In mid-December, “Baby Diamond” was officially commissioned at the Institute of Computer Science.
Quantum computers promise great things. They are set to become the next generation of computers, calculating much faster than today’s supercomputers, and in a much more energy-efficient manner. They seek to make agriculture and transport more sustainable, cities and networks more intelligent, and medicines more effective. They are capable of simulating the weather, the climate and the environment to protect biodiversity and combat climate change. In short, they promise the resolution of complex global problems on the path to a sustainable future – and so much more – by tackling complex questions in physics and chemistry, artificial intelligence and the world of finance.
All these promises are based on the fundamentally new way that quantum computers operate. “Normal” computers, laptops and smartphones work with bits as units of information. A bit can be 0 or 1, which is mapped by the presence or absence of an electrical voltage. “No voltage” stands for 0, and “voltage” stands for 1.
Quantum bits – also known as “qubits” – are different. In addition to 0 and 1, they can represent many other states in between. This means that carrying out the same calculation on them requires fewer qubits than bits. What is more, the qubits can be connected with one another via quantum entanglement. This makes quantum computers much more efficient than binary computers. Whereas the computational power of conventional computers increases in a linear fashion as the number of bits rises, a quantum computer’s computational power increases exponentially with the number of qubits. Thomas Lippert, Professor of Modular Supercomputing and Quantum Computing at Goethe University’s Institute of Computer Science, explains: “To simulate a state with two qubits, we need four complex numbers, which means that rather than six, it takes eight to simulate a state with three qubits. This means that 50 qubits can encode not 100 numbers, but 2 to the power of 50 complex numbers – that’s more than one quadrillion.”
Enormous computing capacity when combined with conventional computers
Lippert is convinced that quantum computers will one day be able to fulfill at least some of their promises – maybe not on their own, but definitely when used in combination with conventional binary computers. He explains: “Quantum computers aren’t being built to replace high-performance computers. Since they are pretty poor at traditional arithmetic, this is a field where quantum computers can only be employed to a very limited extent. Instead, we need them as a supplement to open up areas that we simply haven’t been able to calculate before now.” First and foremost, he adds, is planning traffic routes or flight schedules. “As such, we’ll be able to re-optimize and control the traffic situation in a major city every few seconds.”
Computer expert Lippert has been working to ensure that Goethe University gets its own quantum computer, the first in the state of Hesse. The machine, called “Baby Diamond,” was supplied by start-up company XeedQ. Its core consists of a small industrial diamond into which nitrogen atoms have been inserted. This creates flaws in the diamond’s crystalline carbon lattice, where a laser can excite the atoms into various states that are used as qubits.
With five qubits, this quantum computer is relatively small, but unlike others of its kind – which have to be supercooled close to absolute zero using liquid helium – it can operate at 20 degrees Celsius. This makes it exceptionally suitable for research, as Lippert explains: “Our ‘Baby Diamond’ has three jobs to do. We will use it to research the best way of using a quantum computer, and we will develop quantum algorithms and applications, particularly in combination with supercomputers. Last but not least, ‘Baby Diamond’ is the first step toward a quantum computing infrastructure for users from research, the National High Performance Computing (NHR) Alliance, and in particular from regional companies.”
Quantum power, historic location
“Baby Diamond” was ceremonially commissioned at the end of 2024 – “christening the baby,” as Goethe University President Prof. Enrico Schleiff put it, while drawing attention to the noteworthy location of Hesse’s first quantum computer: “In the night from February 7 to 8, 1922, physicists Otto Stern and Walther Gerlach succeeded in conducting an experiment barely 100 meters from here at what was then a very young Goethe University. That experiment earned Otto Stern the Nobel Prize in 1943 and is known today as the Stern-Gerlach experiment.” The two scientists showed that an atom’s magnetic moment cannot adopt just any direction, but is quantized. Schleiff explained: “This was a milestone in quantum physics and laid the foundation for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, atomic clocks, lasers – and also quantum computers.” He asked the political representatives present – Hesse’s Science Minister Timon Gremmels and Digitalization Minister Kristina Sinemus – to be baby’s “godparents,” to which both happily agreed.
Science Minister Gremmels stated: “The first functional quantum computer at a Hessian university is truly a cause for celebration. Goethe University’s competence and expertise in traditional high-performance computing are already demonstrated by its impressive successes and good rankings among the world’s most powerful and energy-efficient high-performance computers. That is now being supplemented and enriched with the new quantum computing technology.” The minister added that the interaction between traditional high-performance computers and quantum computers was sure to be crucial in the future. “We need the courage to try out new things, test new technologies in practice, and integrate tried-and-tested methods. All of this is being done here on site – testimony to the fact that the state of Hesse is at the forefront of developments.”
Prof. Kristina Sinemus, Hessian Minister for Digitalization and Innovation, added: “Quantum computing is a key technology of the future, offering enormous potential for value creation and innovation. In Hesse, we have laid a strong foundation in recent years to actively shape this development – with an excellent ecosystem of cutting-edge research, artificial intelligence and applied quantum computing, which is already firmly anchored in our digital strategy. The launch of ‘Baby Diamond’ at Goethe University is an impressive demonstration of how Hesse is helping to shape Europe’s digitalization.”
Enrichment for studies and research
Ulrich Schielein, Goethe University Vice President and Chief Information Officer, added: “The exciting thing about ‘Baby Diamond’ is that our researchers and students can actually control small details of the microwave pulse forms that manipulate the quantum bits and their interactions. Thanks to ‘Baby Diamond’, Goethe University’s students have the opportunity – unique anywhere in Germany – of having direct contact with a real quantum computer.” In just a few years, Schielein said, Goethe University’s theoretical competence and extensive practical experience could qualify it to apply for a quantum computer in the 100-qubit class, which would put the university in academic pole position.
“Baby Diamond” already has a comprehensive schedule. The Frankfurt group led by Prof. Thomas Lippert will cooperate with scientists in the Netherlands and France to develop methodological applications, including new paths in machine learning, procedures for error correction in quantum computer systems (which are still very susceptible to errors), and new algorithms for prime factorization. The first concrete applications are also waiting for “Baby Diamond”, including the calculation of problems from quantum chemistry, the optimization of finance portfolios (e.g. for retirement provision), and the optimization of nursing staff schedules as part of a hospital application. There is huge interest, according to Lippert, especially among students interested in and familiar with the field. “They’re already queuing up to obtain their first hands-on experience with the system.”
