Bluefors, the world leader in manufacturing cryogenic measurement systems for quantum technology, has joined mHUB as a tenant, bringing its Bluefors Lab service into the United States for the first time. Bluefors Lab offers startups, research groups, and other organizations easy and convenient access to a cryogenic measurement system through a service-based model.
The Bluefors system allows quantum researchers and tech innovators to operate at cryogenic temperatures—critical for the functionality of qubits in quantum technologies such as quantum computers, sensors, and communications. The addition of this equipment to mHUB’s prototyping labs will add to a growing pool of resources for quantum research and development in the region.
said Anssi Salmela, Chief Technical Operations Officer at Bluefors. “The city’s strategic investment in quantum technology makes it an ideal location for accessibility to our measurement system in the US, empowering innovators to push the boundaries of what is possible in quantum science and engineering.”
The equipment at the Chicago facility includes a Bluefors LD400 dilution refrigerator with optical access to the experimental space. The system is equipped with wiring and cryogenic electronics, as well as a cryogen-free superconducting 3D vector magnet. The service also includes access to Quantum Machines’ OPX 1000 hybrid control electronics, with modules for five-qubit measurements.
Bluefors, mHub, and Quantum Machines are all members of the US Economic Development Administration–designated Bloch Quantum Tech Hub, which is led by the Chicago Quantum Exchange. The shared facility was part of The Bloch’s proposal. The Bloch Quantum, which received $500,000 in funding last year, is the nation’s only quantum innovation team rallying entire sectors around society’s most urgent challenges—to combat financial fraud, secure the energy grid, and accelerate the development of life-saving drugs.
“We already have close to two dozen quantum companies growing in the Illinois-Wisconsin-Indiana region because of the top-tier expertise, growing infrastructure, and deep partnerships that drive our vibrant quantum ecosystem,” said David Awschalom, the Liew Family Profession of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and the director of the CQE. “Bluefors Lab service at mHub will provide valuable resources for our local quantum innovators. We are delighted to welcome them to the region.”