Today, when researchers set out to design new drugs for diseases like cancer or Alzheimers, they know the process will be slow and sporadic at best. Traditional approaches to scientific research face bottlenecks arising from the process, cost, and complexity of the work, along with the amount of time it takes for classical computers to analyze massive amounts of data.

But what if instead of attempting to discover and design new drugs and medicines using simple binary digits, we could use something that dramatically changes how we analyze data and what can be discovered from it? Something that could bring new therapies and cures much faster to patients in need.

Technological advances lead to conceptual leaps in knowledge and the discovery of previously unimagined new paradigms. Thats one of the promises of quantum computing, a rapidly emerging technology that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to explore problems that are too complex for classical computers to solve. Quantum computers hold the potential to run vast simulations to design better drugs and treatments at breathtaking speeds.

When most Americans learn about technologies like quantum computing, they probably assume that it comes from Silicon Valley. After all, were accustomed to innovation taking the form of digital apps and platforms designed by programmers who work in front of a keyboard. That model has produced countless advancements in recent yearsbut it isnt the only way groundbreaking progress can be made.

The truth is that many of our most vital breakthroughs in health and medicine have emerged not from the coasts, but from the heartlandwhere, for more than a century, Cleveland Clinic has stood at the forefront of innovation. From discovering serotonin in the 1940s and pioneering bypass surgery in the 1960s to identifying how the microbiome benefits human health in the past decade, Cleveland Clinic teams of researchers and clinicians have investigated the problems of our patients and innovated solutions.

These discoveries have impacted health care. But they have come with a steep cost: Time. On average, it takes more than 15 years for a scientific discovery in a biomedical research lab to become a tangible therapy or diagnostic test available to patients. Not to mention, this process can take up to $100 million. With emerging technologies such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and cloud, we can change this. What once took decades could now be achieved in months and can become more affordable and less time-intensive for research teams.

Thats why IBM is partnering with Cleveland Clinic to introduce the first quantum computer ever deployed on site in the private sectorand the first in the world dedicated to biomedical and health research. Unveiled this week at its permanent home on Cleveland Clinics campus in Ohio, IBM Quantum System One is part of a groundbreaking effort to significantly speed up the pace of scientific breakthroughs.

For researchers at Cleveland Clinic, it means the chance to develop more precise, targeted, and effective medicinesand more accurately predict which patients will encounter life-threatening and chronic diseases.

For people across the country, it means the potential to make major leaps forward in the fight against complex diseasesand a new technology platform that can serve as a model for every region to make breakthroughs of their own.

For Clevelanders and Northeast Ohioans, it means well-paying jobs in cutting-edge fields. It strengthens the citys position as a globally recognized hub of innovation. And it sends a clear message to the nation and the world that the American heartland is a place where the future is being written.

We dont yet know precisely which breakthroughs quantum computing will help us achieveand which medicines, models, vaccines, and therapies they could make possible.

But we do know that by working to dramatically reduce the time it takes to investigate the most complex mysteries of human health, this effort will close the gap between imagination and discoverybetween the impossible and the possible. Quantum and other advanced computing technologies will help us expedite progress toward new treatments and cures for our patients.

We are grateful to the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio, and all of the local, state, and national leaders who have made this work possible by investing in pioneering research and in our scientific infrastructure.

We are excited to embark on this journey of discoverydelivering more jobs to the heartland, more opportunities to the nation, and more medical breakthroughs to the world.

Serpil Erzurum, M.D., is Cleveland Clinics chief research and academic officer. Daro Gil is IBMs SVP and director of research.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs ofFortune.

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IBM and Cleveland Clinic are deploying the first on-site quantum computer in health care as tech promises to accelerate scientific breakthroughs -...

Quantum computing by its very nature is set to revolutionize how we think about computers and how we use them. But if the tech world knows one thing down to the chill in the marrow of its bones, its that every opportunity brings the shadow of a threat in its wake and vice versa.

In September, 2022, UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres included quantum computing among his list of perceived techno-threats for the times in which we live, claiming it could destroy cybersecurity.

The idea of any single breakthrough being able to destroy the whole notion of cybersecurity sounds like the plot of an as-yet-unmade James Bond movie (Hey, Eon Productions Ltd call us).

We sat down with Dr Ali El Kaafarani, a research fellow at Oxford Universitys Mathematical Institute, and founder of PQShield, to ask him whether the sky was really falling in.

THQ:

What exactly is the threat of quantum computing? Among everything else there is to worry about, whats the scope and the scale of the quantum threat? Why should we take it seriously?

AEK:

Quantum computers will have the power to solve computational problems that were previously thought impossible for a standard computer to crack. While this presents many opportunities, it also poses a significant security risk as it renders the traditional encryption methods used to protect virtually all of the worlds sensitive information obsolete.

Important and sensitive data, even when encrypted, is constantly being stolen and stored by bad actors who hope to decipher it one day. This is known as a harvest now, decrypt later attack. When powerful quantum computers arrive, all our data will be vulnerable to this kind of retrospective attack.

According to the US National Academy of Sciences, an initial quantum computer prototype capable of breaking current encryption methods could be developed in the next decade.

THQ:

Well thats pretty chilling.

AEK:

For nation states, the intelligence value of reaching this threshold is almost impossible to quantify. NIST says that once this threshold has been crossed, nothing can be done to protect the confidentiality of encrypted material that was previously stored by an adversary. Thats why data needs to be protected with quantum-resistant encryption today, even before these machines are a reality.

THQ:

So, when the Secretary-General said quantum computing could destroy cybersecurity, there wasnt even a hint of hyperbole in there? Any idea when within the next decade this could happen?

AEK:

According to Booz Allen Hamilton, the anticipated cracking of encryption by quantum computers must be treated as a current threat. Only late last year, top former US national security officials including the Deputy Director of National Intelligence, warned the world that the danger of these types of attacks was immediate.

THQ:

Well its been nice sleeping at night. So, for instance, how do businesses that want to outlive this development assess their vulnerability to quantum attack? What stages does such an assessment come in?

AEK:

There are many who recognize the seriousness of the quantum threat but dont actually know how to go about protecting themselves against it, or who feel overwhelmed thinking about the overhaul associated with migrating their systems to meet a new set of standards.

THQ:

We can imagine the overwhelm, certainly.

AEK:

However, if you break it down into smaller steps, the migration process is not so daunting.Transitioning from cryptosystem to cryptosystem is no trivial task, which is why it is best to start as early as possible.

As the NIST National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) points out: It is critical to begin planning for the replacement of hardware, software and services that use public-key algorithms now, so that the information is protected from future attacks.

Switching from one cryptosystem to another within a given security solution is unlikely to be a simple drop-in task, particularly for businesses that havent even begun planning for the post-quantum transition, which is likely to be the biggest cryptographic transition in decades.

THQ:

So were thinking this is not a particularly straightforward job?

AEK:

Well, the ease or difficulty with which certain cryptographic algorithms can be switched out in embedded hardware and software will determine the speed with which a transition can be achieved. Crypto-agility allows for a smoother transition between standards. If a system is crypto-agile, it means it is built with flexibility and futureproofing in mind, with cryptographic algorithms that are easy to update and replace over time with minimal disruption to the overall system.

THQ:

So the more agile a business is and the sooner it starts getting to grip with the invisible ticking clock of the quantum threat the more likely it is to be able to ride out the new paradigm?

Once businesses have an understanding of their quantum computing vulnerability, what can they actually do about it?

AEK:

We dont yet know for certain that a high-functioning quantum computer exists, because it is not unfeasible that a bad actor would choose to conceal its existence in order to maintain its technical advantage along with the element of surprise. The prudent way forward is to start preparing for the worst now because its a question of when, not if.

