CAMPINAS, Brazil & ESPOO, Finland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 17, 2026--
IQM Quantum Computers (Nasdaq: IQMX), a global leader in superconducting quantum computers, today announced a purchase agreement with the Eldorado Research Institute to deploy its first quantum computer in South America, marking IQM's entry into the region.
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The IQM Spark quantum computer will be installed at Eldorado's Campinas headquarters, about 100km northwest of São Paulo, in the first quarter of 2027, giving researchers, engineers, universities and industry partners direct access to quantum computers.
The agreement also includes remote access to IQM's 54-qubit cloud-based system in Europe, allowing Brazilian teams to develop applications on hardware they own and then move to larger-scale quantum workloads when a problem requires it.
“Brazil has the talent, the research base and the ambition to build a real quantum ecosystem. What's been missing is direct access to real quantum computers. Eldorado owning this system means Brazilian researchers, engineers and industry partners can start building real capability today, not waiting years to catch up,” said Jan Goetz, CEO and Co-founder of IQM Quantum Computers. “This is our first step into South America, and we're approaching it the same way we have everywhere else: with a partner who wants to grow with their own infrastructure and shape how it's used.”
“Quantum computing has the potential to transform how we address some of the most complex technological and industrial challenges. By bringing this infrastructure to Eldorado, combined with access to more advanced quantum computing capabilities, we are not only investing in technology, we are investing in people, knowledge and an ecosystem that will prepare Brazil to actively participate in the quantum future,” said José Bertuzzo, Superintendent of the Eldorado Research Institute.
Eldorado's Campinas headquarters sits alongside the Unicamp campus in Brazil's largest technology cluster, giving the system immediate reach into a network of universities, startups and industry partners across sectors including automotive, energy, oil and gas, fintech, agribusiness and healthcare.
The quantum computer will enable Eldorado and its partners to explore quantum algorithms, build expertise in quantum hardware and software, and investigate hybrid architectures combining high-performance computing, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. The deployment is part of Eldorado’s strategy to expand its activities in emerging technologies and to build capabilities relevant to the next generation of computing.
The agreement follows a period of expansion for IQM. In August, the company reported an order backlog of EUR 102 million, with 26 full-stack systems sold and 17 delivered globally, including its first system in the United States.
About IQM Quantum Computers
IQM Quantum Computers (Nasdaq: IQMX) is a global leader in superconducting quantum computers, delivering full-stack quantum systems and cloud platform access to enterprises, research institutions, universities, high-performance computing centers, and national laboratories worldwide. IQM's open, modular architecture allows customers to own, operate, and integrate quantum systems directly into their own infrastructure, building lasting technical capability rather than relying solely on remote access. Founded in 2018, IQM is headquartered in Espoo, Finland, with major operations in Munich, Germany, and has sold more quantum systems than any other manufacturer to date. IQM employs over 450 people and operates across Europe, Asia, and North America. IQM is the first publicly listed European quantum company on Nasdaq Stock Market.
About Eldorado Research Institute
A leading research, development and innovation institution in Brazil, Eldorado has more than 27 years of experience developing innovative solutions for national and international companies across the information and communication technology, automotive, agribusiness, energy, oil and gas, fintech, and healthcare sectors.
With operations in Campinas, Manaus, Porto Alegre and Brasília, Eldorado has world-class laboratories and plays a leading role in open innovation and in leveraging funding mechanisms and incentives for R&D projects. The Institute brings together professionals with expertise in microelectronics, hardware and software solution development, testing and certification, and technology training. Eldorado invests extensively in knowledge creation and the continuous development of its teams to deliver differentiated results to its clients.
IQM to deliver its first quantum computer in South America to Brazil’s Eldorado Research Institute
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Kosovo’s former President Hashim Thaci was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday after being found guilty of war crimes committed during the war for independence from Serbia in 1998-99.
Thaci resigned from office nearly six years ago to face the charges at the European Union-backed Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague. He was convicted of four counts of war crimes including murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention.
Both he and the prosecutors, who had asked for a stricter sentence, can appeal.
The judgment sparked anger among Thaci’s supporters and was a crushing blow for a man who was once embraced by the West, invited to the 1999 peace talks in France and seen as the leader who could guide Kosovo to independence.
Presiding Judge Charles Smith said Thaci actively participated in and encouraged crimes, including by promoting individuals involved in crimes, and “showed a ruthless ability to remove and eliminate political impediments” to his and other commanders' leadership.
Wearing a suit and tie, Thaci stood in silence as Smith read out the sentence.
Kosovo Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca condemned the verdicts as “a terrible judgment for Kosovo, for our people and for our liberation war.”
Hundreds of supporters waited at a park near the courthouse in The Hague, and some clashed briefly with Dutch riot police, who said on X that they detained two people.
In Kosovo's capital, Pristina, thousands of people watched the hearing live on a huge screen and were stunned by the sentence. Some shouted “UCK,” the Albanian-language acronym for the Kosovo Liberation Army that Thaci once led before entering politics.
One supporter, Bekim Fetahu, said the verdict was “a catastrophic decision.”
“They (judges) have put the victims together with the aggressors,” Fetahu added.
Later, masked protesters threw stones at the wall surrounding the compound of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, known as EULEX, on the outskirts of Pristina, smashing several windows.
Smith, the presiding judge, said Thaci “used his position, leadership, authority and standing” to encourage crimes and failed to investigate or punish abuse by KLA fighters.
However, the American judge also stressed that the trial was “not about the legitimacy of the Kosovo Liberation Army” or its ultimate goal of securing independence for Kosovo, which at the time was a province in Serbia.
Specialist Prosecutor Kimberly West applauded the judgment. “Certain individuals exploited those war circumstances to commit grave crimes, and it is to the credit of Kosovo that those individuals are now being held accountable," she said in a statement.
In Belgrade, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said “we have no reason to rejoice” and expressed concern that the verdict will not hold after appeals. Vucic was critical that multiple other alleged crimes against ethnic Serb civilians have not been taken into account, claiming anti-Serb bias.
“No responsibility has been established for the toughest crimes,” he said. “Serbs are always (war) criminals and others are liberators and heroes.”
Thaci was on trial with three other former KLA leaders who fought Serb forces in the 1998-99 war and are widely regarded as national heroes in Kosovo. They pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.
The four were acquitted on six charges of crimes against humanity because the judges said the prosecutors failed to prove that crimes were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.
They were found guilty of the war crimes of the arbitrary detention of 385 people, cruel treatment of 49, torture of 303 detainees and the murder of 96 people.
Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, all maintained their innocence. Veseli was sentenced to 18 years, Selimi to 13 years and Krasniqi to 25 years in prison.
Veseli's lawyer, Rodney Dixon, described the judgment as “not a good day for Kosovo. It’s not a good day for the rule of law or international law” and said he would “mount a robust appeal to continue the fight to show Mr. Veseli’s innocence and to bring him home to Kosovo.”
As his trial ended in February, Thaci told judges: “Throughout my life, I stood with the people of Kosovo, defending freedom, life and dignity. I was always guided by the Western ideals of democracy, equality and justice.”
But the court ruled that Thaci and his co-defendants targeted political opponents and civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors during their time in the KLA.
“In reality, there is no indication that the victims in this case were spies or collaborators,” Smith said. Just having “Serbian friends or jobs in Serbian companies was enough to treat them as collaborators” of the enemy.
When fighting broke out, Thaci was a student who returned from what he described as political exile in Switzerland to join Kosovo’s struggle for independence. He earned the nickname “the Snake” for his ability to evade Serb forces during the conflict.
Thaci rose to political power after the war but resigned as president to defend himself before the court in The Hague.
Esther Major, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for Europe, said the convictions “show that senior officials are not above the law.”
Most of the 13,000 people who died in the war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day campaign of NATO airstrikes against Serbian forces ended the fighting. About 1 million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes.
In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, a move that Belgrade refuses to recognize. Ties between Kosovo and Serbia remain tense, despite years of EU-mediated negotiations supported by the United States.
Associated Press reporters Zana Cimili in Pristina, Kosovo, Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, and Molly Quell in The Hague contributed to this report.
FILE - Head of Kosovo Parliament Kadri Veseli, left, congratulates newly elected president of Kosovo Hashim Thaci during a parliamentary session in Kosovo capital Pristina on Friday Feb. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu, File)
FILE - Kosovo Liberation Army leader Hashim Thaci, right, and KLA general commander Agim Ceku attend a memorial ceremony for ethnic Albanian leader Fehmi Agani in Pristina, Kosovo, Friday, Aug. 6, 1999. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, File)
FILE - Hashim Thaci, head of the Kosovo Albanian negotiation team and head of the Kosovo Liberation Army political directorate, center, addresses a press conference in a secret location in central Kosovo, Saturday, March 13, 1999. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu, File)
People rally in Pristina, Kosovo, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in support of the former president Hashim Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi ahead of their verdicts next week at a Netherlands-based court which tried them for alleged war crimes during a 1998-1999 separatist war from Serbia. (AP Photo/Zana Cimili)
People rally in Pristina, Kosovo, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in support of the former president Hashim Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi ahead of their verdicts next week at a Netherlands-based court which tried them for alleged war crimes during a 1998-1999 separatist war from Serbia. (AP Photo/Zana Cimili) ADDITION: adds the names of the former president Hashim Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi
People rally in Pristina, Kosovo, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in support of the former president Hashim Thaci and the other defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi ahead of their verdicts next week at a Netherlands-based court which tried them for alleged war crimes during a 1998-1999 separatist war from Serbia. (AP Photo/Zana Cimili)
FILE - Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, top left, appears before the Kosovo Tribunal as he defends himself against charges including murder, torture and persecution allegedly committed during his country's war for independence from Serbia in the Hague, on April 3, 2023. (Koen van Weel/Pool via AP, File)
