Future topics such as quantum computing and energy-efficient superconducting electronics are the focus of the International Superconductive Electronics Conference (ISEC), which kicked off in Erfurt on Monday, June 16, 2025, in the presence of Thuringia's Minister-President Mario Voigt and State Secretary Mario Suckert. The scientific conference, organized by the CiS Forschungsinstitut für Mikrosensorik GmbH, an affiliated research institute of TU Ilmenau, and TU Ilmenau, brings together around one hundred international experts in the field of superconducting electronics from Japan, the USA, China and Europe in Thuringia's state capital Erfurt.
Research
International Superconductive Electronics Conference: "The technological heart of Europe beats in the green heart of Germany"
Until June 19, conference participants from more than twenty countries will present and discuss the latest research results and development trends in superconducting electronics and their applications - from quantum computers to nuclear magnetic resonance tomographs and high-precision SQUID sensors for measuring the smallest magnetic fields to integrated circuits for extremely energy-efficient, ultra-fast information technology, so-called "green electronics".
"Superconductor electronics has the potential to bring about disruptive changes in society"
The forum for innovations in science and industry was opened by Prof. Thomas Ortlepp, Managing Director of the CiS Forschungsinstitut für Mikrosensorik GmbH in Erfurt and Distinguished Professor at Yokohama University in Japan, and Prof. Ronny Stolz, Honorary Professor of Quantum Engineering at TU Ilmenau and Head of the Quantum Systems Research Department at the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) Jena: "Superconductor electronics has the potential to bring about disruptive changes in society," said Prof. Stolz.
In his welcoming address, Minister-President Mario Voigt emphasized the importance of Thuringia as a location for innovative future technologies such as superconductivity and microelectronics, which are being researched in Erfurt at CiS and at the Center for Micro- and Nanotechnologies (ZMN) at TU Ilmenau, amongst others: "In Thuringia, we are convinced that the best solutions are created where research and practice go hand in hand. As a technology-driven region with a long industrial tradition, we have successfully shaped the transformation into a region of the future - powerful, innovative and internationally networked. The technological heart of Europe beats in the green heart of Germany: microelectronics is the heartbeat of modern technology - and Thuringia beats strongly with it. Our universities and research institutions work closely with industry and jointly create the conditions to meet the major challenges of our time. The International Superconductive Electronics Conference in Erfurt is an expression of the high international esteem in which this location is held. It shows: Technological excellence is at home in the green heart of Germany - and the future comes from Thuringia."
The potential to drastically reduce the energy requirements of data centers
In his welcoming address, University President Kai-Uwe Sattler also emphasized the importantance of research into superconducting materials, which can conduct electricity without resistance and therefore without loss, in the age of digitalization and energy-intensive technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). He pointed out that, for example, the use of quantum computers or energy-efficient semiconductors can drastically reduce the energy requirements of data centers, which are the technological basis for cloud services, the Internet of Things (IoT) and many other digital applications. In view of the rapid increase in energy consumption in IT, conventional computers are reaching their limits as their architecture is based on outdated principles.
Prof. Hannes Töpfer, Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and Head of the Advanced Electromagnetics Group at TU Ilmenau, will present a new, promising approach to addressing this challenge in his presentation on the fourth day of the conference. It combines bio-inspired information processing modeled on the human brain, so-called neuromorphic computing, with superconductivity and is being researched as part of the Ilmenau School of Green Electronics at TU Ilmenau.
So-called Josephson junctions - superconducting circuit components based on quantum physical effects - play a central role therin. In a neuromorphic Josephson network, many of these contacts are interconnected in such a way that they simulate as network the function of biological nerve cells. Information is no longer transmitted by electrical voltages, but by short impulses - similar to our nervous system. A single computing bit thus consumes around a billion times less energy than today's computers. The aim of the research is to further develop this bio-inspired technology so that it can be used in data centers, transport or industry and thus drastically reduce the carbon footprint of IT.
The International Superconductive Electronics Conference takes place every two years in Europe, Asia or the USA. Germany last hosted the ISEC in 1997.
Contact
Prof. Hannes Töpfer
Head of Advanced Electromagnetics