Vexlum UK

The UK arm of Finnish laser company Vexlum, with a new London laboratory supporting lasers for neutral-atom and trapped-ion quantum computers.

About Vexlum UK

Vexlum makes high-power, single-frequency lasers for quantum technology. Its lasers use a design called VECSEL, short for vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting laser, which is a semiconductor chip that makes light and is combined with outside mirrors to give a very pure beam. Its VXL system packs a laser engine into about two litres and is aimed at quantum computers built from trapped atoms and ions, ultracold matter research and semiconductor measurement. Quantum computers of that type need several lasers of exactly the right colours, and Vexlum says its platform covers wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared.

The company began as a spin-off from the Optoelectronics Research Centre at Tampere University in Finland, drawing on a collaboration between Tampere semiconductor experts and the group of Nobel laureate David Wineland at NIST in the United States. Jussi-Pekka Penttinen is chief executive and co-founder. Mr Penttinen has described Vexlum as a deep-tech company specialising in high-power semiconductor lasers, and says its aim is to supply high-power laser engines at any wavelength. All of the core manufacturing remains in Finland.

The UK operation was announced at the start of August 2026. Vexlum UK has a dedicated laboratory in London for laser development, testing and validation for UK customers, and Dr Stefan Truppe is its managing director. Dr Truppe is also an associate professor in the Department of Physics at Imperial College London, working on laser cooling of atoms and molecules. The articles give no street address and no staff numbers, and the lab is very new, so the UK team is probably small.

Dr Truppe said his goal is "to make Vexlum the definitive voice for VECSEL excellence in the UK". The company says it works closely with university groups and quantum companies and builds customer feedback in early. A partnership with Menlo Systems, a German laser company, on a rack-mounted laser system called VEQTOR for strontium atom experiments was also reported in 2026. We found nothing written about daily culture.

As the UK team grows, the roles are likely to be in laser and optical engineering, testing and validation, applications support for quantum computing teams, and business development. Physics, optics, photonics and electrical engineering are natural backgrounds, and a UK-based team close to universities means the work will touch many different research groups. Check the company's website and UK announcements for roles.

What they do

• {'desc': 'A compact two-litre laser engine for atom and ion experiments.', 'title': 'VXL laser system'}
• {'desc': 'A London laboratory supporting UK customers.', 'title': 'Laser testing and validation'}
• {'desc': 'A modular rack of lasers for neutral strontium atom systems, with Menlo Systems.', 'title': 'VEQTOR rack'}

Key facts

• Spin-off from Tampere University, Finland; UK laboratory in London announced August 2026
• Dr Stefan Truppe is managing director of Vexlum UK and an Imperial College London physicist
• Jussi-Pekka Penttinen is chief executive and co-founder
• Core wafer fabrication and manufacturing remain in Finland

Website: vexlum.com