by Innovation Fund Denmark, Pelagic is offering its software to research groups and quantum computing companies working on advanced quantum hardware.

Pelagic Systems, a new spinout from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme (NQCP) at the Niels Bohr Institute, was announced on October 27, 2026, according to a company press release. The company is developing the software layer for operating quantum hardware at the frontier.

Pelagic describes quantum processors as experimental systems that are delicate and constantly changing. Its platform brings tools to measure, understand and control them into a single software package, the release states. The company says that by closely integrating high-level experimental software with real-time hardware control, the platform makes possible a new generation of quantum experiments that can respond, adapt and explore the full potential of quantum hardware.

For Peter Krogstrup, CEO of NQCP and Quantum Foundry Copenhagen, Pelagic is an example of how technology developed around the programme’s quantum computing work can become capabilities with value well beyond a single research project, the release says. Krogstrup said in the release:

“I’m incredibly proud to see Pelagic Systems spin out of our program. It’s a sophisticated piece of quantum computing control software that’s extremely efficient at calibrating, validating, and maintaining our QC hardware. Its built-in fast control and readout algorithms also enable us to apply advanced multi-qubit operations as we progress toward more complex hardware systems.”

Pelagic said the technology has already been developed and demonstrated on superconducting quantum processors at NQCP and the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), including the ability to characterize and recalibrate key processor parameters on millisecond timescales. The company is now offering these capabilities to research groups and quantum computing companies working at the frontier of quantum hardware. According to the release, the software builds on years of experimental research and is designed to help scientists and engineers run more sophisticated experiments while addressing the growing difficulty of calibrating and controlling larger-scale quantum processors.

Innovation Fund Denmark also supported the work through its InnoExplorer and Grand Solutions programs, which the release says helped the team mature the technology and take its first steps beyond the university. Cecilie Brøkner, CEO of Innovation Fund Denmark, said:

“Quantum computing has the potential to help solve complex societal challenges. Denmark’s strong research environment gives us an opportunity to help shape this technology and build new businesses around it. We are excited to see our investment in research help lay the foundation for a new spinout bringing that knowledge closer to real-world impact. We wish the team behind Pelagic Systems every success.”

The release adds that the launch reflects the Niels Bohr Institute’s role as an environment where fundamental research, technology development and new companies can grow directly alongside one another. Prof. Joachim Mathiesen, Head of the Niels Bohr Institute, said:

“Pelagic demonstrates how excellent research can find new applications. It is exciting to follow this important step towards outside-lab impact. Congratulations to the team behind Pelagic.”