On December 3, 2024, the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota unveiled Colombia’s first quantum computer. The Faculties of Science and Engineering announced the arrival of a SpinQ Gemini Lab, a desktop-scale nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system manufactured in China that operates at room temperature and weighs 18.5 kilograms. According to a press release published by The Quantum Insider, the device will enable students and professors to explore fundamental aspects of quantum computing.
Professor Julian Rincon, a theoretical physicist at the university, said the system employs nuclear magnetic resonance and is suitable for educational purposes. Professor Valerie Gauthier from the Department of Systems and Computing Engineering said the acquisition would encourage student interest in quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography. Professor Alejandra Valencia, an expert in quantum optics, noted that the university’s quantum optics laboratories had been working on quantum key distribution protocols using photons for over a decade.
Universidad de los Andes, founded in 1948, is Colombia’s highest-ranked university and has nearly 150 research groups recognized by the national science agency. The SpinQ Gemini Lab supports experiments in quantum optimization algorithms, quantum simulation, and optimal control, and is designed for interdisciplinary use across physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering.