High-tech manufacturer TRUMPF has launched a research effort to investigate whether quantum computers can accelerate the development of next-generation industrial lasers, a project that could reshape modeling workflows across the laser sector.

The initiative brings together three Germany-based organizations that combine expertise in industrial laser engineering, semiconductor-laser simulation and quantum-mechanical modeling: TRUMPF, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT and the Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems at Freie Universität Berlin.

The consortium is supported by €1.8 million in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research through its Application-Oriented Quantum Informatics program.

Today’s industrial lasers are designed using large-scale numerical simulations that model how light is generated and amplified inside the laser. Despite advances in high-performance computing, many of these calculations remain computationally intensive. The TRUMPF-led initiative aims to determine whether quantum computers, and the new algorithms developed for them, could simulate these quantum-mechanical interactions more efficiently than traditional methods. If successful, this approach could shorten development cycles and enable more precise optimization of next-generation laser designs.

“If we understand the physical processes involved in generating and amplifying laser light more precisely, we will be able to make our products even more efficient and increase their performance in the future,” said Daniel Basilewitsch, who leads the project at TRUMPF.

A key challenge is rewriting the energy-transfer processes inside CO₂ lasers in a way that a quantum computer can handle.

The consortium will initially concentrate on CO₂ lasers and semiconductor lasers, two platforms that are widely used in industrial manufacturing, sensing and optical communications. Fraunhofer ILT brings long-standing expertise in simulating semiconductor lasers, while the researchers in Berlin will contribute their experience in modeling molecular collisions and other complex quantum processes. TRUMPF will develop the first quantum algorithms and provide industrial context guiding the research.

An important part of the project is to translate existing classical models into versions that can run on early quantum processors. The team will test preliminary quantum simulation methods and compare them directly with those from established high-performance computing approaches. A key challenge is rewriting the energy-transfer processes inside CO₂ lasers in a way that a quantum computer can handle, according to Christiane Koch of Freie Universität Berlin. If this works, it could guide future laser architectures and even support sustainability efforts in energy-intensive sectors such as semiconductor fabrication, where CO₂ lasers play an essential role.

Large-scale quantum computers remain years away, but the consortium partners view this work as an investment in long-term capability. “It is important to build up the expertise today so that quantum computers can be used in industry in the future,” Basilewitsch noted in a press release.