Post-quantum cryptography standards were announced in July last year. The first draft standards will be published in the next couple of months, with the final versions ready in the first half of 2024. In the meantime, it is possible and advised to use hybrid cryptography libraries that can support both classical and post-quantum standards in the transition phase.

In the meantime, businesses can ensure that their cryptography is FIPS 140-3 compliant. FIPS 140-3 is a good stopgap to aim for until more tailored standards are introduced, and because it is a mandatory standard for the protection of sensitive data within US and Canadian federal systems, it is a prerequisite for any contractors that want to do business with these governments.

Another place to look is the Department of Homeland Security, which published a post-quantum cryptography roadmap a useful guideline for establishing a transition plan before standards are finalized.

THQ:

Are we confident that NISTs new cryptographic standards are sufficient to meet the quantum threat of today? And is the threat likely to evolve as we go forward?

AEK:

Because the future capabilities of quantum computers remain an open question, NIST has taken a variety of mathematical approaches to safeguard encryption. Each mathematical approach has different advantages and disadvantages in terms of its practicality, implementation and design.

The logic to all this is that future research may discover new attacks or weaknesses that can be exploited to render any one particular algorithm obsolete. Its why NIST may ultimately choose multiple algorithms to standardize and hold another handful close at hand as backup options.

THQ:

If, as we gather, the threat is likely to evolve, how do we prepare now to meet it? Whats the scope for quantum cryptographic security over, say, the next five years?

AEK:

Meeting the threat relies on implementing post-quantum cryptography. So, naturally, in the next five years, well see different sectors moving to adopt post-quantum cryptography. In some cases, this wont be by choice they will be following mandatory timelines set out by the US Government and others.

Remember, according to the US National Academy of Sciences, a quantum computer prototype capable of breaking current encryption methods could be developed within the next decade.

By 2030, it will surprise no-one if there are fully functioning quantum computers already.

Dr Ali El Kaafarani, CEO of PQShield.

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The potential threat of quantum computing - TechHQ

More than a year into Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, there are few signs the conflict will end anytime soon. Ukraines success on the battlefield has been powered by the innovative use of new technologies, from aerial drones to open-source artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Yet ultimately, the war in Ukrainelike any other warwill end with negotiations. And although the conflict has spurred new approaches to warfare, diplomatic methods remain stuck in the 19th century.

More than a year into Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, there are few signs the conflict will end anytime soon. Ukraines success on the battlefield has been powered by the innovative use of new technologies, from aerial drones to open-source artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Yet ultimately, the war in Ukrainelike any other warwill end with negotiations. And although the conflict has spurred new approaches to warfare, diplomatic methods remain stuck in the 19th century.

Yet not even diplomacyone of the worlds oldest professionscan resist the tide of innovation. New approaches could come from global movements, such as the Peace Treaty Initiative, to reimagine incentives to peacemaking. But much of the change will come from adopting and adapting new technologies.

With advances in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, the internet of things, and distributed ledger technology, todays emerging technologies will offer new tools and techniques for peacemaking that could impact every step of the processfrom the earliest days of negotiations all the way to monitoring and enforcing agreements.

Although the well-appointed interiors of Viennas Palais Coburg and Genevas Hotel President Wilson will likely remain the backdrop for many high-level diplomatic discussions, the way parties conduct these negotiations will undoubtedly change in the years ahead. One simple example is the need for live language interpreters. The use of automated language processingas exemplified by Googles language-translating glassescould smooth negotiations, reducing the time spent on consecutive interpretation.

While some tools will speed negotiations, others will better inform diplomats ahead of talks. As Nathaniel Fick, the inaugural U.S. ambassador at large for cyberspace and digital policy, recently quipped, briefings generated by the AI-powered ChatGPT are now qualitatively close enough to those prepared by his staff. As large language models improve, AI will be able to search and summarize information more quickly than a team of humans, better preparing diplomats to enter negotiations.

