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https://nordictimes.com/science/finnish-supercomputer-gets-quantum-upgrade/

Science

Finnish supercomputer gets quantum upgrade

Updated November 9, 2024, Published October 10, 2024 – By Ivana Bratovanova
The names "LUMI" and "HELMI" mean "snow" and "pearl" in Finnish.
2 minute read
Ivana Bratovanova
ivana.bratovanova@nordictimes.com

LUMI, Europe’s fastest and the world’s fifth fastest supercomputer, has been integratated with the HELMI quantum computer.

The resulting hybrid system is, according to LUMI Director Pekka Manninen, “the most powerful quantum-enabled supercomputing infrastructure in the world".

Located in Kajaani, Finland, LUMI is renowned for its immense computational power, equivalent to approximately 1.5 million laptops. Now, the VTT Technical Research Centre has connected LUMI to the HELMI 5-qubit quantum computer, creating a hybrid computational architecture with enhanced capabilities and research potential.

“We see great potential in quantum computing for accelerating innovation for the benefit of companies and the whole society”, says Pekka Pursula, Research Manager at VTT.

The integration of LUMI and HELMI combines the processing power of classical supercomputing with the advanced capabilities of quantum computing. In this hybrid system, classical computing manages large-scale data processing, while HELMI tackles optimization challenges. This combination boosts efficiency and enables breakthroughs in fields like science, environmental modeling, logistics, and finance.

According to Pekka Manninen, Director of the LUMI Leadership Computing Facility at CSC - IT Center for Science, the upgrade makes it “the most powerful quantum-enabled supercomputing infrastructure in the world".

LUMI’s hybrid architecture is already supporting a wide array of critical research projects. For instance, it is aiding in the prediction of global weather patterns, advancing artificial intelligence research, and supporting drug discovery. Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Salerno used LUMI to analyze thousands of potential drug candidates, improving the efficiency of the drug development process.

The hybrid supercomputer is also proving useful in the study of space phenomena. Aalto University researcher Maarit Korpi-Lagg uses LUMI to study solar magnetism and its impact on solar activity. Her research involves numerical simulations to predict future solar behavior, helping society better understand the effects of solar storms.

Given the high energy demands of such advanced infrastructures, LUMI's location in central Finland was chosen for its access to low-cost hydroelectric power and naturally cold climate. The system also recycles its heat output to warm nearby buildings, reducing energy costs and emissions.

“Quantum computers are in many respects strange and unfamiliar, and it will be exciting to see how our customers end up using them”, comments Mikael Johansson, Quantum Technologies Manager at CSC, IT Center for Science in Espoo.

Ivana Bratovanova
ivana.bratovanova@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/concerns-about-childrens-safety-at-finnish-daycare-centers/

Finland

Concerns about children’s safety at Finnish daycare centers

Welfare collapse

Published today 9:54 am – By Editorial staff
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A large proportion of staff at Finnish Swedish-speaking daycare centers feel that the environment is unsafe for children. Staff shortages are identified as the main issue.

In April 2025, Finnish public broadcaster Yle sent out a survey to over a thousand employees in early childhood education in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kyrkslätt, and Kauniainen. A total of 324 people responded to the survey.

The results show that six out of ten employees feel that the environment is physically or emotionally unsafe for children. Staff shortages are identified as the recurring problem. Nearly 200 people describe in their open-ended responses situations where too few adults are responsible for too many children.

— Staff have been replaced in quite a short time, in several groups. It affects the children's safety and well-being greatly, says Marika, who works at a daycare center, to Yle.

Early morning hours and late afternoons are particularly critical. Marika reports that on one occasion she was solely responsible for thirteen children under three years old. According to Finnish law, there must be at least one qualified person per maximum of four children under three years old. However, by calculating an average for the entire day, daycare centers can meet the requirement statistically.

Only one-third of all respondents believe they will still be working at the same daycare center in five years.

Jenni Tirronen, head of early childhood education in Helsinki, confirms that burnout is a major problem.

— We are naturally very concerned about the burnout. Our own staff survey shows that approximately 60 percent of our employees feel that they do not recover sufficiently after the workday, says Tirronen.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/more-finns-are-reporting-police-officers/

Finland

More Finns are reporting police officers

Published November 17, 2025 – By Editorial staff
1 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

An increasing number of Finns are filing police reports against individual officers. Over 1,100 reports have already been filed this year – several hundred more than during all of last year.

The figures come from the Finnish newspaper group Uutissuomalainen. These are reports filed against individual police officers for suspected official misconduct, not complaints against the police authority as an organization.

