BMW Group, Airbus and Quantinuum Collaborate to Fast-Track Sustainable Mobility Research Using Cutting-Edge Quantum Computers
The joint group has developed a hybrid quantum-classical workflow, focusing on the chemical reactions of catalysts in fuel cells
Munich, Germany; Toulouse, France; and Cambridge, UK, August 2nd, 2023 — Airbus, BMW Group and Quantinuum, world leaders in mobility and quantum technologies, have developed a hybrid quantum-classical workflow to speed up future research using quantum computers to simulate quantum systems, focusing on the chemical reactions of catalysts in fuel cells.
In a new technical paper, "Applicability of Quantum Computing to Oxygen Reduction Reaction Simulations“, the three partners report accurately modeling the oxygen reduction reaction ("ORR") on the surface of a platinum-based catalyst. The ORR is the chemical reaction in the process that converts hydrogen and oxygen into water and electricity in a fuel cell and it limits the efficiency of the process. It is relatively slow and requires a large amount of platinum catalyst, so there is great interest and value in better understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in the reaction.
Using Quantinuum's H-Series quantum computer, the collaboration team has demonstrated the applicability of quantum computing in an industrial workflow to enhance our understanding of a critical chemical reaction. The three companies plan further collaboration to explore the use of quantum computing to address relevant industrial challenges.
Dr. Peter Lehnert, Vice-President, Research Technologies at BMW Group stated: “Circularity and sustainable mobility are putting us on a quest for new materials, to create more efficient products and shape the future premium user experience. Being able to simulate material properties to relevant chemical accuracy with the benefits from the accelerating quantum computing hardware is giving us just the right tools for more speed in innovation for this decisive domain.”
As a pioneer in the global automotive market BMW Group recognizes the transformative potential of quantum computing and its importance in researching new materials, where it can enable faster and more efficient processes while reducing lab prototypes. Approaching and accurately simulating one of the most fundamental electrochemical processes for the first time using quantum computing marks a substantial step towards the sustainable energy transition, benefiting metal-air batteries, and other products with enhanced efficiency.
Isabell Gradert, Vice-President, Central Research & Technology at Airbus said: “We can clearly envision the benefits of the study in our quest for sustainable and hydrogen powered alternatives such as the ZEROe aircraft, which may operate on fuel cell engines. The study confirms that quantum computing is maturing at the scale we need for aviation.”
Airbus has identified hydrogen as a promising candidate to power low-carbon aircraft, because it emits no CO2 when flying, when generated from renewable energy. The company previously announced plans to start testing a hydrogen-powered fuel cell propulsion system onboard its ZEROe demonstrator aircraft in the next few years. The company has the ambition to develop the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft for market entry by 2035.
Ilyas Khan, Chief Product Officer, Quantinuum said: “We have been excited to be working for some time now to support the BMW Group and Airbus, both leaders in their fields, and both of whom recognize that quantum computing could play a pivotal role in advancing future sustainable mobility. In this pioneering work, we demonstrate how to integrate quantum computing into the industrial workflows of two of the world's most technologically advanced companies, tackling material science problems that are a prime target for progress using quantum computing."
The research team hopes that understanding the ORR reaction provides insights that help them identify alternative materials that may improve the performance and reduce the production costs of fuel cells. Modeling chemical reactions such as the ORR accurately is an intractable task for classical computers, due to the quantum properties of the chemical mechanisms involved, making such simulations a good candidate to benefit from a potential quantum advantage in the future.
About Quantinuum
Quantinuum is the world’s largest standalone quantum computing company, formed by the combination of Honeywell Quantum Solutions’ world-leading hardware and Cambridge Quantum’s class-leading middleware and applications. Science-led and enterprise-driven, Quantinuum accelerates quantum computing and the development of applications across chemistry, cybersecurity, finance and optimization. Its focus is to create scalable and commercial quantum solutions to solve the world’s most pressing problems in fields such as energy, logistics, climate change, and health. The company employs over 480 individuals, including 350+ scientists and engineers, at eight sites across the United States, Europe, and Japan. For more information, please visit https://www.quantinuum.com. The Honeywell trademark is used under license from Honeywell International Inc. Honeywell makes no representations or warranties with respect to this service.
