The AI-TWPA-C-M combines the AI-TWPA-C with two double-junction isolators and magnetic shielding in a mechanically integrated module. Each unit is delivered wired, tested, and ready to plug in. To further simplify system integration, we provide factory-calibrated cryogenic bias parameters (flux bias, pump frequency, and pump power). These parameters are cryostat independent and stable over time. 

Designed to eliminate integration uncertainty 

Reading out extremely weak microwave signals, whether from superconducting qubits or cavity-based axion or graviton detectors, depends critically on the first amplification stage. This first stage is also very sensitive to implementation details: component choice, component order, cabling, magnetic shielding, and mechanical mounting all matter. Small and easily avoidable mistakes reduce performance and debugging costs time, due to long cooldown cycles.  

The AI-TWPA-C-M reduces setup time and common failure modes by having the most critical connections designed and preassembled according to our best practices, informed by our experience in characterizing hundreds of TWPAs. We developed AI-TWPA-C-M to enable quantum-limited microwave readout to be brought up quickly and reliably, without requiring extensive previous experience with TWPAs. 

Compact and scalable 

In qubit readout applications, the isolators integrated in AI-TWPA-C-M protect the qubits from back-propagating noise and also provide the impedance matching and directivity required for stable TWPA operation. 

The compact form factor allows straightforward installation in crowded cryostats and supports stacking several AI-TWPA-C-M’s in scaled-up systems. Thanks to the modular nature of AI-TWPA-C-M, any number of readout lines can be implemented easily, without a need to design magnetic shields or complex mounting structures for a specific number of readout lines. 

Wideband performance without stop bands 

The underlying AI-TWPA-C uniquely offers an exceptionally wide bandwidth from 4.5 GHz to 9.5 GHz, without stop bands in between, enabling flexible multi-frequency readout architectures. 

For further information about the AI-TWPA-C or AI-TWPA-C-M, please contact us at [email protected]. We typically respond within one business day. 

We are eager to see what creative ways system integrators and researchers will come up with to push the boundaries of readout with this expanded frequency band. In more practical terms, the 5 GHz bandwidth also makes it easier to pivot to a different readout frequency regime, if needed. This is what we at Arctic Instruments have been focusing on: simplifying the deployment of near-quantum-limited readout chains.   

Let’s look at the impact of the product revision from a practical engineering perspective and to understand how adopting our technology will improve the day-to-day life of your business or research group. In particular, let’s compare the wiring diagram for our revised AI-TWPA-C with the conventional solution that uses an external coupler: 

Reduced component count and wiring: higher quantum efficiency and fewer mistakes   

With the pump coupler integrated on chip, you avoid at least one external component (diplexer or directional coupler), one coaxial cable, and one SMA-SMA connector interface. This means that you save 0.5 to 1.0 dB of insertion loss in the most critical part of the wiring, before the first amplifier, which directly translates to improved quantum efficiency of the readout system by a factor of 1.12 to 1.26. Furthermore, there are fewer possible points of failure, in particular fewer possibilities for reflections caused by worn out or improperly mated connectors, which have a direct impact on TWPA performance.

Reduced component count and wiring: less weight and volume  

We’re looking at a decrease of roughly 100 g in weight on the mixing chamber plate per readout line with the simplified chain, and a corresponding decrease in volume. This means less material to cool and more space for your engineers to use for other things.  

Pump coupler at output: increased robustness and reduced pump power to the rest of the amplification chain  

Our revised TWPA also includes an on-chip-integrated pump coupler at the output that guides power to a termination resistor. Besides reducing concerns with pump-power-induced saturation in later amplification stages, the integrated coupler at the output makes the performance of the TWPA itself less dependent on the quality of impedance matching provided by the components placed at its output.  

