Copenhagen Plans €390M Quantum Chip Fabrication Facility
Quantum Foundry Copenhagen and the Novo Nordisk Foundation announced plans on September 4 to construct a 5,300-square-meter quantum chip fabrication facility in Copenhagen. The Foundation has committed over DKK 2.9 billion (approximately €390 million) to quantum technologies, including a program at the University of Copenhagen aimed at developing a fault-tolerant quantum computer before 2034. The facility is scheduled to open in 2027.
Announcement Details
Indeed, Quantum Foundry Copenhagen, owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, states its purpose is to develop tools, materials, and processes for quantum chip manufacturing. Specifically, the proposed facility will integrate nanofabrication, characterization, testing, chip assembly, packaging, and ultra-high-vacuum manufacturing. The company intends to offer wafer fabrication to quantum vendors on commercial terms once operational.
CEO Peter Krogstrup articulated the ambition in the announcement:
“Our vision is to become a world-leading quantum chip manufacturer, supplying Europe with advanced, next-generation quantum computing processors and enabling quantum companies to scale production.”
The facility will complement the Foundation’s quantum program at the Niels Bohr Institute. This program’s objective, which is a fully functional fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2034, is a self-imposed target by the Foundation. Fault-tolerant machines at a useful scale don’t currently exist anywhere.
Context and Disclosures
This announcement aligns with a broader European initiative to transition quantum research from laboratories to industrial production. The Foundation references the EU’s Quantum Europe Strategy, the upcoming Quantum Act, and a planned Danish quantum strategy as supporting frameworks. Chief Scientific Officer Lene Oddershede linked the project to European concerns about losing industrial scale-up to other regions, which reflects the Foundation’s perspective.
The commercial viability of domestic chip fabrication remains speculative given that a fault-tolerant machine has yet to materialize. Manufacturing capacity becomes critical only if the processors produced achieve scales that surpass classical computers, a threshold that remains a projection across the industry. For comparison, Circle’s own quantum research considers post-quantum timelines as an evolving area of research without fixed dates, and standards bodies still categorize a cryptographically relevant quantum computer as years away in published NIST PQC guidance.
Both the €390 million investment and the 2034 fault-tolerance goal originate from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The facility is expected to open in 2027. Until then, it represents a construction plan and a funding commitment, whose value will depend on the successful operation of the fabrication lines and market demand for the chips produced.