Digital Superconducting Quantum Machines (DSQM), a spin-off of the CNR Nanoscience Institute (CNR Nano), has won a prestigious award for its cutting-edge technological innovation in the field of superconductivity. On Thursday, March 14, in a ceremony at the Chamber of Deputies in Rome, the startup received the prestigious America Innovazione Award, sponsored by the Italy USA Foundation, which values the best Italian innovators who stand out in the startup landscape every year.

DSQM emerged among numerous candidates thanks to its ambitious mission to develop faster and more efficient circuits for telecommunications and supercomputers based on superconducting materials. The technology behind DSQM’s solutions is based on a phenomenon known as the “field effect” on superconductors, which was discovered by a group of CNR Nano researchers working within the Scuola Normale Superiore’s NEST Laboratory.

At the award ceremony, Claudio Puglia, CEO of DSQM, and Elia Strambini a researcher at Cnr Nano and in the startup team, collected the prize: in addition to the award parchment, the winners receive an extraordinary scholarship to attend  the Italia USA Foundation’s online executive master’s program in “Leadership for international relations and made in Italy.”

“We are thrilled to receive the Premio America Innovazione, which confirms the value of our mission. Starting from a fundamental physics discovery, we are developing a superconducting technology that aims to overcome conventional electronics and revolutionize the way digital information is transmitted and processed. This award is a recognition of our commitment to innovation and the potential of our technology,” commented Claudio Puglia and Elia Strambini.

Established in 2022 to shape a project at the crossroads of basic research and technological innovation, DSQM has so far participated in several regional and national ‘business competitions’ achieving excellent results. The DSQM team is composed of Claudio Puglia, CEO of the company and INFN researcher, Francesco Giazotto, Elia Strambini, Giorgio De Simoni, all researchers from CNR Nano, Federico Paolucci from INFN, and Angelo Di Bernardo from the University of Salerno and University of Konstanz (Germany).

“The success of DSQM demonstrates the value of basic research in technological innovation in the Italian landscape, carrying on the legacy of excellence of the Nanoscience Institute and collaborations with important research institutions such as the Scuola Normale Superiore,” commented Lucia Sorba director of Cnr Nano.