Quantum/Machines/JION
Germany · operational · Trapped ions
JION
JION is a trapped ions quantum computer operated by Forschungszentrum Julich in Germany. Its physical qubit count has not been published. 8 sourced specs are in the spec sheet. No benchmark figures are recorded for it yet.
Also known as Julich trapped-ion quantum computer
Laser-free trapped-ion computer built by eleQtron and inaugurated at the Julich Supercomputing Centre on 2026-09-03, accessed through JUNIQ and linked to JUPITER for hybrid workloads. Funding is about 21 million euros under the EPIQ project. The current qubit count and fidelities were not disclosed in the pages consulted. A separate Q-STAR.NRW project is planned to integrate a system of up to 200 qubits, which is not recorded here.
Co-located supercomputer: JUPITER. This machine is integrated with, or hosted beside, that system.
Spec sheet
Technical details as the builder or a paper states them, each with its own source. A blank is a fact we could not source, not a zero. Fidelity and coherence figures are in the benchmark table below.
| Spec | Value | Basis | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qubit type | Ytterbium trapped ions, microwave-controlled (MAGIC) | Independent | Forschungszentrum Julich states ionised ytterbium atoms held in vacuum; the isotope is not stated on these pages. | fz-juelich.dequantumcomputingreport.com |
| Topology | Direct qubit-qubit coupling via magnetic field gradient (MAGIC), no laser addressing | Independent | FZJ says qubits can be individually controlled and directly coupled; QCR adds long-range gradient coupling between non-adjacent ions. | fz-juelich.dequantumcomputingreport.com |
| Native gates | Microwave single-qubit rotations and magnetic-gradient-induced multi-qubit gates | Independent | QCR describes gates driven by global microwave pulses and a static gradient; exact gate names are not published. | quantumcomputingreport.comfz-juelich.de |
| Cooling and environment | Room-temperature trap, no cryogenics, ions held in vacuum | Independent | FZJ says the processor does not need temperatures near absolute zero; QCR says the core trap assembly runs at room temperature. | fz-juelich.dequantumcomputingreport.com |
| Fabrication | Built by eleQtron (Siegen, Germany) for Forschungszentrum Julich | Independent | Delivered under the EPIQ project with about 21 million euros of NRW funding; inaugurated 2026-09-03. | fz-juelich.de |
| Cloud platforms | JUNIQ (Julich user infrastructure for quantum computing) | Independent | JUNIQ is described as a vendor-neutral platform with peer-reviewed access. | fz-juelich.dequantumcomputingreport.com |
| Access and pricing | On-premises at Julich, offered through JUNIQ with peer-review based access; wider access still being opened | Independent | FZJ says JION should become open to research and industry via JUNIQ; eleQtron says access is a goal for the future (2026-09). | fz-juelich.dequantumcomputingreport.com |
| Roadmap | eleQtron SQALING project targets scalable chip-based trapped-ion platforms | Independent | FZJ release of 2026-09-03 presents SQALING (up to about 25 million euros) as the next development step after JION; separate from the planned Q-STAR.NRW system. | fz-juelich.de |
Timeline
- 2026-09: First operational
- 2026-10: Status checked: operational
More from Forschungszentrum Julich
- JUPSI (upgraded, 4,400 qubits)
- Pasqal JADE (operational, 100 qubits)
Comparable trapped ion machines
Closest in physical qubit count within the same technology. Counts of different qubit types are not interchangeable across technologies.
| Machine | Operator | Qubits | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IonQ Forte Enterprise at EPB | EPB | 36 | operational |
| AQT LYNX | AQT | - | operational |
| IonQ Superion 256 | IonQ | 256 | under construction |
| Quantinuum Helios | Quantinuum | 98 | operational |
| Reimei | RIKEN | 20 | operational |
| Oxford Ionics QUARTET | National Quantum Computing Centre | - | operational |