Mediaboss Marketing

It is still early days for quantum computing. Yet experts agree it is poised to play a key role in sectors ranging from secure communications to banking and aerospace. Quantums appeal lies in its ability to overcome computational bottlenecks.

Airbus purpose is to pioneer sustainable aerospace for a safe and united world. Although still in development, quantum computers have potential in two areas that are key to realising that ambition: busting the design logjam caused by limits on current computational power in time for the next generation of aircraft, and boosting the efficiency of airline operations.

Heres a roundup of some of the exciting quantum explorations Airbus is supporting.

Trajectory optimisation

In the future, quantum algorithms could help optimise an aircrafts trajectory in real time by taking air traffic restrictions and weather patterns into account. This has obvious safety, economic and ecological benefits.

Flights operate in a dynamic environment affected by an intractably large number of variables, especially during climb-out. The speed and accuracy of calculations are key. Quantum algorithms may be able to outperform current high-performance computers for each.

To this end, in 2023 Airbus Silicon Valley innovation centre Acubed carried out a study into quantum trajectory optimisation.

Efficient cargo loading

Loading of humanitarian goods on an Airbus A330neo test aircraft at Vatry, France

Half of global airfreight travels onboard passenger flights. Filling cargo containers and then fitting them into the hold of a jetliner is like a giant game of Tetris. Space is at a premium, and the loading of each container must be just so. If the overall centre of gravity in the hold is off, the aircraft will burn more fuel. If the cargo is stacked too far to the left, the left-hand engine has to work harder, consuming even more fuel.

Like trajectory optimisation, cargo loading is fraught with constraints. Quantum computers leverage the so-calledknapsack problem to calculate an optimum solution for loading packages into cargo containers, and the containers into the hold. In 2022, Airbus performed a use case demonstrator usingIonQs quantum computer.

To give an idea of the challenge loadmasters face, organising just 20 containers each stuffed with 30 packages in the hold produces a solution space the set of all solutions to a given problem that exceeds the total number of particles in the universe. No existing computer or analytic solution can solve that puzzle accurately.

Fuel cell simulation

Hydrogen-powered aircraft produce no carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide emissions during flight. They release only water vapour into the atmosphere.

There are two options for designing hydrogen propulsion systems: burning the gas directly in a turbine engine; or installing fuel cells which use hydrogen to create electricity through electrolysis.

Airbus has joined forces with the automotive sector to advance fuel cell development foraeronautic applications. However, the cells must be lightweight as well as powerful enough to get a plane off the ground.

This combination relies on some complex chemistry. Electrolysis requires a catalyst to get going. Platinum is particularly suitable for this purpose, yet relatively expensive. The alternative is to create alloys platinum with cobalt or nickel, for example which also show a higher beginning-of-life performance than pure platinum. However, lab testing these alloys can be an expensive task.

Instead, alongside colleagues at BMW Group, Airbusresearchers haveshown for the first time that quantum computing can perform atomic-level reaction modelling. Harnessing quantums exponential power that is beyond the reach of todays computers, engineers can model the relative catalytic behaviour of each alloy. Their observations contribute to propulsion and design choices that will one day have a significant, favourable impact on aerospaces carbon footprint.

Computational fluid dynamics: Where maths, physics and computer science intersect

The first port of call when designing a new aircraft is oftencomputational fluid dynamics, or CFD. This sophisticated digital simulation of airflow around an airframe informs its shape and aerodynamic efficiency. Today, CFD is performed by energy-intensive, high-performance computers (HPC) and it has become a bottleneck in the aircraft design cycle as HPCs reach their maximum processing power.

Airbus has signed a partnership with two leading European Research facilities, ONERA (French Aerospace Research Center) and DLR (German Aerospace Center) during an official ceremony at Paris Air Show.

Quantum computing is able to operate on a far larger canvas, or mesh, permitting CFD calculations to be performed at an exponentially higher scale. It has the potential to break the design bottleneck for future aircraft.

CFD is an area under study in theQuantum Mobility Quest and throughEQUALITY, a European consortium which counts Airbus as a member. The consortium is dedicated to developing quantum algorithms in order to solve a set of paradigmatic industry problems.

