At the SuperComputing 2023 conference, Grand Equipement National de Calcul Intensif (GENCI), Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), and PASQAL announced progress in their High-Performance Computer and Quantum Simulator Hybrid Computing project.
PASQAL is delivering two 100+ qubit quantum computers to France and Germany. These computers will be used in finance, pharma, and energy applications. A collaboration between PASQAL and Qubit Pharmaceuticals has developed a quantum algorithm to accelerate drug discovery. The two PASQAL quantum computers will be accessible to European users in 2024.
Quantum Computing Advancements in Europe
The SuperComputing2023 conference in Denver has seen significant progress in the European project High-Performance Computer and Quantum Simulator hybrid (HPCQS). The project focuses on the application of quantum computing in various sectors such as finance, pharma, and energy. Quantum computers are currently being installed at supercomputing centres in France and Germany, and they have already started to yield tangible results.
PASQAL, a quantum computing company, is delivering two 100+ qubit quantum computers to its first customers in France and Germany. These devices, part of the HPCQS project and co-funded by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, France and Germany, will be paired with the Joliot-Curie and JURECA DC supercomputers.
Over the past months, several HPC-Quantum Computing and Simulation (HPC-QCS) applications have been studied on the 100+-qubit quantum computing platform based on neutral atoms. These studies have involved several industrial partners from various fields who provided practical use cases. With the support of the PASQAL team, these use cases were ported on the quantum system, enabling the development of more efficient drugs, more efficient electricity consumption, and competitive advantage in risk management.
Quantum Computing in Drug Discovery
A significant illustration of the application of quantum computing is in drug discovery. A collaboration between PASQAL and the Qubit Pharmaceuticals startup has been launched to develop a novel quantum algorithm to accelerate drug discovery. This collaboration aims at improving the understanding of protein hydration, a crucial element in determining how a medicine candidate can inhibit the toxic behaviour of the targeted protein. A preliminary version of the algorithm for identifying the presence of water molecules in the pockets of a protein has been implemented on PASQAL’s analog quantum computer to validate theoretical predictions.
This project is being co-funded by the Wellcome Trust Quantum for Bio program. PASQAL will showcase this exploration in favour of commercial and strategic advantages at the SuperComputing2023 conference in Denver through live demos.
Accessibility and Future of Quantum Computers
The two PASQAL quantum computers will be accessible to a wide range of European users in 2024. They are the first building blocks of a federated European HPC-QCS infrastructure that will also consist of the six quantum computers acquired by the EuroHPC JU and hosted in France, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Spain, and Italy.
HPCQS users are already able to validate their use cases through various entry points, such as the Pulser environment deployed on the Joliot-Curie and JURECADC environments, as well as thanks to remote access to a 100+-qubit device hosted on PASQAL’s premises in Massy, France. European end-users will also soon have access to a more scalable, tensor network-based emulator from PASQAL, called EMU-TN, which will also be deployed in both French and German environments.
HPCQS is an open and evolutionary infrastructure that aims to expand in the future by including a diversity of quantum computing platforms at different technology readiness levels and by allowing the integration of other European quantum nodes. The HPCQS infrastructure realises, after the Jülich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum computing (JUNIQ), a second step towards a European Quantum Computing and Simulation Infrastructure (EuroQCS), as advocated for in the Strategic Research Agenda of the European Quantum Flagship of 2020. At FZJ, HPCQS is fully integrated in JUNIQ.
GENCI, a major research infrastructure, aims to democratise the use of digital simulation through high performance computing associated with the use of artificial intelligence, and now quantum computing, to support French scientific and industrial competitiveness.
The CEA is tasked with guiding public decisions and providing the scientific and technical means that civil society needs to better manage major societal changes, such as the energy transition, digital transformation, future healthcare, defense and global security.
Forschungszentrum Jülich conducts research into the possibilities of a digitised society, a climate-friendly energy system, and a resource-efficient economy. They combine natural, life and engineering sciences in the fields of information, energy, and the bioeconomy with specialist expertise in high-performance computing and they also use unique scientific infrastructure.
PASQAL builds quantum computers from ordered neutral atoms in 2D and 3D arrays to bring a practical quantum advantage to its customers and address real-world problems.
“These explorations have involved several industrial partners from various fields who provided practical use cases that, with the support of the PASQAL team, were ported on the quantum system, enabling the development of more efficient drugs, more efficient electricity consumption, and competitive advantage in risk management.”
“A significant illustration of this is the development of a novel quantum algorithm to accelerate drugs discovery. A joint collaboration between PASQAL and the Qubit Pharmaceuticals startup has been launched end of 2021, co-funded by the Pack Quantique (PAQ) initiative of the Region Ile-de-France for an 18-month project.” – No Author Provided
“PASQAL builds quantum computers from ordered neutral atoms in 2D and 3D arrays to bring a practical quantum advantage to its customers and address real-world problems.” – No Author Provided
Quick Summary
Two 100+-qubit quantum computers are being delivered to France and Germany, marking significant progress in the European project High-Performance Computer and Quantum Simulator hybrid (HPCQS). These quantum computers, which are being installed at supercomputing centres, are expected to enhance applications in finance, pharma, and energy sectors by enabling more efficient drug development, electricity consumption, and risk management.
- The European project High-Performance Computer and Quantum Simulator hybrid (HPCQS) has made significant progress in quantum computing applications in finance, pharma, and energy sectors.
- The project involves Grand Equipement National de Calcul Intensif (GENCI), Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), and PASQAL.
- PASQAL is delivering two 100+-qubit quantum computers to its first customers in France (GENCI/CEA) and Germany (FZJ).
- These quantum computers will be coupled with the Joliot-Curie and JURECA DC supercomputers.
- The project has seen the development of a novel quantum algorithm to accelerate drug discovery, in collaboration with Qubit Pharmaceuticals.
- The two PASQAL quantum computers will be accessible to a wide range of European users in 2024.
- The HPCQS infrastructure aims to expand in the future by including a diversity of quantum computing platforms at different technology readiness levels.
- The project is coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich, Prof. Dr. Kristel Michielsen and has a budget of €12 million, 50% funded by EuroHPC JU.
- The HPCQS project has received funding from the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 101018180.
