# KIDE cryogenic platform by Bluefors

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/quantum/kide
Frontier: [Quantum](https://technooptimist.io/quantum.md) · Field: Fridges, control & fabs · Company: [Bluefors](https://technooptimist.io/companies/bluefors.md)
Stage: Deploy (4 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling)
Updated: last update 2026-03-03, facts checked 2026-10-11
Goal: Keep a 1,000-plus-qubit quantum computer colder than deep space in one machine, then let operators add cooling modules as they grow toward the hundreds of thousands of qubits error correction needs.
Status: Installed at IBM and AIST; a modular successor for much larger machines is due to ship late 2026.
Next milestone: First multi-module delivery, target Q4 2026

## Milestones

| Status | Milestone | Date | Slip |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Done | KIDE platform introduced | 18 Nov 2021 |   |
| Done | First KIDE bought by IBM |   |   |
| Done | KIDE plus 17 other systems installed at AIST G-QuAT | May 2025 |   |
| Done | Modular Cryogenic Platform unveiled | 3 Mar 2026 |   |
| Current | First multi-module delivery | Q4 2026 |   |

## Upcoming events

- **Q4 2026**: First multi-module delivery

## Most important updates

- **3 Mar 2026**: Bluefors unveils a modular cryogenic platform aimed at quantum computers with hundreds of thousands of qubits. Bluefors announced a Modular Cryogenic Platform, a cooling system that quantum computer makers and supercomputing centres can grow module by module instead of buying one ever-larger fridge. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/bluefors-unveils-a-modular-cryogenic-platform-aimed-at-quantum-427b7076.md) · [original source](https://news.cision.com/bluefors-oy/r/bluefors--breakthrough-modular-cryogenic-platform-takes-quantum-computing-to-hundreds-of-thousands-o,c4315940))
- **21 May 2025**: Bluefors installs 18 cryogenic systems, including a KIDE platform, at Japan's AIST G-QuAT quantum centre. Bluefors delivered and installed 18 fully wired cryogenic systems at AIST's new G-QuAT centre in Tsukuba, Japan, which opened on 18 May 2025. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/bluefors-installs-18-cryogenic-systems-including-a-kide-platform-at-f09471c8.md) · [original source](https://news.cision.com/bluefors-oy/r/bluefors-delivers-18-state-of-the-art-quantum-cooling-systems-to-power-aist-s-g-quat-center,c4153236))

## Current obstacles

- **Microwatts at the bottom**: About 90 µW at 20 mK, split over three units, must absorb all heat from wires and amplifiers; that budget caps the qubits one KIDE can host.
- **Modular platform not yet shipped**: The multi-module system aimed at hundreds of thousands of qubits exists as a launch announcement; the first multi-module delivery is slated for late 2026.

## Physics limits

- **Cooling power collapses near absolute zero**: The colder a fridge runs, the less heat it can remove. KIDE's own specs show it: over 3,000 µW at 100 mK but only about 90 µW at 20 mK.
- **Helium-3 is scarce**: Dilution fridges run on a mix of helium-3 and helium-4, and helium-3 is rare on Earth, so supply limits how many large fridges the industry can build.

## How it works

### Three units, one can: Three dilution fridges share a chamber

Three independent dilution units sit in one self-supporting vacuum chamber with doors, instead of nested cans that must be lifted off.

### Nine pulse tubes: Electric precooling to a few kelvin

Nine pulse-tube coolers split the work: running the dilution units, cooling the customer's hardware and cooling the radiation shields.

### Wiring: Thousands of microwave lines

Over 4,000 high-density RF lines and 40-plus ports carry control signals to the chip; each line leaks a little heat into the coldest stage.

### Long runs: Years without warming up

A long-life cold trap catches contaminants in the helium loop, so the machine can run continuously for up to three years.

## Spec sheet

| Spec | KIDE cryogenic platform | Provenance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Qubits supported | 1,000+ | reported |
| Typical base temperature | 10 mK | reported |
| Cooling power at 100 mK | > 3,000 µW | reported |
| Cooling power at 20 mK | > 90 µW | reported |
| High-density RF lines | > 4,000 | reported |
| Dilution cooling units | 3 | reported |
| Pulse-tube cryocoolers | 9 | reported |
| Maximum payload | 500 kg | reported |
| System weight | 5.7 t | reported |

Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure.

## About Bluefors

Bluefors builds the dilution refrigerators that cool superconducting and spin-qubit chips to about 10 millikelvin. The Helsinki company also owns cryocooler maker Cryomech and says it has delivered more than 1,800 systems.

- Interlune's CEO says a majority of the quantum industry relies on Bluefors fridges; over 1,800 systems delivered.
- KIDE (1,000+ qubits) went to IBM and Japan's AIST; a modular platform for far larger machines ships late 2026.
- Signed to buy up to 10,000 litres a year of lunar helium-3 from Interlune for 2028–2037.

- Founded: 2008
- Headquarters: FI
- Status: private
- Staff: ~700
- Website: https://bluefors.com
- People: Kim Povlsen (Chief Executive Officer); Rob Blaauwgeers (Co-founder)
- Partners, customers, investors: IBM (customer); AIST (G-QuAT) (customer); Interlune (supplier); Alice & Bob (customer); Delft Circuits (partner); Qblox (partner)

Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/bluefors.md

## Related programs

Everything in Quantum: https://technooptimist.io/quantum.md

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