Quantum Computing as a Service: how to access the quantum resources made available by CINECA
Among the services CINECA makes available to its academic and industrial users is the distribution of machine time on powerful supercomputers. Currently, the machines available to users are mainly represented by the TIer-1 supercomputer Galileo100 (G100) and the Tier-0 supercomputer Marconi100 (M100). Soon the Leonardo supercomputer, ranked fourth on the list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers (Top500 List, November 2022), will also be made available. For a complete list of machines available to our users click here
Although CINECA does not currently have a quantum computer (but will soon — link to article), as of March 2021 it has been decided to nonetheless supplement our computing offerings with quantum computing resources, whether they are true computational hours on quantum machines in the cloud or classic HPC resources capable of emulating quantum algorithms.
In particular, it is possible to access:
- Quantum annealing resources, the use of which is possible thanks to collaboration agreements between CINECA and industry leader D-WAVE, which currently boasts ownership of the world’s most powerful quantum annealer. Through the agreement, CINECA is making computing hours available to the Italian scientific community both on the new D-WAVE calculator, Advantage, which mounts a QPU of more than 5,000 qubits, and on hybrid machines, modern supercomputers that combine the power of quantum annealers with HPC resources, increasing the computing power of the machines to the point where they can allow users to solve combinatorial optimization problems using up to one million binary variables (equivalent, then, to a quantum annealer with one million qubits). The agreement calls for a total of 65 hours to be distributed monthly between now and the end of the year (about 6 hours per month). The quantum annealing resources will be allocated upon submission of an ISCRA-C project. For more information click here
- Quantum computing resources on Pasqal machines. A French start-up established in early 2019, Pasqal is a spin-off of the Institut d’Optique (IOGS), which has been studying physics problems for years, particularly many-body problems that would be intractable with current HPC resources available worldwide. The first prototype quantum computer with neutral atom technology was born in the IOGS labs in 2011, thanks to the studies of Professor Antoine Browaeys, Professor Thierry Lahaye and their team of experts.
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- HPC resources for emulation of quantum computing environments. Classical emulation of quantum systems is essential for the development of new quantum algorithms, being able to emulate perfect quantum systems. While it is possible to emulate computers composed of a few qubits simply by using an ordinary laptop, emulating powerful computers (with QPUs larger than 30-40 qubits) requires HPC hardware resources and software emulators designed to effectively exploit these resources. Therefore, CINECA provides its users with a collection of HPC emulators preinstalled on some supercomputers. For now it is possible to use such emulators on Galileo100, soon the service will be migrated to Leonardo. To find out which emulators are currently installed on our systems and what their performance is, please refer to the following technical annexes:
More information on how to access Quantum Computing resources can be found on the project page ISCRA