The first moment of clarity came even before the first day of the fair: after the last traces of set-up had been wiped off our stand, the quantum computers had been straightened and all the presentation computers had been switched on, the entire fair team met for a group photo — and despite the wide-angle lens and the eleven-metre stand, we had to move closer together so that not only we, but also our stand, would be visible. A few minutes before the start of the fair, it became clear to us that it was not just about to begin, but that we were already part of it and in the middle of it.

As the DLR Quantum Computing Initiative, we have set a big goal for ourselves: We want to create structures in which research and industry come together and together bring quantum computing into application. We brought this idea to the World of Quantum with over a dozen hardware industry partners, two QCI application projects and three DLR quantum technology teams, a dozen presentations at the stand and contributions to the BMBF and QUTAC stage programme.

For the first time, we presented all of our ongoing hardware and application projects to the public together with our industry partners and DLR teams. We were able to demonstrate live both quantum computers that are currently under development for us. And with a stand programme, we were able to provide exclusive insights into our projects and the know-how that we bundle in the DLR QCI.

Above all, however, our stand was a place where people could get into conversation: at one of the partner stands, after the lectures, with the many visitors or with a coffee in our quantum lounge. This was one of the reasons why World of Quantum 2023 was a complete success for us: we entered into an intensive conversation with the entire quantum computing community. And it is precisely this exchange that will help our shared ecosystem of quantum computing to succeed.

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