As these examples show, quantum computing clearly has the potential to support aviation on its decarbonisation journey.

Airbus and the BMW Group both recognise quantums promise. The companies joined forces in 2023 to launch theQuantum Mobility Quest. The Quests aim is to team up with leading players to accelerate and mature quantum solutions that could one day help the industry solve its most complex challenges.

The Quantum Mobility Quest

See original here:
Is quantum computing an enabler for the decarbonisation of aviation? - Airbus

A pioneering collaboration has been established to focus on using quantum computing to enhance genomics. The team will develop algorithms to accelerate the analysis of pangenomic datasets, which could revolutionize personalized medicine and pathogen management. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

A new project unites world-leading experts in quantum computing and genomics to develop new methods and algorithms to process biological data.

Researchers aim to harness quantum computing to speed up genomics, enhancing our understanding of DNA and driving advancements in personalized medicine

A new collaboration has formed, uniting a world-leading interdisciplinary team with skills across quantum computing, genomics, and advanced algorithms. They aim to tackle one of the most challenging computational problems in genomic science: building, augmenting, and analyzing pangenomic datasets for large population samples. Their project sits at the frontiers of research in both biomedical science and quantum computing.

The project, which involves researchers based at the University of Cambridge, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and EMBLs European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), has been awarded up to US $3.5 million to explore the potential of quantum computing for improvements in human health.

The team aims to develop quantum computing algorithms with the potential to speed up the production and analysis of pangenomes new representations of DNA sequences that capture population diversity. Their methods will be designed to run on emerging quantum computers. The project is one of 12 selected worldwide for the Wellcome Leap Quantum for Bio (Q4Bio) Supported Challenge Program.

Since the initial sequencing of the human genome over two decades ago, genomics has revolutionized science and medicine. Less than one percent of the 6.4 billion letters of DNA code differs from one human to the next, but those genetic differences are what make each of us unique. Our genetic code can provide insights into our health, help to diagnose disease, or guide medical treatments.

However, the reference human genome sequence, which most subsequently sequenced human DNA is compared to, is based on data from only a few people, and doesnt represent human diversity. Scientists have been working to address this problem for over a decade, and in 2023 the first human pangenome reference was produced. A pangenome is a collection of many different genome sequences that capture the genetic diversity in a population. Pangenomes could potentially be produced for all species, including pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2.

Pangenomics, a new domain of science, demands high levels of computational power. While the existing human reference genome structure is linear, pangenome data can be represented and analyzed as a network, called a sequence graph, which stores the shared structure of genetic relationships between many genomes. Comparing subsequent individual genomes to the pangenome then involves mapping a route for their sequences through the graph.

In this new project, the team aims to develop quantum computing approaches with the potential to speed up both the key processes of mapping data to graph nodes, and finding good routes through the graph.

Quantum technologies are poised to revolutionize high-performance computing. Classical computing stores information as bits, which are binary either 0 or 1. However, a quantum computer works with particles that can be in a superposition of different states simultaneously. Rather than bits, information in a quantum computer is represented by qubits (quantum bits), which could take on the value 0, or 1, or be in a superposition state between 0 and 1. It takes advantage of quantum mechanics to enable solutions to problems that are not practical to solve using classical computers.

However, current quantum computer hardware is inherently sensitive to noise and decoherence, so scaling it up presents an immense technological challenge. While there have been exciting proof of concept experiments and demonstrations, todays quantum computers remain limited in size and computational power, which restricts their practical application. But significant quantum hardware advances are expected to emerge in the next three to five years.

The Wellcome Leap Q4Bio Challenge is based on the premise that the early days of any new computational method will advance and benefit most from the co-development of applications, software, and hardware allowing optimizations with not-yet-generalizable, early systems.

Building on state-of-the-art computational genomics methods, the team will develop, simulate and then implement new quantum algorithms, using real data. The algorithms and methods will be tested and refined in existing, powerful High Performance Compute (HPC) environments initially, which will be used as simulations of the expected quantum computing hardware. They will test algorithms first using small stretches of DNA sequence, working up to processing relatively small genome sequences like SARS-CoV-2, before moving to the much larger human genome.