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises over 30 production sites worldwide; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2022, the BMW Group sold nearly 2.4 million passenger vehicles and more than 202,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2022 was € 23.5 billion on revenues amounting to € 142.6 billion. As of 31 December 2022, the BMW Group had a workforce of 149,475 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.
About Airbus
Airbus pioneers sustainable aerospace for a safe and united world. The Company constantly innovates to provide the most efficient and technologically-advanced solutions in aerospace, defence, and connected services. In commercial aircraft, Airbus offers the most modern and fuel-efficient airliners. Airbus is also a European leader in defence and security and one of the world's leading space businesses. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.
About Quantinuum
Quantinuum, the world’s largest integrated quantum company, pioneers powerful quantum computers and advanced software solutions. Quantinuum’s technology drives breakthroughs in materials discovery, cybersecurity, and next-gen quantum AI. With over 500 employees, including 370+ scientists and engineers, Quantinuum leads the quantum computing revolution across continents.
Non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aims to support innovation and operational excellence within the energy sector.
Riyadh, August 31, 2026: Quantinuum, a leading quantum computing company, today announced the signing of a non-binding MOU with Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, to explore a series of industrial use cases, enhance quantum computing capabilities, and prepare for a potential research collaboration focused on fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Under the MOU, the companies intend to undertake preliminary technical onboarding and engage in knowledge exchange activities. They will also identify Aramco’s challenges that may be suitable for quantum computing research with an emphasis on solving complex problems in energy and digital transformation. The collaboration aims to assess how future generations of quantum systems may address relevant scientific and industrial challenges, and to benchmark different quantum computing modalities.
The collaboration complements Aramco’s existing initiatives to position itself as a leader in the application of advanced quantum technologies within the energy industry, reinforcing its efforts towards supporting the digital transformation of the sector and contributing to the evolving quantum computing roadmap for the energy industry.
“Organizations that expect to benefit from quantum computing need to begin developing their expertise, algorithms and workflows today,” said Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum. “This MOU creates a framework for Quantinuum and Aramco to exchange expertise, identify important industrial challenges and prepare for a deeper research collaboration. By combining Aramco’s scientific and engineering knowledge with Quantinuum’s integrated hardware and software capabilities, we aim to build a strong foundation for research across future generations of quantum computing.”
About Quantinuum
Quantinuum is a leading quantum computing company offering a full-stack platform designed to make quantum computing deployable in real-world environments. The company has commercially deployed multiple generations of trapped-ion based quantum systems built on the well-established QCCD architecture, which it has implemented with novel designs and capabilities to achieve the industry’s highest accuracy levels based on average two-qubit gate fidelity.1 Quantinuum has active engagements with market leaders across pharmaceuticals, material science, financial services, and government and industrial markets, as well as academic and research institutions globally. The company has a global workforce of over 800 employees, including top scientists and researchers. Quantinuum’s headquarters is in Broomfield, Colorado, with additional facilities across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Qatar, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.quantinuum.com.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. The words “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “future,” “will,” “seek,” “foreseeable,” the negative version of these words, or similar terms and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Quantinuum to predict all such factors. For additional information on these and other risks that could affect Quantinuum’s forward-looking statements, see Quantinuum’s risk factors discussed in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2026, as such risk factors may be updated from time to time. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, Quantinuum does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
1 As of December 31, 2025.
- Partnership combines Quantinuum's quantum computing leadership with Quanta Computer's expertise in industrializing advanced computing systems at a global scale
- Companies plan to co-develop the infrastructure, systems engineering, and manufacturing capabilities required for future generations of quantum computers
- Collaboration aims to support Quantinuum's technology roadmap toward commercially-deployable, large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum systems
BROOMFIELD, Colo., and TAIPEI – August 13, 2026 – Quanta Computer (“Quanta”), a Fortune Global 500 manufacturer of advanced computing and cloud infrastructure, and Quantinuum (Nasdaq: QNT), a leading quantum computing company, today announced a collaborative development agreement to help establish an industrial foundation for the next era of quantum computing.
