What is eleQtron/Jülich JION Trapped-Ion Quantum Computer?

Quantum computing aims at calculations that ordinary computers would find extremely slow, but according to Wikipedia, today's quantum hardware is still largely experimental, and many different ways of building the basic unit, the qubit, are being tried. One approach, the trapped-ion quantum computer, holds electrically charged atoms in place with electromagnetic fields and stores qubits in their electronic states. JION, short for Jülich trapped-ION quantum computer, is a machine of this kind that runs step-by-step operations called gates whose qubits are ytterbium ions; its maker eleQtron says the qubits are controlled with microwaves, using a method it calls MAGIC, instead of lasers. Jülich says JION will be made available to research institutions and industry through its JUNIQ infrastructure, which links quantum systems with the centre's supercomputers. Forschungszentrum Jülich and eleQtron inaugurated it on 3 September 2026.

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