Quantum platform to boost scientific research

Classical computers are destined to meet with their potentially much more powerful quantum cousins, thanks to a hybrid platform announced by developer NVIDIA.

It is hoped that the unified computing model will expedite research breakthroughs in the fields of artificial intelligence, healthcare, finance, and other disciplines. Quantum computers are being touted by experts as the next big development in tech, because they have the ability to process data at greatly accelerated rates.

“The NVIDIA Quantum Optimized Device Architecture (QODA) aims to make quantum computing more accessible by creating a coherent hybrid quantum-classical programming model,” said the computing firm. “QODA is an open, unified environment for some of today’s most powerful computers and quantum processors, improving scientific productivity and enabling greater scale in quantum research.”

NVIDIA was founded in 1993 and touts itself as “a key innovator of computer graphics and AI technology.” That reputation will be put to the test like never before, as it claims the new platform will allow quantum computing to be easily inserted into pre-existing applications to further research.

“Scientific breakthroughs can occur in the near term with hybrid solutions combining classical and quantum computing,” said Tim Costa of NVIDIA. “QODA will revolutionize quantum computing by giving developers a powerful and productive programming model.”

NVIDIA’s graphics processing units (GPUs) and specialized software are already being used by researchers to develop quantum circuitry, and the company hopes that the platform - announced at the Q2B conference in Tokyo on July 12 - will allow it to “build complete quantum applications simulated with [...] GPU-accelerated supercomputers.”

Other firms collaborating on the project are Zapata, IQM Quantum Computers, Pasqal, Quantinuum, Quantum Brilliance, and Xanadu.

Zapata CTO Yudong Cao said: “Near-term applications in chemistry, drug discovery, materials science, and more can now be seamlessly integrated with quantum computing, driving new discoveries in these fields as practical quantum advantage emerges.”