Under the terms of the agreement, the companies plan to jointly develop critical hardware infrastructure supporting future generations of Quantinuum's quantum systems, combining Quantinuum's quantum technology leadership with Quanta's expertise in scaling sophisticated computing platforms.
Quanta and Quantinuum aim to create a practical pathway from today's quantum systems to commercially deployable quantum computers capable of supporting broad enterprise and scientific adoption. The collaboration is aiming to accelerate the path toward scalable quantum computing infrastructure. With joint engineering work already underway, the companies are designing the next generation of hardware infrastructure with the objective of making future quantum computers more modular, manufacturable, and scalable.
"It is time for quantum computing to transition from breakthroughs in physics achieved in the lab to breakthroughs in system manufacturing that can be deployed and operated at scale," said Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum. "Quanta has earned a global reputation for industrializing some of the most advanced computing technologies in the world. By working together, we can help ensure the manufacturing ecosystem, engineering expertise, and supply chains required for large-scale quantum computing evolve in parallel with the technology itself."
About Quantinuum
Quantinuum is a leading quantum computing company offering a full-stack platform designed to make quantum computing deployable in real-world environments. The company has commercially deployed multiple generations of trapped-ion based quantum systems built on the well-established QCCD architecture, which it has implemented with novel designs and capabilities to achieve the industry’s highest accuracy levels based on average two-qubit gate fidelity. Quantinuum has active engagements with market leaders across pharmaceuticals, material science, financial services, and government and industrial markets, as well as academic and research institutions globally. The company has a global workforce of approximately 700 employees, including top scientists and researchers. Over 70% of its technology team holds PhDs or Master’s degrees. Quantinuum’s headquarters is in Broomfield, Colorado, with additional facilities across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Qatar, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.quantinuum.com.
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. The words “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “future,” “will,” “seek,” “foreseeable,” the negative version of these words, or similar terms and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Quantinuum to predict all such factors. For additional information on these and other risks that could affect Quantinuum’s forward-looking statements, see Quantinuum’s risk factors discussed in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2026, as such risk factors may be updated from time to time. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, Quantinuum does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
1 As of December 31, 2025.
- Quantinuum’s most advanced quantum computer, Helios, will be deployed in a US-based OCI AI data center to enable hybrid quantum-AI workloads as an OCI service.
- Quantinuum and Oracle aim to support enterprise, AI lab, academic, and research applications spanning drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, and large-scale optimization, including AI workloads.
Broomfield, CO and Austin, TX, August 11th, 2026 — Quantinuum (NASDAQ: QNT), a leading quantum computing company, and Oracle today announced a multi-year strategic partnership to bring quantum computing to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI). Under the partnership, OCI customers will be able to directly access Quantinuum’s Helios, the most accurate commercial quantum computer in the world1, through OCI’s quantum service, alongside OCI’s high-performance computing (HPC) and GPU infrastructure.
Together, Quantinuum and Oracle plan to explore how hybrid quantum-AI infrastructure could address some of the most computationally intensive challenges facing enterprises and broaden access for universities and research institutions advancing scientific discovery and education. The partnership reflects a shared vision that the future of enterprise computing will be built on the convergence of AI, classical supercomputing, and quantum computing. Many complex problems across materials discovery, drug development, logistics, energy, and financial modeling already push the limits of today’s computing architectures.
“We believe the next phase of enterprise computing will be shaped by bringing quantum, AI, and high-performance computing together,” said Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum. “Deploying Helios inside OCI gives Quantinuum and Oracle an opportunity to create a unique deeply integrated environment for hybrid workloads, explore enterprise use cases with customers, and accelerate commercial adoption.”
Quantum computing offers a fundamentally different approach to computation with the potential to address problems that are impractical for traditional systems alone. In addition, quantum computing uses significantly less energy than supercomputers. A single Helios system has an estimated power draw of less than one percent of the draw reported for leading supercomputers,2 offering a lower power complementary resource for suitable hybrid workloads.
