Quantum News Briefs: December 4, 2023:
Fourth AnnualU.S. National Quantum Initiative (NQI) Annual Report Released
The National Quantum Initiative (NQI) Supplement to the President’s FY 2024 Budget, marking the fourth annual report of the NQI Program, was released in early December. This initiative, established under the NQI Act in December 2018, aims to boost American leadership in quantum information science (QIS) and technology. The report underlines the United States’ significant and ongoing investments in QIS research and development (R&D), featuring contributions from over a dozen agencies including NIST, NSF, DOE, DOD, NASA, NSA, and IARPA. These efforts encompass a wide range of applications and a commitment to fostering a culture of discovery. The report also includes updates on cross-cutting QIS policy topics. FY 2024 represents a pivotal moment for the NQI program as several initial authorizations from the NQI Act approach their five-year expiration. In response, the NQI Advisory Committee published its first assessment in June 2023. It recommended reauthorizing the NQI Act for at least another five years, a suggestion supported during a full hearing by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on Advancing American Leadership in Quantum Technology.
Algorithmiq and IBM Quantum Announce Results of Latest Collaborative Experiment
Last November, IBM and quantum computing startup Algorithmiq initiated a collaboration to utilize quantum computers for enhancing drug discovery and development. They are set to reveal the results of their joint effort, which constitutes the largest scale experiment conducted on IBM hardware, at the IBM Summit on December 4th. Professor Sabrina Maniscalco, co-founder and CEO of Algorithmiq, who has over 20 years of experience in Quantum Technology and Information, will discuss the findings. The experiment achieved remarkable error mitigation, a significant breakthrough in quantum computing. Algorithmiq’s software, when used with IBM hardware, drastically reduced the computational time from years to mere hours for certain tasks, marking a significant stride towards the quantum utility era. This achievement cements IBM and Algorithmiq’s position as leaders in the field and signals a key advancement towards practical quantum advantage in chemistry. In addition, Algorithmiq will present its recent collaborative research with AstraZeneca’s quantum chemistry team and is set to become the new code owners for the IBM Qiskit Nature community, a notable development to be officially announced by IBM on November 27th.
ORCA Computing Partners with Supercomputing Hub
In mid-November, ORCA Computing, a London-based startup, announced its collaboration with Poland’s Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC) to install two PT-1 quantum photonic systems. These systems, ORCA’s innovation, are based on boson sampling, a simpler approach to quantum computing, and are designed to facilitate quantum computing in scientific research areas. ORCA, established in 2019 by co-founders from the University of Oxford, focuses on utilizing single photons and proprietary multiplexing technology for data manipulation in quantum computing. The PSNC, known for its classical high-performance computing, will integrate these quantum systems into its infrastructure to enhance scientific research and industrial innovation. This marks PSNC’s first venture into quantum computing and is a significant step under the EUROHPC-PL initiative, aiming to integrate quantum capabilities into European supercomputing. The quantum systems are expected to be operational at PSNC by the end of 2023, paving the way for advanced quantum-classical computing applications.
ParTec AG and Quantum Machines Enhance their Collaboration on Quantum Technology
ParTec AG and Quantum Machines announced an intensified collaboration to develop a qubit-agnostic solution, combining Quantum Machines’s Quantum Orchestration Platform with ParTec’s proprietary technology. Slated for release in 2024, this solution will enable customers to integrate various quantum processing unit technologies from different manufacturers into a unified system architecture. This collaboration builds on their earlier project, QBridge, which integrates high-performance computing (HPC) and quantum computers. QBridge, enhanced with ParTec’s ParaStation Modulo software, is being tested at the Israeli Quantum Computing Centre, with general availability expected by the end of 2023. This partnership marks a significant advancement in quantum computing, leveraging ParTec’s expertise in modular supercomputers and Quantum Machines’ control solutions to facilitate the execution of advanced quantum algorithms and their integration into HPC systems.
In Other News: Physics World Article: “Partnerships push for quantum advantage”
The UK’s National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP), launched in 2014, has emphasized collaboration as a key factor in its success. This is exemplified by the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), a flagship initiative started in 2020 that aims to demonstrate quantum advantage by 2025. The NQCC has recently partnered with IBM Quantum to provide cloud-based access to IBM’s quantum computers, including 127-qubit machines, to its collaborators. This partnership is part of a broader strategy that includes access to Oxford Quantum Circuits’ Lucy quantum processor and a focus on quantum emulation using the University of Oxford’s Quantum Exact Simulation Toolkit (QuEST). Additionally, the NQCC is collaborating with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) on developing quantum standards and has joined a pilot network in the UK. The NQCC is also engaged with the Quantum Software Lab (QSL) at the University of Edinburgh in developing quantum machine-learning solutions for practical applications, such as tackling money laundering in collaboration with HSBC and technology provider Rigetti. This diverse set of partnerships and projects underlines the NQCC’s commitment to integrating quantum computing into various sectors and advancing the field through collaborative efforts.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Managing Editor at Inside Quantum Technology and the Science Communicator at JILA (a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST). Her writing beats include deep tech, quantum computing, and AI. Her work has been featured in Scientific American, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Ars Technica, and more.