The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), in partnership with Quantum Brilliance, has installed a cluster of quantum computers at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF). The cluster, named Quoll, consists of three Quantum Development Kits (QDKs), featuring three parallelized QPUs for a total of six qubits. This system is ORNL’s first on-site, commercial quantum computer cluster, and it will be used to explore ways to integrate this technology into classical high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructures.
The diamond-based QPUs used by Quantum Brilliance operate at room temperature in a compact package. This is possible due to the intrinsic stability of diamond, which does not generate vibrations that would typically disrupt qubit coherence at room temperature. This stability allows the QPUs to function without the complexity and cost of cryogenics, laser, and vacuum systems. The QDK is a hybrid full-stack platform that integrates a QPU alongside GPU and CPU components to support parallel and hybrid quantum-classical workflows. This deployment is the first cluster of parallelized QPUs to be integrated into an HPC environment.
The collaboration’s goal is to mature the mechanics of hybrid computing, including co-scheduling, performance tuning, and data and workflow orchestration. Dr. Marcus Doherty, Chief Technology Officer at Quantum Brilliance, commented that this collaboration will help inform the engineering pathway to a future of HPC where hundreds of parallel quantum computers are integrated with classical computers. The OLCF is expected to use the system to test different architectures and methods for hybrid and parallel quantum computing, including demonstrating applications in computational chemistry and machine learning.
This installation marks Quantum Brilliance’s first deployment in the United States, following previous systems delivered to the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre in Australia and the Fraunhofer IAF in Germany. The project aligns with ORNL’s mission to advance HPC-quantum integration, supporting national science, energy, and security priorities.
Read the full announcement here and a technical Q&A on the technology here.
September 2, 2025
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