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.
TOKYO — April 14, 2026 — Quantinuum, a leading quantum computing company, today announced that RIKEN, Japan’s premier national research institute, has procured its System Model H2 quantum computer to scale the capability of “Reimei-Fugaku,” a hybrid quantum-supercomputer platform in Japan.
The Reimei-Fugaku platform represents the frontier of computing technology. Launched in the spring of 2025, it combines Quantinuum’s "Reimei" quantum system with RIKEN’s "Fugaku," one of the world’s fastest supercomputers—more formally known as a high-performance computing (HPC) system.
Now, the hybrid compute platform is getting a substantial upgrade. Earlier this month, Quantinuum delivered its H2 system to RIKEN’s research facility near Tokyo, where assembly is already underway to replace its predecessor, System Model H1, which Reimei has been based on to date. The newer-generation, 56-qubit system is engineered for high-fidelity operations that can reduce time-to-solution, enable larger workloads, and support higher-value applications.
Technology leaders see hybrid compute systems as a practical way to overcome the limits of classical HPC. By combining the significant data-processing power of HPC with a quantum computer’s ability to model complex molecules and materials, researchers could be enabled to solve specialized mathematical problems that are impractical for classical systems to handle alone.
Researchers have already demonstrated this potential using the current Reimei-Fugaku platform. In a workflow with relevance potentially extending to future pharmaceutical applications, they successfully simulated biomolecular reactions at an accuracy that would be infeasible for HPC to achieve in isolation.
With multiple studies in chemistry and materials science already underway on the platform, this H2 upgrade is expected to accelerate research and unlock even more complex scientific discoveries across disciplines.
Dr. Mitsuhisa Sato, Division Director of the Quantum-HPC Hybrid Platform Division, RIKEN Center for Computational Science, said: “Since its installation in February 2025, Reimei H1 has been widely used by JHPC-quantum users and has delivered significant results, thanks to its high fidelity and flexible qubit connectivity. The upgrade to H2 is exactly what we have been eagerly anticipating, and with its 56 qubits, we expect it to play a key role in demonstrating quantum advantage through quantum–HPC hybrid computing.”
Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum, said: “We believe RIKEN’s decision to continue adopting Quantinuum systems to meet its ambitious objectives is a validation of our technology roadmap and a reflection of the success of our valued partnership. With Quantinuum and RIKEN’s combined leadership in quantum and HPC, respectively, we expect to continue pushing the boundaries of computing to address some of the most critical and complex challenges facing science and industry today.”
This development reflects the continued progress of Quantinuum and RIKEN’s collaboration to advance quantum-HPC hybrid infrastructure in Japan. Quantinuum intends to continue working with the country’s research community to accelerate real-world use cases and contribute to the growth of its quantum ecosystem.
About RIKEN
RIKEN, a National Research and Development Agency, is Japan’s leading national comprehensive research institution renowned for high-quality research in a diverse range of scientific disciplines. Founded in 1917, initially as a private research foundation, RIKEN has grown rapidly in size and scope, today encompassing a network of world-class research centers and institutes across Japan.
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 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.[i] Quantinuum has active engagements with market leaders across pharmaceuticals, material science, financial services, and government and industrial markets.
The company has a global workforce of approximately 700 employees, including top scientists and researchers. Over 70% of its technology team hold PhDs. Quantinuum’s headquarters is in Broomfield, Colorado, with additional facilities across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Singapore.
For more information, please visit www.quantinuum.com.
[i] As of December 31, 2025.
March 18, 2026 – BROOMFIELD, Colo. – Quantinuum, a leading quantum computing company, today announced the appointment of Nitesh Sharan as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective April 6, 2026.
Mr. Sharan brings more than 25 years of global finance experience across technology, consumer products and consulting. He joins the company after nearly five years as CFO of SoundHound AI, Inc., where he led the company through its public listing in 2022 and oversaw strategic financial planning, accounting, corporate strategy, human resources, legal and intellectual property.
“Nitesh brings an exceptional combination of financial leadership, operational rigor and experience scaling technology companies,” said Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President & CEO of Quantinuum. “As Quantinuum accelerates the commercialization of quantum computing, his experience guiding companies through complex growth and capital market environments will be pivotal.”
Prior to joining SoundHound AI, Mr. Sharan spent more than 5 years at Nike, where he held several leadership roles, including Vice President of Investor Relations & Treasurer, Vice President of Corporate Finance & Treasurer, and CFO of Global Operations & Technology. Prior to joining Nike, he spent 15 years in senior leadership roles at Hewlett-Packard and began his career as a consultant at Accenture.
Mr. Sharan is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder. He earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and his bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he currently resides in Portland, Oregon. He serves on a number of boards, including Activate, an organization that supports deep science entrepreneurs in commercializing their innovations, and as a Trustee of the Catlin Gabel School, a progressive K-12 independent school.
