Emulating quantum computer operations with AI shows way forward
Quantum computers are not quite here yet, but some scientists just can’t wait. Researchers at Innovation District Copenhagen-partner University of Copenhagen programmed the Danish AI-supercomputer Gefion to pretend to be a quantum computer running a chemistry problem. The results they got were exactly what they hoped for. Namely very good.
Literally quantum problems
If you ask a classical computer to calculate what happens during a biochemical reaction you will have to wait a long time for an inaccurate result. Chemical reactions are driven by the quantum states of each atom in the molecule you study. They are literally quantum problems. That’s why quantum computers will be useful for solving them… And they might become operational sooner than expected.
We discovered that you don’t need nearly as many quantum gates, which are to quantum computers sort of like what transistors are to classical computers. This means that our simulation experiment showed that we can hope to apply quantum computing sooner”: Marek Miller, Postdoc, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
First to simulate problem solving quantum algorithm
Lots of scientists try to figure out what future quantum computers can- and cannot- do by simulating quantum computing on AI supercomputers. Marek Miller is a postdoc with UCPH professor Matthias Christiandl’s team. In an effort to deliver quantum advantage for health, they were the first to simulate a quantum algorithm that was tackling one of the real quantum problems pestering chemistry researchers.
No existing software was fast enough, so we needed to start from scratch. We developed new software. We even looked at the hardware”: Marek Miller, Postdoc, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Copenhagen
Practice lived up to theory
The results were worth the effort. Not only did they show a hope for sooner-than-expected deployment of quantum computers. They also indicated that quantum computer results will in practice be as exact as everyone predicts in theory. After these successful results, Dr. Miller now feels, that pairing quantum computers with AI supercomputers might be a very fruitful way forward for getting quantum computers up and running… Sooner rather than later.
About Innovation District Copenhagen
Innovation District Copenhagen is a global epicentre for quantum research. Home to the renowned Niels Bohr Institute it is a hotbed of collaboration between physicists, chemists, mathematicians and computer scientists. The district has also seen an influx of innovation actors over the past years. This includes dedicated start-up communities such as Quantum Denmark, incubators such as NATO Diana, and 55 North, the world’s largest venture capital fund specialised in funding quantum technology-based start-ups and scale-ups.