Dr. Sergii Strelchuk, Principal Investigator of the project from the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, said: The structure of many challenging problems in computational genomics and pangenomics in particular make them suitable candidates for speedups promised by quantum computing. We are on a thrilling journey to develop and deploy quantum algorithms tailored to genomic data to gain new insights, which are unattainable using classical algorithms.

David Holland, Principal Systems Administrator at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, who is working to create the High Performance Compute environment to simulate a quantum computer, said: Weve only just scratched the surface of both quantum computing and pangenomics. So to bring these two worlds together is incredibly exciting. We dont know exactly whats coming, but we see great opportunities for major new advances. We are doing things today that we hope will make tomorrow better.

Dr. David Yuan, Project Lead at EMBL-EBI, said: On the one hand, were starting from scratch because we dont even know yet how to represent a pangenome in a quantum computing environment. If you compare it to the first moon landings, this project is the equivalent of designing a rocket and training the astronauts. On the other hand, weve got solid foundations, building on decades of systematically annotated genomic data generated by researchers worldwide and made available by EMBL-EBI. The fact that were using this knowledge to develop the next generation of tools for the life sciences, is a testament to the importance of open data and collaborative science.

The potential benefits of this work are huge. Comparing a specific human genome against the human pangenome instead of the existing human reference genome gives better insights into its unique composition. This will be important in driving forward personalized medicine. Similar approaches for bacterial and viral genomes will underpin the tracking and management of pathogen outbreaks.

This project is funded by the Wellcome Leap Quantum for Bio (Q4Bio) Supported Challenge Program.

More here:
Quantum Computing Meets Genomics: The Dawn of Hyper-Fast DNA Analysis - SciTechDaily

A year of strong funding coupled with sturdy underlying fundamentals and significant technological advances reflected strong momentum in quantum technology (QT).

Updated McKinsey analysis for the third annual Quantum Technology Monitorreveals that four sectorschemicals, life sciences, finance, and mobilityare likely to see the earliest impact from quantum computing and could gain up to $2 trillion by 2035 (see sidebar What is quantum technology?).

Private and corporate funding for quantum technology start-ups in pursuit of that value, however, took a notable dip. Investments decreased 27 percent from the previous year, with the biggest drop in quantum sensing start-ups. This decline, however, was smaller than the 38 percent decline in all start-up investment worldwide. Notably, the majority of funding (62 percent) went to companies founded five or more years ago, reflecting a shift in investments toward more-established and promising start-ups, with a focus on scaling them.

In contrast to the private sector, public investments increased more than 50 percent over 2022, making up almost a third of all investments in quantum technology. A range of countries, led by Germany, the United Kingdom, and South Korea, have announced significant new funding for QT development, bringing the global public funding total to date to about $42 billion.

Underscoring this momentum was continued strong growth in QT foundations. There was a wave of new or enhanced offerings (for example, start-ups that made their quantum computing accessible through the cloud) and significant technological advancementsespecially in quantum error correction and mitigationas well as a small increase in patents filed. In addition, we found a notable increase in quantum technology programs offered by universities, with the European Union taking the lead in the number of graduates in QT-related fields.

In this article, well go into these and other findings in greater detail (for more on the research, see sidebar About the Quantum Technology Monitor research).

In 2023, $1.71 billion was invested in QT start-ups, which represents a 27 percent decrease from the all-time high of $2.35 billion in 2022 (Exhibit 1). Nonetheless, the decrease is smaller when compared to the 38 percent decrease for all start-ups globally. The slowdown in the number of new QT start-ups founded continues (13 in 2023 versus 23 in 2022). Deal sizes have decreased as well, with the average deal size being $40 million in 2023 compared to $105 million in 2022 and $107 million in 2021. In line with this development, deal counts dropped to 171 in 2023 from 206 in 2022.

There are several factors causing the decrease in private investment into QT, including a significant shift in focus toward generative AI as well as lingering perceptions of QT being a long-term technology whose potential in various sectors is still being understood and evaluated.

