May 2021 – ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) opened a new joint Quantum Computing Hub dedicated to developing next-generation quantum computers. Backed by CHF 32 million from ETH, the center in canton Aargau brings together about 30 researchers under one roof. Uniquely, it houses two leading quantum hardware approaches side by side: superconducting circuits and trapped-ion technologies. By exploring both ion-trap and superconducting qubit systems in the same lab, Swiss researchers hope to spur synergies in scaling to larger qubit counts and improving reliability.
Why it’s important: This hub is Switzerland’s bold bid to accelerate quantum computer engineering. Combining the expertise of ETH (one of the world’s top tech universities) and PSI (a large federal lab) underlines a “Team Switzerland” approach to hardware innovation. The investment aims to propel Swiss prototypes beyond the 50-100 qubit scale, a critical threshold for useful quantum machines. It also strengthens Switzerland’s talent pipeline and infrastructure in a field dominated by US and Chinese efforts. The ETH-PSI hub reflects how countries with strong research ecosystems can collaborate internally to stay competitive globally in quantum computing.