Although these systems will need some degree of human oversight, allied parties can also compare notes, leveraging their respective AI systems. As more and more parties develop their own AI, we could see AI hagglebotscomputers that identify optimal agreements given a set of trade-offs and intereststake on a key role in negotiations. Ever more sophisticated AI systems may even one day reach a level of artificial general intelligence. Such systems could upend our understanding of technology, allowing AI to become an independent agent in international engagements rather than a mere tool.

As negotiations begin, parties may augment their delegations with AI, providing real-time, data-informed counsel throughout discussions. IBMs Cognitive Trade Advisor has already assisted negotiators by responding to questions about trade treaties that might otherwise require days or weeks to answer.

New technologies also allow countries to solicit citizen input more easily in real time. More than a decade ago, Indonesia pioneered a platform called UKP4, allowing everyday citizens to submit complaints about anything from damaged infrastructure to absent teachers. Although technology can be misused for manipulation and misinformation, artificial intelligence can also serve as a powerful tool to identify these misbehaviors, creating an ongoing struggle in the arms race between AI that will help and AI that will harm.

Intelligent systems can also help negotiators test various positions and scenarios in a matter of minutes. During the first round of Iran nuclear negotiations, a team at the U.S. Energy Department built a replica of an Iranian nuclear site to test every permutation of Iranian nuclear enrichment and development. In the future, an AI system will be able to run similar scenarios and virtual experiments faster and at a much lower cost.

When I worked on then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerrys team negotiating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2014 and 2015, diplomats would meet in a variety of configurationsfrom large plenaries to one-on-one sessionstrying to discover the intentions behind the positions each side took and discern even minor differences among individual negotiators. While traditionally the privy of the espionage community, computer vision can now aid in this effort, identifying micro-expressions and other emotions by analyzing videos of negotiations. Even if diplomacy remains an art, it will increasingly rely on hard science.

When negotiators reach an agreement, they need to secure the support of their capitals and leadership, creating the need for secure communication. Negotiators have long faced the risk of spies and leaks and are now more exposed than before to the threat of intercepted calls and cybersecurity breaches.

New technology can both secure communication and put it at risk. Most strikingly, powerful quantum computers are likely to one day crack present-day encryption. The furor caused by the WikiLeaks revelations would pale in comparison to the bedlam that could unfold as foreign intelligence agencies decrypt thousands of confidential diplomatic cables.

As of today, many intelligence agencies are likely already intercepting and storing cables with the hope of decrypting them once they develop the requisite technological capabilities. In response, countries have developed new techniques to ensure the integrity of diplomatic communication through post-quantum encryption. In a December 2022 demonstration, French President Emmanuel Macron sent the French diplomatic services first quantum-secure telegram.

After parties announce a deal, technology can still play a role in ensuring their agreement enters into force. When the JCPOA went into effect in January 2016, the United States had difficulty releasing Iranian assets frozen after the revolutionbanks were still afraid to transfer money for fear of running afoul of the sanctions regime. In the end, the U.S. government delivered $1.7 billion in cash to Iran, flying $400 million on pallets to Tehran through Switzerland.

Distributed ledger technology has the potential to transparently ensure parties receive compensation and could be used to openly transfer funds while keeping in place sanctions for other purposes. Already, blockchain is showing its promise across a variety of use cases, including transferring information securely out of Ukraine. Working together with social enterprise company Hala Systems, a lab at Stanford University has used blockchain to document Russian war crimes, ensuring that original evidence of war crimes cannot be manipulated.

After agreement and implementation, monitoring is key to ensuring an agreement holds. In 2015, Iran agreed to a monitoring regime of unprecedented rigor. As Kerry explained at the time, Irans nuclear program will remain subject to regular inspections forever. In the future, the internet of thingsor the ability for items of daily use to be connected to the internetmay make such inspections far more effective by creating many new data points. Teams at Los Alamos National Laboratory, for example, have already used AI to detect signs of nuclear explosive tests by relying on data from international sensor networks.