Public funding for quantum technologies, on the other hand, jumped more than 50 percent over 2022. While China and the United States have previously dominated QT public investment, new announcements from Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, and the United Kingdom reflected a growing realization among a broader range of governments of the importance of QT; South Korea and the United Kingdom, in particular, made significant increases to their funding levels (Exhibit 2).

Most of these national initiatives aim to establish technological leadership and sovereignty and spur private investments for quantum technology development. For example, the aim of the United Kingdoms National Quantum Strategy, which includes $3.1 billion in public funding over ten years, is not only to allow the United Kingdom to be a leading quantum-enabled economy but also to generate $1.3 billion in private investment in quantum technologies.

Where did the funding go? The vast majority of investments have been in US companies (more than two times the amount compared to the next country), followed by companies in Canada and the United Kingdom. The majority of venture capital funding went to scaling up established start-ups, with more than 75 percent of the total investment value going to series B or later funding rounds. This suggests the establishment of more-mature technological platforms for quantum computing and signals investors potential risk aversion to early-stage start-ups and unproven technologies or approacheswhich also partially explains the 43 percent drop in new start-ups compared to 2022.

Talent development took a notable step forward in 2023, reflecting a positive focus on building QTs foundations. There were 367,000 people who graduated in 2023 with QT-relevant degrees. Meanwhile, the number of universities with QT programs increased 8.3 percent, to 195, while those offering masters degrees in QT increased by 10.0 percent, to 55. The European Union and the United Kingdom have the highest number and density, respectively, of graduates in QT-relevant fields. This surge helps explain why scientists from EU institutions contributed most often to quantum-relevant publications.

Building off of this talent and these investments to generate value is still a challenge because of limited access to state-of-the-art hardware and infrastructure, limited awareness and adoption of quantum technologies, and a lack of interdisciplinary coordination (such as between academia and industry) required to bring technologies to market. Collaboration between industry, academia, and government is essential to accelerating development of quantum technology to industrialize technology, manage intellectual property, and overcome talent gaps.

To address this issue, innovation clusters are emerging worldwide. These clusters are coordinated networks of partnerships between researchers, industry leaders, and government entities that contribute to the technological advancement of quantum technologies and drive regional value creation (Exhibit 3).

Most clusters share the following elements:

Developing and scaling such regional innovation ecosystems (including research consortiums) will be a determining factor for achieving wide adoption and commercialization of quantum technology.

The past year marked continued advances for all quantum technologies, with a range of enhanced and new QT offerings coming to the market. One advance was the transition from the NISQ era to the FTQC era. Other key breakthroughs included the following:

For the full set of insights and data, download the entire Quantum Technology Monitor.

Read more here:
Steady progress in approaching quantum advantage | McKinsey - McKinsey

BERKELEY, Calif., April 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGTI) (Rigetti or the Company), a pioneer in full-stack quantum-classical computing, announces the sale of a Novera quantum processing unit (QPU) to Horizon Quantum Computing. This marks the Companys third sale of a Novera QPU, and is the Companys first QPU located in Singapore. The Novera QPU will be installed in Horizon Quantum Computings new hardware testbed in Singapore, and will be Horizons first quantum computing system. The system is expected to be installed by early 2025.

The system will integrate Horizons software stack, Triple Alpha, and Quantum Machines OPX1000 processor-based quantum controller.

The 9-qubit Novera QPU is based on the Companys fourth generation Ankaa-class architecture featuring tunable couplers and a square lattice for denser connectivity and fast 2-qubit operations. The Novera QPU is manufactured in Rigettis Fab-1, the industrys first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility.

We are witnessing the emergence of a vibrant on-premise quantum computing market. Quantum computing researchers need hands-on access to quantum technology to gain a deeper understanding of how to work towards useful quantum computing. We launched the Novera QPU to address this need and we are thrilled that our longtime partners at Horizon selected our hardware to advance their quantum computing journey, said Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, Rigetti CEO.

