LUMI-Q quantum computer to solve urgent challenges for society

Quantum processors promise to execute certain computational tasks exponentially faster than a classical processor. Thus, they are expected to bring notable speed-ups in real-world computation problems and therefore aid in solving some of the most pressing challenges faced by society.

However, quantum computers are not meant to solve every or any type of task and thus will almost never solve computational problems in isolation. On the contrary, computational problems will rely on the usage of classical and quantum resources working together to make use of their complementary strengths and features. Therefore, the optimal integration of quantum computers to our current “classical ecosystem” is a crucial step to take advantage of quantum computers. Such an integration requires the preparation and setup of a hybrid high-performance computing and quantum computing (HPC+QC) platform.

In The Netherlands, SURF is the operator of the national high-performance computing facilities and QuTech is the lead on quantum computing technologies. In the LUMI-Q project, SURF and QuTech will combine their strengths to contribute to a new pan-European HPC+QC infrastructure to enable hybrid classical-quantum workflows. This will provide Europe with a powerful infrastructure to experiment with new hybrid algorithms and workflows that combine the best of high-performance computing and quantum computers in one network.

Read more about this in the article ‘LUMI-Q’ quantum computer will contribute to a pan-European network'.