SINTEF, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and the University of Oslo (UiO) established the Gemini Center on Quantum Computing in 2020. The center was awarded formal Gemini Centre status, a collaborative framework between NTNU and SINTEF designed to build cross-institutional expertise. Simula Research Laboratory joined as an associate partner in 2021.
According to a Science|Business report, the center’s aim was not to build a quantum computer but to develop software that would prepare Norway to apply quantum technology when machines are fully developed. Center leader Franz Fuchs of SINTEF stated that the goal was to evaluate problem structures and develop algorithms for industry and society.
At the time of its founding, quantum computing research activity in Norway was minimal. The Gemini Center represented the first coordinated multi-institutional effort in the country to address quantum readiness.