Remote sensing can also play a role in ensuring parties follow through on their commitments. For example, once the exclusive domain of intelligence agencies, a team at Stanford has now used open-source geospatial imagery to monitor activity at Irans nuclear facility in Natanz. Once quantum sensing matures, it will become even more difficult for malicious actors to disguise their activities. Quantum sensors have already proven successful at mapping underground tunnels and identifying seismic activity. Granted, some of these applications are still far in the future; in any upcoming negotiations, monitoring will have to rely on more traditional methods. But the promise of these new technologies is vast.

Although our ways of waging war have evolved, our ways of waging peace have not yet made similar strides. Ukraines defense has laid bare the importance of bringing innovation to the battlefield. Its success at the negotiating table will be in no small part a result of technological innovation too.

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From ChatGPT to Quantum Computing, New Tech Could Reshape ... - Foreign Policy

Tech companies including Google, Microsoft and IBM are all working on plans for a commercially viable quantum computer. They say that these machines will be able to solve climate change, help develop new pharmaceutical drugs and transform our economy. But harnessing quantum physics requires overcoming massive challenges.

As researchers tinker away on uber-sensitive, ultra-cold quantum computers and investors become increasingly interested in the potential commercial applications some people in the quantum computing world arent buying the hype.

In this episode of Tech Tonic, FT innovation editor John Thornhill travels to the West Coast to visit Julie Love and Krysta Svore, both of Microsofts quantum computing programme, and tours Googles quantum computing lab with engineer Erik Lucero. We hear from Bessemer Venture Partners investor David Cowan, and FT artificial intelligence editor Madhumita Murgia talks to long-time quantum computing researcher Sankar Das Sarma.

Presented by Madhumita Murgia and John Thornhill, produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon and Edwin Lane. Executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. The FTs head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.

We're keen to hear more from our listeners about this show and want to know what you'd like to hear more of, so we're running a survey which you can find at ft.com/techtonicsurvey. It takes about 10 minutes to complete and you will be in with a chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort Earbuds.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

View our accessibility guide.

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The quantum revolution: The race to build a quantum computer - Financial Times

Four years after passing the U.S. National Quantum Initiative Act and decades after early quantum development and commercialization efforts started think D-Wave Systems and IBM, for example the U.S. quantum landscape has become a roiling cauldron of diverse activity. Its perhaps too easy to forget that the U.S. is hardly alone in catching the quantum bug. Europe has also jumped into the fray, as have China, Japan, Canada, Australia and many others. No one wants to miss out on what could globally become a transformational technology.

One area that Europe is tackling sooner than the U.S. is work to fully integrate quantum computing with traditional HPC infrastructure. While theres an emerging consensus worldwide that quantum computing is likely to become just another accelerator in the heterogeneous advanced computing architecture, Europe is taking deliberate steps now to make this a reality and the Quantum Integration Center (QIC) at the Leibniz Supercomputing Center (LRZ) is an illustrative example.

Now turning two years old, the Leibniz QIC has two major objectives. Its meant to be a user facility providing access to a variety of quantum hardware and software and assist in their development. Nothing new there, and its still early on in standing up quantum systems. The second mission goal is to integrate quantum computing with Leibniz traditional computing infrastructure, which includes new AI technologies such as a Cerebras system.

The broad idea is that in the future, Leibniz Supercomputing Center users may submit jobs and not necessarily know which of the underlying hardware options are doing the number crunching. Quantum will be another accelerator in a mix of accelerators ready for work. Creating the blended infrastructure to do that efficiently is at the core of the Leibniz QICs mandate.

We are responsible for what were calling the Munich Quantum Software stack thats to be able to develop needed algorithms and software tools all the way through to running and managing applications on quantum resources and incorporating HPC. The HPC-QC integration is a big part of this. Also, well develop this capability in a qubit-modality-agnostic way, said Laura Schulz, head of Leibniz QIC, who was part of the team that wrote the strategic plan for the QIC.