Wider bandwidth and higher upper frequency: multiplexing more qubits and exploring higher readout frequencies

There has been a trend in recent years in transmon-based QPUs to move to higher readout frequencies. One clear benefit in doing that is that it is easier to achieve a lower thermal photon population in readout resonators when their frequencies are higher. With our increased bandwidth, it is possible to continue this trend up to 9.5 GHz. Our 5 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth also makes it easier to multiplex even more qubits per TWPA.    

Our revised AI-TWPA-C provides simplicity and improved performance that ultimately turn into time savings for the day-to-day work of scientists and engineers tasked with setting up and maintaining the readout lines. Together with the high level of stability and robust setup procedure of our amplifiers, AI-TWPA-C offers a remarkably low cost of ownership over the lifespan of the product.  

If you want a quote or simply want to know more about our product, contact us at [email protected].  

In relation to the TWPA specifically, the authors show that qubit coherence is not significantly affected when the strong microwave pump signal used to provide energy to the TWPA is on (see Results and Supplementary Fig. 3). Another interesting technical detail in the setup is how the pump signal gets to the TWPA. It is initially fed intentionally in the “wrong direction” through a circulator, after which it bounces back from a low-pass filter (see Fig. 4). Whether this is ultimately the best wiring configuration remains to be seen, but the qubit coherence results in the article are indisputably amazing, so one might be well advised to follow their example for the time being.

The median energy relaxation time (T1) of 502 µs for a qubit operating at a frequency of 2.890 GHz corresponds to an effective quality factor of eight million. To put this in perspective, if you had a mechanical oscillators such as a pendulum with this quality factor and you would give it a push, it would swing back and forth a million times before losing half of its energy! This energy relaxation time is state of the art, but even more impressive is the qubit coherence time. After applying an echo pulse sequence that reduces the impact of low-frequency parameter fluctuations, Tuokkola et al. measure a median dephasing time of 541 µs and a maximum of 1.057 ms. As far as the authors know, those are the longest coherence times for transmon-type qubits reported in the literature.

It is very exciting to see whether these record-breaking results can be reproduced in larger scale devices. Even if that would not turn out to be the case in the immediate future, this is an important result that demonstrates there is no deep reason preventing transmon-type qubits from reaching millisecond coherence time. This shows that the largest superconducting quantum processing units (QPUs) out there today, which are generally based on transmons, can become far more powerful without drastic changes to the type of qubit used.

Note: Cover image of this post is Fig. 2 from Tuokkola et al. Nature Communications volume 16, Article number: 5421 (2025) 

As a deep tech startup developing and selling state-of-the-art travelling wave parametric amplifiers (TWPAs), we were glad to introduce Arctic Instruments to new audiences. Our Head of Business Development, Bilge Yildiz, presented our company and our flagship product, AI-TWPA-C, during visits to universities and research institutes. She also had the chance to engage in meaningful conversations with scientists and industry experts. 

We received great feedback. Many were interested in how Finland’s quantum ecosystem has produced global success stories like Bluefors and IQM, and how smaller deep tech startups like ours are bringing focused, high-quality products to market.

An article published over the weekend in Asia Business Daily offers a local perspective on the Finnish quantum ecosystem. Bilge Yildiz was interviewed during the delegation visit, and the piece highlights key points from the discussion. 

It’s clear that South Korea is taking quantum technology seriously. Investments are steadily growing in quantum computing, communications, and sensing, with strong focus on infrastructural development. Korea is advancing both superconducting qubit and trapped ion platforms and has a national strategy aiming for large quantum computing systems in the coming years. There’s also a vision for startup incubation, research, education, and commercialization. 

During the visit, we visited several leading institutions, including: 

• Chungbuk University 

• KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) 

• SKKU (Sungkyunkwan University – privately owned by Samsung) 

• KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology) 

• Yonsei University 

A big thank you to Finnish Ambassador Jyri Järviaho in Seoul for hosting a warm and welcoming reception at the Ambassador’s Residence. And of course, special thanks to Youngsim Kim and the Business Finland team for organizing such a well-run and impactful visit. 

