Finnish unicorn IQM today announced plans to go public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), valuing the company at approximately $1.8 billion. The move will see IQM join the growing cohort of quantum computing companies listed on U.S. stock markets.  Founded in 2018 as a spinout from Finland’s Aalto University and VTT Technical Research, IQM commercializes both on-premises full-stack quantum computers and a cloud platform to access its systems, with clients including academic and industrial labs around the world. Public quantum companies have seen their stocks surge in recent months , fueled by signals from governments and Big Tech that the “quantum advantage” over regular supercomputers may soon be within reach. This has led believers to double down , with the conviction that the field will soon have lucrative real-life applications in life sciences, new materials, and more. Going public will provide IQM with an extended runway to support its commercial plans.…