At the end of the day, our users should be able to utilize this technology with the simplest, cleanest path available. Some users will care about what system theyre actually on, and will want to be able to fine-tune the pulses on those quantum systems. Then youve got the other spectrum, users, like many HPC users, that are not going to care as much about what theyre computing on; theyre going to care more about getting the performance.

Ambitious goals. Schulz recently briefed HPCwire on Leibniz QIC plans and progress. A key early milestone, said Schulz, is demonstrating a working HPC-QC stack.

Weve got an early quantum system (5-qubit) and we have an HPC test center [that comprise] a great testbed, literally sitting in the same room. If you came into the room, you see them literally next to each other. The first milestone is making sure that these systems are connected and that we can send jobs through the HPC to the QPU. It comes back to work on software development. We want to have these systems in place and to have the software to enable interaction not two different software stacks running independently, but a single source software. Then well get progressively better as we get other systems in, she said.

Though these are still early days, the Leibniz QIC has been growing rapidly. On the hardware side, it currently has a 5-qubit superconducting processor from IQM, simulators from Atos (QLM) and Intel (IQS) and will add more QPUs and types. For example, theres a 20-qubit system coming as part of the Q-Exa Project. At the moment, Leibniz QIC is focused on superconducting-based quantum processors but the broad goal is to avoid being locked into single qubit technology.

Were waiting on the neutral atoms; those are a little bit further down the timeline. For us, right now, its superconducting because it offers great opportunities for scaling. Each of these systems has its own flavor and benefits. Superconducting is great for scalability, but its not as stable. Ion trap has more stability, but you cant quite scale it as much.

We have these different systems that were building up and we are going on the postulate were going to have multiple types of QPUs in the ecosystem; theres not going to be one winner, right, and the technology is too new to bank on any one particular [approach]. But by having a suite of different types of modalities around, well be able to experiment, said Schulz, who was selected this year as an HPCwire Person to Watch.

Its worth noting the wide range of the Leibniz QICs constituency. It is part of one of six European supercomputing centers involved in Europes quantum computing development effort. It is also part of the Munich Quantum Valley(MQV). Heres how MQV describes itself:

As a hub between research, industry, funders, and the public, Munich Quantum Valley (MQV) is the crystallization point for the development of the full spectrum of quantum technologies. It promotes an efficient knowledge transfer from research to industry, establishes a network with international reach and provides tailor-made education and training opportunities in the fields of quantum science and technology.

Harnessing three of the most promising technology platforms superconducting, neutral-atom, and trapped-ion qubit systems Munich Quantum Valley will develop and operate competitive quantum computers in Bavaria. In a unique holistic approach researchers develop all layers, from hard- and software up to applications.

The Munich Quantum Valley collaboration unites research capacities and technology transfer power of three major universities and key research organizations: the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW), the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG), the Friedrich-Alexander-Universitt Erlangen-Nrnberg (FAU), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Ludwig- Maximilians-Universitt Mnchen (LMU), the Max Planck Society (MPG), and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Their joint work will advance quantum technologies at all levels for future use in science, research and industrial applications.

Think Silicon Valley focused on quantum. Perhaps more than in the U.S., the interplay between industry and government-funded programs is fundamental. For example, the MQV interchange with the Leibniz QIC is extensive said Schulz.

I havent paid as much attention to the American situation as much as I should. What impresses me about what I see happening in Europe is this early dedication to HPC-QC integration. We know that quantum is going to have to be trusted, and have to be fortified, and its going to come in to the supercomputing realm. I mean, quantum is high performance computing, right. Its going to end up as another accelerator capability.

The other thing that Ive noticed is the partnership with industry. And while there is some of the early hype, some overly ambitious promises and all, but what Im seeing, trend-wise, is the conversation is more tempered. We realize that theres a lot of possibilities here, but also realize weve got several steps to go to get to that potential promise. The companies that weve been interacting with have that mentality, they understand that the possibility is there, theyre doing these proof of concept projects, said Schulz.