Tight integration between hardware and software will be necessary for quantum computing to reach its full potential. Thats why we have established a testbed for integrating our software development tools with quantum computing systems," said Dr. Joe Fitzsimons, CEO at Horizon Quantum Computing. "We are delighted to work with our longtime partner Rigetti on the first testbed system, which will be powered by the Novera QPU. While we may be one of the first quantum software companies to embrace on-premises quantum computing, I doubt that we will be the last.

The Companys first two Novera QPU sales were to leading US government labs the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS) led by Fermilab, and the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL).

About Rigetti Rigetti is a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing. The Company has operated quantum computers over the cloud since 2017 and serves global enterprise, government, and research clients through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. The Companys proprietary quantum-classical infrastructure provides high performance integration with public and private clouds for practical quantum computing. Rigetti has developed the industrys first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. The Company designs and manufactures its chips in-house at Fab-1, the industrys first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility. Learn more at http://www.rigetti.com.

Media Contact press@rigetti.com

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this communication may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company and its management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: the Companys ability to achieve milestones, technological advancements, including with respect to its technology roadmap, help unlock quantum computing, and develop practical applications; the ability of the Company to obtain government contracts successfully and in a timely manner and the availability of government funding; the potential of quantum computing; the ability of the Company to expand its QPU sales; the success of the Companys partnerships and collaborations; the Companys ability to accelerate its development of multiple generations of quantum processors; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company or others; the ability to maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and attract and retain management and key employees; costs related to operating as a public company; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the possibility that the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, or competitive factors; the Companys estimates of expenses and profitability; the evolution of the markets in which the Company competes; the ability of the Company to implement its strategic initiatives, expansion plans and continue to innovate its existing services; the expected use of proceeds from the Companys past and future financings or other capital; the sufficiency of the Companys cash resources; unfavorable conditions in the Companys industry, the global economy or global supply chain, including financial and credit market fluctuations and uncertainty, rising inflation and interest rates, disruptions in banking systems, increased costs, international trade relations, political turmoil, natural catastrophes, warfare (such as the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and related sanctions and the state of war between Israel and Hamas and related threat of a larger conflict), and terrorist attacks; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section entitled Risk Factors and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements other than as required by applicable law. The Company does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fe334fa3-a491-4e8c-ab3e-375b1af2c621

See the article here:
Rigetti Computing Delivers Novera QPU to Horizon Quantum Computing for Singapore-Based Hardware Testbed - GlobeNewswire

NVIDIA has announced that Japan's new quantum supercomputer will be powered by NVIDIA platforms for accelerated and quantum computing.

VIEW GALLERY - 2 IMAGES

Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) is building a hybrid cloud system of quantum computers and supercomputers called ABCI-Q. Quantum computers are still capable of making a lot of errors if they're operating solo, with supercomputers needing to solve the mistakes and make those complex operations smoother.

NVIDIA is providing the AI GPUs for the new ABCI-Q quantum supercomputer and quantum computing software through its cloud service. NVIDIA will provide over 2000 of its H100 AI GPUs in 500+ nodes interconnected by NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand, the world's only fully offloadable, in-networking computing platform.

ABCI-Q will enable high-fidelity quantum simulations for research across multiple industries. The high-performance, scalable system is integrated with NVIDIA CUDA-Q, an open-source hybrid quantum computing platform with powerful simulation tools and capabilities to program hybrid quantum-classical systems.

Tim Costa, director of high-performance computing and quantum computing at NVIDIA, said: "Researchers need high-performance simulation to tackle the most difficult problems in quantum computing. CUDA-Q and the NVIDIA H100 equip pioneers such as those at ABCI to make critical advances and speed the development of quantum-integrated supercomputing".

Masahiro Horibe, deputy director of G-QuAT/AIST, said: "ABCI-Q will let Japanese researchers explore quantum computing technology to test and accelerate the development of its practical applications. The NVIDIA CUDA-Q platform and NVIDIA H100 will help these scientists pursue the next frontiers of quantum computing research".

ABCI-Q is part of Japan's quantum technology innovation strategy, where the country will create new opportunities for business and society to benefit from quantum technology. This includes AI, energy, biology research, and more.

Read more here:
NVIDIA is helping Japan build their bleeding-edge ABCI-Q quantum supercomputer with HPC and AI - TweakTown