JOHOR BAHRU, September 27 — Universiti Teknologi Malaysia will host the research, development and commercialisation operations of AQSolotl Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based quantum technology company, the university announced on 24 September 2026. The arrangement places AQSolotl at UTM Technovation Park in Johor Bahru and, according to the announcement, makes it the first quantum computing hardware company operating in Malaysia.
Here’s what it means in plain terms. Quantum computers are built from hardware that has to be controlled with extraordinary precision, and the know-how to do that tends to sit inside research labs long before it becomes a product.
AQSolotl’s move puts that kind of lab work inside a Malaysian university campus, with a commercial outfit attached to it.
A partnership built over years, not months
UTM has been developing quantum technology expertise since 2009 through collaborations with Japan, including The University of Osaka. The university expanded its research network to Singapore in 2018. Work involving the Centre for Quantum Technologies, Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore contributed to quantum control and computing hardware technologies that later progressed toward commercialisation through AQSolotl.
UTM Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ts. Dr. Mohd Shafry Mohd Rahim framed the development as proof that long-running university research can travel all the way to market.
“This achievement demonstrates how sustained research, supported by international collaboration and local expertise, can be translated into technology, commercialisation, talent development and new industries for the country,” he said.
The people behind the hardware
UTM’s quantum technology expertise is led by Dr. Yap Yung Szen, working alongside Assoc. Prof. Dr. Haza Nuzly Abdull Hamed and Dr. Koh Meng Hock. Dr. Yap also serves as a co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of AQSolotl, which means the same researcher sits on both sides of the university-to-company handoff.
His work has drawn international recognition through selection for Quantum 100, a global initiative tied to the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology organized by UNESCO. Think of it like a university lab that has spent years learning how to keep something incredibly delicate under control — and then hiring the people who learned it to build the machinery.
That is the practical upshot of a company setting up shop on the campus where the technique was developed. AQSolotl held a strategic visit and meeting at UTM on 23 September 2026, bringing together senior representatives from both organisations. Those included UTM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) Prof. Dr. Mohd Shahrizal Sunar, Faculty of Science Dean Prof. Dr. Shafinaz Shahir, and Innovation and Commercialisation Centre Director Assoc.
Prof. Ts. Dr. Noor Azurati Ahmad @ Salleh, along with AQSolotl Chief Executive Officer Patrick Bore.
UTM’s location close to Singapore strengthens its potential to serve as a bridge between Malaysia and Singapore’s research, talent and deep-technology ecosystems, the announcement stated. The university said it aims to continue advancing quantum research and innovation. What to watch next is whether the Johor Bahru site turns into a genuine hardware pipeline — and whether other deep-technology companies follow a quantum outfit onto a Malaysian campus.
