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Five Qubit Processor Prototype. Credit: Chen Chi-tung, Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has announced its objective to domestically manufacture a quantum computer by 2027, marking a pivotal advancement in computational power, according to NSTC's Department of Natural Sciences and Sustainable Development Head, Luo Meng-fan. Collaborating with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Academia Sinica, the NSTC is implementing a five-year, NT$8 billion (US$258.86 million) quantum technology initiative initiated in 2022. Highlighting the potential of quantum computing, Luo referenced a Google study revealing remarkable speed in completing a random circuit sampling task on its Sycamore [...]

RIKEN, one of Japan's premier research institution, has set its sights on the future of computing with its selection of Quantinuum's H1 ion-trap quantum computer for its ambitious hybrid quantum-supercomputing platform. The H1 processor is expected to be installed and operational by early 2025. This collaboration, driven by a consortium of leading academic institutions and supported by Japan's national research agency, promises to accelerate the development of software tools and applications that harness the combined power of classical supercomputers with cutting-edge quantum technology. Alongside RIKEN, prominent institutions including SoftBank, the University of Tokyo, and Osaka University will work to develop the [...]

SandboxAQ, a prominent enterprise SaaS company, has recently acquired Good Chemistry, a leading computational chemistry firm specializing in AI, quantum, and advanced technologies for expediting drug discovery and materials design. This acquisition in a deal for about $75 million in cash and stock, marks SandboxAQ's entry into the AI simulation sector, brings valuable technologies, customers, and top-tier talent to the company. Good Chemistry, previously spun out of 1Qbit in 2021, brings with it a wealth of experience and industry insights from collaborations with key players such as Dow and the Japanese chemical manufacturer Dī Ai Shī Kabushiki-gaisha. The acquisition is anticipated [...]

Coming on the heels of the announcement last month that Harvard, MIT, QuEra and others were able to demonstrate a system with up to 48 logical qubits (see our articles here and here), QuEra has announced a roadmap for the next three years that will work to leverage this research along with experience fielding its Aquila 256 qubit analog quantum processor that takes the next steps to go beyond this milestone. QuEra's will work to commercialize the fault tolerant technology to make it available to end users. The company has created a three year roadmap with specific milestones for each year. [...]

Chinese QC startup Origin Quantum Computing has announced that it has put its 72 qubit superconducting processor named Origin Wukong on-line and is offering free access until February 6, 2024. This machine contains 72 computational qubits and also include 126 couplers between the qubits to provide higher qubit fidelity. This third generation processor follows earlier developments of 6 qubit and 24 qubit devices that Origin had developed over the past few years. Besides the number of qubits in the machine, the only other technical detail we currently see are the T1 and T2 times of 15.22 and 2.23 microseconds, respectively. Average [...]

The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has launched an initiative to bolster Europe's quantum computing capabilities: a call for expression of interest to select entities that will host and operate two new EuroHPC quantum computers in 2024. This marks a significant step in solidifying Europe's position at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field. Here's what you need to know: The EuroHPC JU is investing €20 million, co-funding up to 50% of the total cost, to procure and integrate these new quantum computers into existing supercomputers operated by the chosen hosting entities. Diversity is key. The selection process [...]

We had reported in November who Alibaba had decided to shut down its quantum research team and donate the remaining equipment to Zhejiang University. And at that time, we cautioned that we could see more of this. Now, Baidu has announced that it is donating a quantum computing laboratory and equipment to the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (BAQIS). The parties are still working out the details and it is not known if the researchers who were working on Baidu's quantum research will also join BAQIS or stay with Alibaba or go elsewhere. The company did not state why it [...]

POLARISqb and Scientist.com have forged a groundbreaking partnership, introducing the Quantum-Aided Drug Design (QuADD) platform, marking a significant leap in drug discovery technology. POLARISqb, pioneers in quantum-enabled molecular optimization tools for drug discovery, collaborated with Scientist.com, the leading online marketplace for outsourced research. This collaboration allows Scientist.com users access to POLARISqb's QuADD platform, leveraging quantum computing to expedite the creation of optimized molecular libraries for drug design within days. POLARISqb's QuADD is a software platform utilizing quantum annealing computers, completing calculations over 500 times faster than traditional computers. It translates the molecular library building problem into an optimization challenge, providing a [...]