Supercomputer with quantum accelerator: Pawsey commissions first room-temperature on-premises quantum computer in supercomputing center
Quantum Brilliance's diamond-based quantum accelerator is being put to practical use at the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre in Perth, Australia
ISC 2022, Hamburg, May 31, 2022 – The Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, Australia's leading supercomputing research facility, announces the installation of the world's first room-temperature diamond-based quantum computer at its supercomputing centre. The quantum accelerator used was developed by the German-Australian start-up Quantum Brilliance and fits into a 19-inch server rack. It uses synthetic diamond, which allows it to operate at room temperature and thus in almost any environment.
In this project, a quantum computer system will be integrated into a supercomputer center for the first time. With the field trial, the partners want to demonstrate and further test hybrid models of quantum and classical computing. To this end, the Quantum Brilliance quantum accelerator will be coupled with Setonix, Pawsey's new, state-of-the-art HPE Cray Ex supercomputer.
"The installation of Quantum Brilliance's quantum accelerator is an important step and a prime example of Australia's commitment to advancing quantum research and demonstrating real-world real-world benefits," says Mark Stickells, Executive Director at Pawsey. "After the border closures related to Covid were lifted, we have been working flat out to complete the installation of this quantum system. In our partnership, Pawsey and Quantum Brilliance aim to jointly demonstrate how classical and quantum computing power can be combined in a way that has never been seen before in an HPC environment."
Andrew Horsley, CEO of Quantum Brilliance, said: "The installation is an important step for Quantum Brilliance. Our goal is to make quantum technology smaller, more flexible and usable everywhere. This field trial shows the central role HPCs play in the co-development of quantum technologies – and how they can help improve the technology and accelerate product development." Andrew Horsley continues: "From mainframe to mainstream – that's our vision for quantum technology. So that they can be used in mobile phones, cars, for platforms and wherever it makes sense. Working with Pawsey is a first step towards achieving this goal."
As part of the project, the partners are developing a diagnostic and engineering solution for the operation of a quantum computer in an HPC environment. The team's focus is on collecting maintenance data and optimizing maintenance cycles, demonstrating the combination of computing power of classical and quantum computers (co-processing), and integrating the system with Setonix.
Pawsey's infrastructure supports the work of more than 4,000 researchers and will use this opportunity to make them fit for quantum technology and help them with their algorithms.
The integration of the quantum accelerator into the HPC architecture is intended to show researchers how classical and quantum systems can work together. "We are creating a test environment on which real applications can be tried out. This enables researchers to work more effectively and achieve faster results – which benefits science as a whole," says Mark Stickells. "We look forward to seeing how companies and scientists use HPC as a hub to explore novel classical quantum codes with Setonix and the quantum accelerator – a step into the future of hybrid computing."
The Australian science regulator CSIRO has issued a roadmap with the recommendations in "Growing Australia's Quantum Technology Industry" – the partnership between Pawsey and Quantum Brilliance is an important milestone in this regard.
About Pawsey
The Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre is one of the world's leading high-performance computing facilities. It supports Australian researchers in scientific discoveries. Named after Australian scientist Joseph Pawsey, one of the pioneers of Australian radio astronomy and known for his work in the field of interferometry, the facility advances science and accelerates discovery by supporting the conduct of globally important research. More than 40 organizations are using the infrastructure and achieving remarkable results in areas such as radio astronomy, energy and resources, engineering, bioinformatics, and health sciences.
The Pawsey Centre is a joint venture between Australia's national science agency CSIRO, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia. Pawsey is funded by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), the Western Australian Government and its partner organisations.
About Quantum Brilliance
Founded in 2019, Quantum Brilliance is a venture-backed Australian-German quantum computing hardware manufacturer. The company offers quantum accelerators made of synthetic diamonds as well as a set of software tools and applications. The vision is to enable the widespread use of quantum accelerators – to enable industry to take advantage of edge computing applications and next-generation supercomputers. Quantum Brilliance has partnerships in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, working with governments, supercomputing centers, research institutions and industry leaders.