Guest talk: DNA-based Quantum Computing and Data Storage. Relevant to exploring planet Mars and improving planet Earth.
Join us when Dr. Koen Bertels, FPGAHouse and Unveil, Switzerland visits DTU. His talk presents a new line of research in which he and his team use DNA as qubit technology. They also focus on another, widely forgotten problem on our planet: storing exponentially growing amounts of data. Their research is motivated by planned Mars exploration, where quantum computers and data storage will be crucial.
Speaker: Dr. Koen Bertels, FPGAHouse and Unveil, Switzerland
Time: Thursday 26 November 2026, 15:00-16:00
Place: DTU Lyngby, building 303A, auditorium 48
Host: Paul Pop, DTU Compute
Place: DTU Lyngby, building 303A, auditorium 48
Host: Paul Pop, DTU Compute
Everyone is welcome, no registration is needed!
Abstract: CMOS transistors are nearing the end of their scaling. This has led to a worldwide effort to develop quantum computers. This talk presents a new line of research in which we use DNA as qubit technology. We also focus on another, widely forgotten problem on our planet: storing exponentially growing amounts of data. Our research is motivated by planned Mars exploration, where quantum computers and data storage will be crucial.
Bio: Dr. Koen Bertels is a quantum computing and DNA researcher at FPGAHouse and Unveil, Switzerland. As a professor of Quantum Computer Engineering at Delft University of Technology (NL), his research focused on defining and implementing a scalable quantum computer system. He convinced Intel to start its quantum computing research with QuTech, developed the notion of the full stack for such a computer and created the OpenQL programming language. His group developed the first microarchitecture for a quantum chip. He now works mainly with perfect qubits (PISQ, Perfect Intermediate Scale Quantum), which lets researchers study quantum algorithms without decoherence and gate errors, and on DNA data storage, for genetic as well as other digital data.
Abstract: CMOS transistors are nearing the end of their scaling. This has led to a worldwide effort to develop quantum computers. This talk presents a new line of research in which we use DNA as qubit technology. We also focus on another, widely forgotten problem on our planet: storing exponentially growing amounts of data. Our research is motivated by planned Mars exploration, where quantum computers and data storage will be crucial.
Bio: Dr. Koen Bertels is a quantum computing and DNA researcher at FPGAHouse and Unveil, Switzerland. As a professor of Quantum Computer Engineering at Delft University of Technology (NL), his research focused on defining and implementing a scalable quantum computer system. He convinced Intel to start its quantum computing research with QuTech, developed the notion of the full stack for such a computer and created the OpenQL programming language. His group developed the first microarchitecture for a quantum chip. He now works mainly with perfect qubits (PISQ, Perfect Intermediate Scale Quantum), which lets researchers study quantum algorithms without decoherence and gate errors, and on DNA data storage, for genetic as well as other digital data.
Contact
Paul Pop Professor paupo@dtu.dk