Sean Feeney MS ’23 and Scott Pollan MS ’23, both Mines alumni, founded Rigveda Inc. after recognizing how maturing artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT could accelerate development in quantum computing. Currently, teams of experts require months to customize each quantum algorithm for specific industry applications, a bottleneck Rigveda Inc. aims to resolve with explainable AI.
“Quantum hardware is maturing, and we think in the next five to 10 years, we’re going to have fully fault-tolerant quantum computers that can do really useful things,” said Feeney, Rigveda’s chief technical officer, adding, “Now the race is on to find useful algorithms.”
AI Accelerates Quantum Algorithm Development
Rigveda Inc. is tackling a critical obstacle in quantum computing: the opacity of quantum architecture search, traditionally solved with inscrutable “black-box” algorithms. The company’s approach centers on explainable AI, designed to reveal the reasoning behind its algorithmic choices to researchers.
“The problem we’re trying to solve is the quantum architecture search problem, and it’s usually answered with a black-box solution that we can’t look into,” explained Sean Feeney, Rigveda’s chief technical officer. “We’re developing explainable AI architectures that help researchers open up this black box, in a way.” This transparency is intended to accelerate validation and trust in quantum algorithms across diverse industries.
Rigveda aims to dramatically reduce this timeline, lowering the barrier to entry for researchers and expanding the potential user base beyond quantum physics experts. “Right now, it requires a master’s degree or PhD to develop a quantum algorithm, but we’d like to see people who aren’t quantum experts using this tool to dip their toes in the discovery environment,” said Scott Pollan, Rigveda’s president and CEO.
This democratization of algorithm development is a core tenet of the company’s mission. The impetus for Rigveda’s founding arose directly from the rapid maturation of artificial intelligence tools, particularly large language models like ChatGPT. Feeney recognized the potential of these advancements to accelerate the traditionally slow process of quantum algorithm creation. “It became clear to me as ChatGPT and all of these AI tools started maturing that we could use some of them to accelerate how we build algorithms in quantum computing,” Feeney stated.
This observation, coupled with the concurrent progress in quantum hardware, spurred the two Mines alumni to establish the company. The Beck Venture Center’s focus on encouraging startups provided a strong foundation for Rigveda’s early development.
A faculty member’s introduction at the Beck Venture Center brought Feeney and Pollan together, and the support of Todd McLean, former managing director of the Mines Venture Fund, proved invaluable. “Todd sat us down and said, ‘See if you two can find some synergy here.’ Now, Todd is on our board, and he’s been an incredible advisor to us over the last two and a half years as we try to solve one of the most pressing problems in science,” Pollan recounted.
Feeney and Pollan deliberately sought a challenge uniquely suited to their expertise as Mines graduates. “I had another project I was already working on,” Pollan said. “But Sean and I had a lot of ideas, and we thought, what is a problem that only Colorado School of Mines graduates can solve? This problem is so technical, but that’s the kind of challenge we’re going after.” This focus on a highly specialized, technically demanding problem reflects the rigorous training they received at Mines.
Rigveda’s long-term vision extends to a future where quantum computing is widely adopted across multiple sectors, driving innovation in areas like pharmaceutical research and semiconductor manufacturing. The company anticipates the arrival of fully fault-tolerant quantum computers within the next five to ten years, a milestone that will allow these machines to reach their potential.
The development of accessible, verifiable algorithms, like those Rigveda is creating, is therefore critical to capitalizing on this impending technological shift. Pollan emphasized the company’s commitment to open access and widespread adoption of its technology. “We’re very mission-driven on reducing the barrier to entry to this kind of science,” he said. “Instead of gatekeeping this, we are much more interested in having this out in the world being used.” This ethos positions Rigveda not just as a developer of quantum algorithms, but as a facilitator of broader scientific discovery.
It became clear to me as ChatGPT and all of these AI tools started maturing that we could use some of them to accelerate how we build algorithms in quantum computing.
Sean Feeney, Chief Technical Officer at Rigveda
See today’s quantum computing news on Quantum Zeitgeist for the latest breakthroughs in qubits, hardware, algorithms, and industry deals.