Over time, of course, the market will determine which development approaches win. China has embarked on an aggressive centralized plan. The U.S. has a blend of DOE-funded National QIS Research Centers and a vigorous separate commercial quantum development community. Europe has a Quantum Technologies Flagship program and the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) which named LRZ as a quantum site.

At ground level, Schulz is busily ramping the Leibniz QIC. Staffing has been a challenge. Headcount is currently ~24 and headed north of 40 by year-end, hopes Schulz who is actively hiring. Its a multi-discipline group, with its share of physicists, but software workers currently comprise around 50 percent of the team. Theres also many external collaborations within the MQV.

Said Schulz, My team is kind of this microcosm of the community. Ive got computer scientists, software developers, electrical engineers, and quantum physicists, experimental and theoretical, I have this really nice little community that represents this bigger picture. Whats funny is some of the issues that we face as a team. We were just doing all of our annual reviews, and the HPC people were saying, Im good on the quantum more or less, but need to know a lot more about how this works. The quantum people were like, I really need to understand HPC more, for example how does the scheduling work? Were cross-training each other within our own team, to ensure that everybody has a baseline to understand how this comes together smartly.

Mixing quantum computing and traditional HPC in the same facility has also prompted new challenges.

Schulz said, With HPC, and energy efficiency, the whole infrastructure is already complex and has evolved on its own. But now weve got these cryostats that were taking care of and were having to change out the nitrogen on a particular schedule. Were having to learn how to calibrate these things and how to maintain the calibration. Were having to learn a whole new set of operational programs. We have to worry about all these other external factors humidity, temperature, electromagnetic radiation. This is a new instrument that we have for the compute and we have to figure out how to bring into an HPC center.

Some of this technology is coming straight out of the physics labs, and were going to startup companies for some of the early pieces of this. Weve got to try to help them understand what its going to take in their evolution and their form factors and their stability to be to be able to leave the system alone and have it function at the same level of care taking as is an HPC system.

During this developmental stage, creating a hybrid quantum-classical HPC infrastructure at Leibniz QIC is an all-hands-on-deck enterprise. Thats not practical long-term, said Schulz, We want to get to the point where we dont have to have trained and skilled experimental physicists on staff 24/7. Thats a little extreme to have dedicated experimental physicists taking care of these systems. We see ourselves, at this point, helping the maturation of these technologies where they can exist in an HPC center. Hopefully, as these systems become more commercially viable, were hoping to help them exist in a commercial market space.

Lately there has been buzz around chasing quantum advantage the notion of using quantum technology in a commercial application. Schulz urges both patience and a change in thinking.

When I hear quantum advantage, I know its usually used as metric for beating a classical computer in a particular application. I want to challenge that and suggest that there are other ways we should be thinking about quantum advantage. I think that for particular types of algorithms, for particular applications, or parts of an application, quantum is going to be fantastic or has the potential to be fantastic. However, thats when we have a real-world application, an assembly of algorithms involved, and all of that has to work together. Quantum may be able to take part of that load off of this overall application.

Im looking at it from the HPC-QC integration and how all of this works together. So, Im thinking about what is the HPC-QC advantage? What does that mean? I mentioned things like energy. So, energy may end up being an advantage for quantum over HPC. Theres other parameters that we should be thinking about. I know that everybodys been shooting for that (quantum advantage). I think that thats going to be a bit farther out. Lets be honest, you know, theres a lot of friction points that we have to sort out along the way.

It will be interesting to monitor how QC-HPC integration efforts proceed at Leibniz QIC. The notion of a single stack able to manage multiple qubit modalities and systems and traditional HPC resources together, seamlessly, is enticing. Stay tuned.

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Leibniz QIC's Mission to Coax Qubits and Bits to Work Together - HPCwire