Only downside? The food in Korea was so good that we’ve already found ourselves missing it and looking forward to our next visit! 

Arctic Instruments is proud to be part of the Finnish quantum story. We’re building for a quantum future – and we’re just getting started. 

Want to learn more about our tech or connect with us? Drop us a message at [email protected]. 

At our booth, we showcased our flagship product, the AI-TWPA-C, with its auxiliary components for attendees to see up close. Designed to enable high-fidelity superconducting qubit readout of today’s and future’s quantum computers, we came home delighted with the attention that the AI-TWPA-C drew. The number of conversations and technical deep dives kept us busy throughout the summit and we’re now happily working through a long list of follow ups. It’s the kind of “positive problem” we truly enjoy solving. 

Beyond the product spotlight, the summit offered a valuable space for reconnecting with familiar faces and building new collaborations. We had great discussions with researchers working on quantum technologies, system integrators tackling scalability, and other innovators working on advanced cryogenic platforms. 

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth, asked questions, and shared ideas. We’re already looking forward to seeing you next time! 

Helsinki, Finland (December 10th, 2024) Arctic Instruments, a spinout of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, has raised EUR 2.35 million in funding for the research, development and commercialisation of its superconducting microwave amplifier technology. The company’s ability to manufacture near-quantum-limited amplifiers consistently and in volume is critical for enabling the construction of large-scale quantum computers with accurate qubit state readout. 

The round was led by Lifeline Ventures, one of Finland’s biggest VCs. Lifeline is known for identifying and supporting potential category leaders in their early stages. 

Current quantum computers typically have around 100 qubits and require 10 to 20 amplifiers for measuring the qubit states. To increase computing power, the number of qubits must be scaled up, and thus, the number of amplifiers must increase accordingly. A quantum computer with 10,000 qubits will require thousands of near-quantum-limited amplifiers of consistent quality. Near-quantum-limited means that the amplifiers add as little noise to the measurement as the laws of physics allow. Arctic Instruments is the only manufacturer already capable of supplying thousands of amplifiers of the required quality and consistency. 

Quantum computers with more qubits and higher-quality operations have higher performance, enabling them to solve more complex, real-life problems in multiple industries. According to McKinsey, chemicals, life sciences, finance, and mobility are likely to be at the forefront of the quantum impact and stand to gain up to 2 trillion dollars by 2035. Getting there won’t be possible without significant scaling up of quantum computers – more qubits bring more computing power. 

The founding team of Arctic Instruments consists of seasoned scientists with ample experience in superconducting circuit research. The company is a spinoff of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, a state-owned research and development organization. The company’s amplifiers were developed as part of VTT’s research. Bringing about the quantum leap is one of the multi-disciplinary research organisation’s targets as it strives for a positive impact on our lives and the planet. 

“We have reached a level of maturity where our capability to fabricate and test our amplifiers in volume is industry leading. In the bigger picture, the development of quantum computers remains very much a challenge, and their potential applications also remain an active topic of research. What is clear is the need to scale up, without compromising the quality of any of the critical components. We contribute to this effort by constantly improving both the quality and consistency of our near-quantum-limited amplifiers, which are key to accurate qubit state measurements. The dedicated company and funding we now have allows us to boost our development efforts significantly,” says Joonas Govenius, CEO and Co-founder of Arctic Instruments.

 “Arctic Instruments is a competent team that has been able to create a product that solves one of quantum computing’s most critical challenges. The product is based on several years of research. It is very difficult to produce a component that is accurate and reliable at the same time, and works today,” said Timo Ahopelto, founding partner at Lifeline Ventures.

“VTT has invested in the research and development of superconducting and quantum technologies for several decades. Our goal is to make these results available to companies, and spin-off companies are one important way to do this. Arctic Instruments is a great example of how results of long-term top research are commercialised and scaled up into a global business,” says Tauno Vähä-Heikkilä, Vice President, Microelectronics and Quantum Technology.