“AI has changed what organizations can imagine, and we believe quantum computing can expand what they’re able to solve,” said Mahesh Thiagarajan, Executive Vice President of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “By bringing Quantinuum’s Helios to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, we want to give developers a practical and secure way to explore how quantum computing could complement their existing AI and HPC workloads on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure while improving compute efficiency and energy use.”
With Quantinuum’s Helios on OCI, customers can expect to gain managed, secure access to cloud-hosted quantum computing without having to procure, install, or operate dedicated hardware or specialized facilities. Helios, launched commercially in November 2025, is Quantinuum’s third-generation quantum computer. The 98-physical-qubit trapped-ion system has been used in demonstrations involving 48 logical qubits and achieves an average two-qubit gate fidelity of 99.921%, exceeding the widely cited “three 9s” threshold. Helios is designed for hybrid integration with classical HPC and AI environments.
By operating on-premises within OCI’s infrastructure, Helios is anticipated to be able to integrate seamlessly with existing OCI compute, networking, storage, identity, and data services under the same governance and access controls customers already use. Oracle plans to preview its OCI quantum service in the coming months, giving developers a streamlined way to move from simulation to execution on real quantum computing hardware. The planned OCI quantum service is expected to combine Quantinuum’s development stack with support for open-source hybrid-programming frameworks, helping developers build, test, and refine quantum-classical applications more efficiently.
New Possibilities for Hybrid Quantum-AI Computing
“Our roadmap includes exploring classical-quantum hybrid computing to accelerate scientific discovery,” said Johannes Blaschke, Head of Scientific Computing, GBI at Ellison Institute of Technology. “QPUs promise to unlock new insights as they are very different from the hardware that we are used to. So having both GPUs and QPUs available within OCI would provide an all-in-one platform, simplify the operation of novel hardware, and help us move at speed from concept to execution by allowing our researchers to focus on innovation. It could herald in an exciting new phase for our work.”
“As quantum computing moves closer to enterprise adoption, simplifying how organizations access and integrate quantum resources has become just as important as advancing the hardware itself,” said Heather West, PhD, Global Quantum Research Lead at IDC. “Deploying quantum systems within private cloud environments enables organizations to integrate quantum computing into existing AI and HPC workflows through familiar cloud infrastructure and development tools, reducing barriers to adoption and making hybrid quantum-classical computing a practical part of enterprise IT.”
About Quantinuum
Quantinuum is a leading quantum computing company offering a full-stack platform designed to make quantum computing deployable in real-world environments. The company has commercially deployed multiple generations of trapped-ion based quantum systems built on the well-established QCCD architecture, which it has implemented with novel designs and capabilities to achieve the industry’s highest accuracy levels based on average two-qubit gate fidelity.3 Quantinuum has active engagements with market leaders across pharmaceuticals, material science, financial services, and government and industrial markets, as well as academic and research institutions globally. The company has a global workforce of approximately 800 employees, including top scientists and researchers. Over 70% of its technology team holds PhDs or Master’s degrees. Quantinuum’s headquarters is in Broomfield, Colorado, with additional facilities across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Qatar, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.quantinuum.com.
About Oracle
Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.
Trademarks
Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company—ushering in the new era of cloud computing.
Media Contacts
Aaron Sorenson
Quantinuum
aaron.sorenson@quantinuum.com
Carolin Bachmann
Oracle
carolin.bachmann@oracle.com
Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts. The words “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “future,” “will,” “seek,” “foreseeable,” the negative version of these words, or similar terms and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current economic and industry conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. The forward-looking statements included in this release are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to economic, competitive, governmental, and technological factors affecting our operations, markets, products, services and prices. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Quantinuum to predict all such factors. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, Quantinuum does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Future Product Disclaimer
The above is intended to outline our general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, timing, and pricing of any features or functionality described for Oracle’s products may change and remains at the sole discretion of Oracle Corporation.
1 Based on two-qubit gate fidelity as of December 31, 2025.
2 According to Tchakoute, R.N., et al. (2026) Energy-Aware Computing in the Year 2026., leading supercomputers use 16 MW to 39 MW of energy, whereas a single Helios unit uses approximately 60 kW without an HVAC system.
3 As of December 31, 2025