Markus Laine, a police legal advisor at the Police Department in Southwest Finland, explains that the majority of reports stem from general dissatisfaction with police actions.

— It could be, for example, that someone is dissatisfied that a preliminary investigation was never initiated or that it was discontinued. It's also common for someone to feel they were wrongly detained in town, for instance when the person was under the influence, Laine tells Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

Issued fines can also sometimes result in the person fined filing a report against the police.

Despite the high number of reports, only about ten percent lead to prosecution review. Disciplinary actions such as suspension or dismissal are rare and involve only a few cases per year.

According to the Finnish Police Barometer, public trust in the police stands at 92 percent. However, certain groups deviate significantly from the average. Victims of sexual crimes or intimate partner violence, people subjected to human trafficking, and sexual minorities show considerably lower trust figures.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finlands-former-president-europe-should-speak-directly-with-putin/

Finland

Finland’s former president: Europe should speak directly with Putin

Published November 11, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Finnish former President Sauli Niinistö believes that Europe must remain European.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Finland's former president Sauli Niinistö believes that European leaders should engage in direct talks with Moscow instead of relying solely on information from Donald Trump. He also warns that Europe is losing its role as a global power.

Niinistö criticizes the current situation where European countries lack direct contact with Russian leaders, while US President Donald Trump negotiates with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine's future. Niinistö argues that Europe should instead initiate direct talks with Russia to influence the outcome of the war.

— French President Emmanuel Macron is likely the last one to have called, and before that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about a year ago. And he was criticized for it, Niinistö told Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

He defended Scholz's decision to contact the Kremlin and describes the current situation as absurd.

— I defended him and still think that it is in a way an absurd situation that Europeans say they won't talk to the war criminal Putin. But Trump does it, and then we go and hear what they talked about, he explained.

Niinistö points out the paradox that Europeans are simultaneously worried that Putin and Trump will discuss Europe's future over the heads of the European countries themselves.

Europe has lost its global position

Furthermore, Niinistö notes that Europe's significance has decreased markedly during the 21st century. Today, it is primarily the US, China, and Russia that make the decisive decisions on the global stage.

When Finland joined the EU in the 1990s, the union was a voice that the world listened to. The situation was similar even after the turn of the millennium. Now, however, Europe has disappeared from the power quadrangle, according to Niinistö. He particularly points to how the US and China compete economically and divide the world between them in what he describes as a struggle for nations' loyalty.

— Europe must keep Europe European and must absolutely not submit to becoming an object of division, so that someone belongs to one camp and someone else to another, he says.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/science/powerful-new-antibiotic-discovered-by-accident/

Science

Powerful new antibiotic discovered by accident

Published November 6, 2025 – By Editorial staff
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Researchers have discovered an antibiotic that is more than 100 times stronger than previously thought – by studying a process that has been known for at least fifty years. The discovery could be a breakthrough in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotics were discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, but widespread use of the drug only began during World War II. Today, large amounts of antibiotics are used annually worldwide, which has led to higher resistance to the drug.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) means that bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites develop resistance to drugs, including antibiotics. It arises primarily through incorrect and excessive use of antibiotics, and is a problem that is increasing globally. It is therefore considered one of the most serious threats to global health.

Now researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK and Monash University in Australia have made an unexpected discovery while studying how the bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor produces the old antibiotic methylenomycin A. This bacterium has been one of the most studied in antibiotic research since the 1950s.

In simple terms, when cells produce chemical substances, they go through several intermediate stages before the final product is ready – rather like baking, where ingredients are mixed in a certain order. The researchers had the idea of testing these intermediate stages for antimicrobial activity. It turned out that one of them is significantly more powerful than the final product itself.

— Methylenomycin A was originally discovered 50 years ago and while it has been synthesized several times, no-one appears to have tested the synthetic intermediates for antimicrobial activity!, says Professor Greg Challis at the University of Warwick, in a press release.

One hundred times more powerful

This intermediate stage, called pre-methylenomycin C lactone, proved to be a very powerful antibiotic – in fact one hundred times more effective than methylenomycin A against dangerous bacteria. It worked particularly well against bacteria that cause MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus infection) and VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci) – two of healthcare's worst nightmares.

Furthermore, the bacteria appeared to have great difficulty developing resistance to the new antibiotic. The discovery opens up a completely new avenue for antibiotic research, and the researchers have already developed a new method for producing the antibiotic in larger quantities, with preclinical trials as the next step.

— This discovery suggests a new paradigm for antibiotic discovery. By identifying and testing intermediates in the pathways to diverse natural compounds, we may find potent new antibiotics, says Professor Challis.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com