Superconducting hardware developer IQM Quantum Computers has achieved its first physical installation on U.S. soil with the deployment of the 20-qubit IQM Radiance System, Pathfinder, at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The processor represents ORNL’s first commercially purchased quantum computer and is installed directly within the facility’s high-performance computing (HPC) ecosystem. By physically installing the machine with Frontier – the world’s most powerful supercomputer for open science – ORNL’s Tech Integration Group can directly engineer and test low-latency, hybrid quantum-classical hardware connections.
The acquisition highlights IQM’s strictly on-premises deployment model, which differentiates it from the typical cloud-only access pattern where the hardware remains controlled by the manufacturer. By taking direct physical ownership of Pathfinder on its Tennessee campus, ORNL maintains full governance over both the hardware layers and any novel intellectual property (IP) generated during operation. The laboratory’s research teams will use the on-premises co-processor to develop integrated, system-level software tools and hybrid workflows targeting early computational gains in advanced materials simulation, molecular chemistry, and hardware-accelerated artificial intelligence.
This milestone expands IQM’s commercial footprint in North America following the launch of the US Quantum Technology Center in Maryland’s Discovery District. Globally, IQM has finalized the sale of 23 full-stack quantum computers, achieving the largest number of disclosed on-premises systems in the quantum industry. This commercial acceleration coincides with IQM’s imminent public listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market through a definitive business combination with Real Asset Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: RAAQ), valuing the vertically integrated Finnish enterprise at a pre-money equity valuation of $1.8 billion.
The official operational announcement detailing system activation can be reviewed here. For a regulatory breakdown tracking F-4 registration parameters, transaction capital structures and the upcoming Nasdaq shareholder vote, see the financial filing review here.
16 June 2026
<a href=