A Sussex company, spun out of the University of Sussex in 2018, building large-scale trapped-ion quantum computers controlled with microwaves.
Universal Quantum is building quantum computers that use trapped ions, which are charged atoms held in place by electric fields, as their qubits (the quantum equivalent of bits). Many rival designs use large numbers of laser beams to control each ion. Universal Quantum uses microwave signals instead, the kind of technology found in mobile phones, which should be easier to scale up. The company describes a chip called the iQPU with hundreds of ion qubits, built on a standard commercial foundry line, and a link technology, UQConnect, that joins chips using electric-field connections rather than optical fibre.
The company was founded in 2018 as a University of Sussex spin-out by Professor Winfried Hensinger and Dr Sebastian Weidt. Dr Weidt is chief executive; Professor Hensinger co-leads the company. Their goal is fault-tolerant quantum computers, machines that can correct their own errors, with millions of qubits that are practical to build and run. Early on, Professor Hensinger talked about a useful machine with about one million qubits. It also builds the firmware, error-correction methods and application software for areas such as logistics, materials science and pharmaceuticals.
In the UK, the company's headquarters is in Haywards Heath in Sussex, a commuter town between Gatwick and Brighton, where it works from a business park. Its research and development base remains in Sussex, and an interview with Dr Weidt in 2025 said that this was a deliberate choice because of close ties to the University of Sussex and the supply of talent from there. It also has operations in the United States, Germany, Japan, Denmark and Australia, so the work is international, even though the roots are in Sussex.
Its best-known project is a contract awarded in 2023 by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to build quantum computers. It is described as the largest ever awarded to a UK-based quantum start-up. The company has also worked with Rolls-Royce on simulations of fluid flow. We did not find staff numbers or a description of the working culture beyond Dr Weidt's emphasis on staying in Sussex.
People in a company like this include physicists, electronics and microwave engineers, chip designers, software developers who write control and error-correction code, and project managers who run large engineering contracts. It is also a good example of a company growing outside London, Oxford and Cambridge. Physics, engineering and computing are the main starting points. The company's website will show current roles.
Website: universalquantum.com
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