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 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 fidelity1. Quantinuum has active engagements with market leaders across pharmaceuticals, material science, financial services, and government and industrial markets.
The company has a global workforce of approximately 700 employees, including top scientists and researchers. Over 70% of its technology team hold PhDs. Quantinuum’s headquarters is in Broomfield, Colorado, with additional facilities across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Singapore.
For more information, please visit www.quantinuum.com.
1As of December 31, 2025.
The R&D Centre, together with the planned deployment of a Quantinuum Helios system in Singapore, aims to accelerate industrial collaboration across pharma, materials and finance, while bolstering the local quantum ecosystem and workforce
March 11, 2026 – Singapore – Quantinuum, a leading quantum computing company, today announced the establishment of a new R&D and Operations Centre (the “Centre”) in Singapore, marking its formal expansion into Singapore. This important development will enable Quantinuum to deepen collaboration with the nation’s research and industrial ecosystem, together with the company’s plan to deploy its Helios quantum computer in Singapore later this year.
Singapore’s early investment in quantum has positioned the nation to capture value as quantum systems move toward real-world use. In his national budget speech last month, Prime Minister Mr. Lawrence Wong highlighted Quantinuum as an industry leader, emphasizing that Helios will enable Singaporean researchers and companies to work on meaningful projects.
The new Centre will bring together Quantinuum staff with local researchers and industry partners to co-develop commercially relevant solutions across pharma, materials science, finance, and other sectors. It will also serve to help advance Singapore’s national priorities under its National Quantum Strategy by strengthening long-term R&D capabilities and workforce development, helping position Singapore as a global hub for quantum technology.
The Centre’s establishment is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and builds on Quantinuum’s close partnership with Singapore’s National Quantum Office (NQO) through the National Quantum Computing Hub. The National Quantum Strategy is developed and implemented by NQO, which is hosted in the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF).
As part of its commitment to developing a robust local ecosystem and support for innovation across the full quantum value chain, Quantinuum is collaborating with pioneering startups in Singapore, including Entropica, which accesses Quantinuum systems through its Startup Partner Program, and Squareroot8, with whom Quantinuum signed a Memorandum of Understanding today to co-develop quantum communications applications.
Official Statements
- Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, President and CEO of Quantinuum, said: “We believe there are three pillars to a holistic strategy for building a sustainable quantum frontier: use cases, infrastructure, and workforce. Singapore provides an exceptional foundation for this approach, and we are proud to contribute our experience in ecosystem development as we build a leading quantum ecosystem together."
- Dr. Marvin Lee, Country Leader for Quantinuum Singapore, who recently joined the company following senior appointments at A*STAR, EDB, and NRF, where he played a key role in shaping the National Quantum Strategy, said: “The new Centre will enable local talent and industry to work hands-on with quantum technologies, co-develop solutions aligned with national priorities, and support high-value jobs. We are committed to building long-term capability and resilience in Singapore’s digital economy."
- Mrs. Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information, a key advocate of the National Quantum Strategy, joined Quantinuum today as the Guest of Honour at the official opening of its new Centre, commemorated by a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony. She said: “Singapore aims to be a global hub for the development of algorithms and applications for quantum computers. We will tap on our strengths in sectors of potential application, such as finance, logistics, and pharmaceuticals. Doing so will not only benefit these industries in Singapore, but elsewhere in the world.”
- Mr. Pee Beng Kong, Executive Vice President, Singapore Economic Development Board, said: “Quantinuum’s expansion into Singapore marks an important step in translating quantum research into real-world industry applications. The Helios system and new R&D Centre will enable local companies and researchers to collaborate on next-generation solutions in areas such as drug discovery, materials innovation, and financial optimisation. This investment will deepen partnerships across our industry and research ecosystem and build high-value quantum capabilities from Singapore.”
- Mr. Ling Keok Tong, Executive Director of the National Quantum Office, said: “Quantinuum's R&D Centre and the Helios deployment create opportunities for Singapore, giving our researchers hands-on access to advanced quantum hardware, and moves us closer to demonstrating real quantum advantage in drug discovery, portfolio optimisation, amongst others. This is a boost to our quantum research and talent development, as well as our efforts in building a robust quantum ecosystem.”
The new Centre represents an important step in Quantinuum’s international expansion and its commitment to collaborating with partners in key innovation hubs. Quantinuum looks forward to continued collaboration with Singapore’s research and industry ecosystem to advance the development and application of quantum technologies.
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 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 fidelity1. Quantinuum has active engagements with market leaders across pharmaceuticals, material science, financial services, and government and industrial markets.
The company has a global workforce of approximately 700 employees, including top scientists and researchers. Over 70% of its technology team hold PhDs. Quantinuum’s headquarters is in Broomfield, Colorado, with additional facilities across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Singapore.
For more information, please visit www.quantinuum.com.
1. As of December 31, 2025.
