ORNL has a quantum computer cluster...
...but what's a "cluster"?
We learn in Quantum Brilliance, ORNL pioneer quantum-classical hybrid computing that the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has installed the presumably-first on-premises commercial quantum computer cluster. I don’t know of another, so I’m not arguing the point.
The cluster consists of three two-qubit nitrogen-vacancy center (NVC) quantum computers from Quantum Brilliance, and one goal is to explore “parallelized” quantum algorithms. There are two ways to interpret this, so I requested clarification.
The more exciting interpretation would be three two-qubit systems interconnected to behave as one six-qubit system. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. There will not be entanglement between qubits on separate devices.
Instead, think of it like colocated distributed quantum computing, where your two-qubit quantum circuits can execute in parallel across three devices. Classical interconnection allows:
Classically cutting quantum circuits with up to six qubits where entanglement is weak, executing the subcircuits in parallel, and then classically knitting the results together.
Shot parallelization of the same two-qubit circuit, resulting in quicker execution of high shot counts.
Various divide-and-conquer strategies for NISQ simulation, machine learning, and optimization problems.
There’s a video of the cluster on Twitter.
The key takeaway is that your average datacenter doesn’t have just one server in it. I do know of one company that once had one server under a desk in an office, but that’s neither here nor there. The datacenter of the future might not be limited to only one quantum computer, and we can see ORNL and Quantum Brilliance collaborating on how that’s going to work.
Filed under: quantum computing · hybrid computing · distributed quantum computing · nitrogen-vacancy centers · parallel quantum algorithms · Quantum Brilliance · Oak Ridge National Laboratory · NISQ · future of computing
Image generated by an AI model provided by Microsoft Copilot.