Quantum News Briefs: April 17, 2024: Rigetti and Oxford Instruments Announce the Successful Completion of the Innovate UK Project to Launch One of the First UK-based Quantum Computers; Quantinuum achieves the historic “three 9’s” 2-qubit gate fidelity in its commercial quantum computer, announcing that its Quantum Volume has surpassed one million; Oak Ridge National Laboratory Invests in IonQ’s Quantum Technologies to Drive Critical U.S. Infrastructure Improvements; Xanadu and South Carolina Quantum establish partnership to build the quantum workforce of tomorrow; “Europe plans to build 100-qubit quantum computer by 2026”
Quantum News Briefs: April 17, 2024:
Rigetti and Oxford Instruments Announce the Successful Completion of the Innovate UK Project to Launch One of the First UK-based Quantum Computers
Rigetti UK Limited, a subsidiary of Rigetti Computing, in collaboration with Oxford Instruments NanoScience and other partners, including Quantum Software Lab at the University of Edinburgh, Phasecraft, and Standard Chartered Bank, has completed a three-year project to build and operate one of the UK’s first quantum computers. The £10 million consortium, supported by the UK government’s Quantum Technologies Challenge and UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), aimed to commercialize quantum computing in the UK. This initiative involved delivering a 32-qubit Aspen™-class quantum computer, made available over the cloud to UK partners for developing quantum applications. Hosted at Oxford Instruments’ Tubney Woods facility, the system supported advancements in machine learning, materials simulation, and finance. This milestone marks a significant step in advancing the UK’s quantum computing capabilities and infrastructure.
Quantinuum achieves the historic “three 9’s” 2-qubit gate fidelity in its commercial quantum computer, announcing that its Quantum Volume has surpassed one million
In a new blog post announcement, Quantinuum claims a new benchmark in the quantum computing industry by achieving “three 9’s” or 99.9% 2-qubit gate fidelity in its commercial quantum computers, a critical metric for the effectiveness of quantum error correction and a key to advancing towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. This milestone accompanies their announcement that their Quantum Volume, a measure of a quantum computer’s overall capabilities, has exceeded one million, significantly outperforming competitors. This achievement marks a pivotal moment in quantum computing, demonstrating Quantinuum’s lead in developing high-performance, commercially available quantum systems. These systems promise to handle complex problems across various fields, potentially revolutionizing sectors like quantum chemistry, machine learning, and finance. The company’s continuous innovation and improvement of quantum systems underline its commitment to maintaining a leading edge in the fast-evolving quantum technology landscape.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Invests in IonQ’s Quantum Technologies to Drive Critical U.S. Infrastructure Improvements
IonQ, a leader in quantum computing, has announced a collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to harness quantum technology for modernizing the U.S. power grid, with funding from the Department of Energy. This partnership aims to address the challenges of optimization and security in the power grid, leveraging both classical and quantum resources to develop practical quantum hybrid applications. IonQ’s commitment to enhancing grid resilience and efficiency is part of the broader GRID-Q project under the DOE’s Grid Modernization Initiative, which includes access to ORNL’s Quantum Computing User Program to test quantum applications in real-world scenarios like power grid control. This collaboration underscores IonQ’s ongoing efforts to apply quantum solutions to critical, complex problems affecting national infrastructure and security.
Xanadu and South Carolina Quantum establish partnership to build the quantum workforce of tomorrow
Xanadu, a leader in photonic quantum computing, has teamed up with South Carolina Quantum (SC Quantum), a non-profit dedicated to fostering a quantum-smart workforce, to develop practical educational materials and programs in South Carolina. This partnership aims to enhance quantum education and prepare a skilled workforce to tackle real-world challenges using quantum technologies. Xanadu’s commitment to expanding quantum education is reflected in its recent establishment of a US entity and its collaboration with academic institutions. SC Quantum creates a conducive environment for quantum education and innovation, engages students with complex problems, and provides access to cutting-edge quantum technology. This collaboration will leverage Xanadu’s open-source software, PennyLane, to advance quantum algorithm development and hands-on learning, supporting SC Quantum’s mission to advance quantum talent and technology in the region.
In Other News: Physics World article: “Europe plans to build 100-qubit quantum computer by 2026”
According to a recent Physics World article, researchers at QuTech in Delft, Netherlands, have unveiled plans to construct Europe’s first 100-qubit quantum computer, set to be completed by 2026 and made available to the public for quantum computations and simulations. This initiative is part of the European OpenSuperQPlus project, supported by Quantum Delta NL and involving 28 partners across 10 countries, as a segment of the ambitious €1bn European Quantum Flagship program aimed at advancing quantum technologies. The project will integrate hardware and software contributions from several spin-offs from QuTech, including superconducting quantum processors from QuantWare, cryogenic cables from Delft Circuits, control software from Qblox, and additional technologies from TNO and TUD. Upon completion, the quantum computer will be accessible via Quantum Inspire, a cloud platform currently hosting smaller quantum processors, enhancing its capacity for broader and more complex quantum research and education.
