# Universal Quantum launches iQPU trapped-ion chip with 400 mm² compute area

- Published: 2026-11-04 06:11 UTC
- Section: Digital & Computing › Quantum technology
- Tags: Universal Quantum iQPU, trapped-ion quantum computer, QCCD, UQConnect, DLR quantum computer, quantum chip, 200 mm foundry
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-25ae0ea01f971e737eb628a2_universal_quantum_launches/

**The UK-German company combined an ion trap, control electronics and modular links on one chip made on a 200 mm foundry line.**

![Universal Quantum engineers working with trapped-ion quantum hardware in the lab.](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/66f327fe6c7de88d.jpg)
*Universal Quantum laboratory, from the iQPU launch materials.*

## Key points

- Universal Quantum launched the iQPU on November 3.
- The chip has an active compute area of more than 400 mm².
- The iQPU is made on a commercial 200 mm foundry line.
- It will go into two quantum computers for DLR under €67 million in contracts.

Universal Quantum, based in Haywards Heath, UK, and Hamburg, Germany, launched the iQPU on November 3, an integrated quantum processing unit for trapped-ion computers [1]. The chip combines a trapped-ion compute surface with an active area of more than 400 mm², built-in low-noise control electronics and UQConnect interfaces for linking chips together [1][2].

## iQPU design: QCCD architecture on a 200 mm line

The iQPU uses a Quantum Charge-Coupled Device (QCCD) architecture, which moves ions across the chip to create flexible, long-range connections between qubits [1]. Universal Quantum describes the compute surface as the largest trapped-ion surface in the world; that is the company's own claim [1]. The chip is fabricated on a commercial 200 mm semiconductor foundry line with industry-standard tools, which the company sees as the route to volume manufacturing [1][3].

Putting control electronics on the chip addresses a known bottleneck: large trapped-ion systems need many control lines, and wiring them from outside grows hard as qubit counts rise [2]. The UQConnect interconnect is meant to let separate processors exchange quantum information and work as one larger machine [1].

"A scalable quantum computer cannot be assembled by adding complexity one qubit at a time," said Mike Newman, VP of Engineering [1].

## Where the chip goes first

The iQPU will be integrated into two scalable quantum computers that Universal Quantum is building for the German Aerospace Center (DLR) under contracts worth €67 million; DLR plans to use them to explore space mission planning, climate modelling and materials design [1]. The company spun out of the University of Sussex in 2018 and raised a Series A round in October that it puts at more than $100 million [1][2]. The release does not give qubit counts or gate fidelities for the new chip.

## Our outlook

The next milestone to watch is published qubit numbers and two-qubit fidelities on the iQPU. Delivery of the DLR systems will be the first real test of the modular approach.

## Sources

1. [Universal Quantum press release](https://universalquantum.com/knowledge-hub/universal-quantum-launches-the-iqpu-a-chip-designed-to-take-quantum-computers-to-scale)
2. [The Quantum Insider](https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/11/03/universal-quantum-combines-ion-trap-controls-and-modular-links-in-new-chip/)
3. [Quantum Computing Report](https://quantumcomputingreport.com/universal-quantum-unveils-the-iqpu-foundry-fabricated-trapped-ion-processor-engineered-for-modular-scaling/)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-25ae0ea01f971e737eb628a2_universal_quantum_launches/