Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) has made a significant advancement in the world of quantum computing by purchasing a D-Wave Advantage quantum computer, making it the first high-performance computing center in the world to own such a system. This quantum computer, with over 5,000 qubits and 15-way connectivity, is a groundbreaking addition to the Jülich Unified Infrastructure for Quantum Computing (JUNIQ).
The JSC's system will be connected to the Jupiter exascale computer, which is currently being built close to JUNIQ at the FZJ. This coupling is expected to surpass the threshold of one quintillion calculations per second, creating a first-of-a-kind opportunity for tackling the world's toughest computational problems.
Additionally, the system is set to be upgraded to D-Wave's next-generation Advantage2 quantum processor unit (QPU) once it becomes available. The Advantage2 system is expected to deliver significant performance gains with doubled coherence, increased connectivity, and a 40% boost to the energy scale for advanced problem-solving.
The collaboration between JSC and D-Wave has already produced remarkable results. For instance, researchers from Lund University in Sweden, together with JSC scientist Dr. Sandipan Mohanty, used the annealing quantum computer to study protein folding in 2022, with the results being considered remarkable and the corresponding paper selected as an ‘editor’s selection’ in the Physical Review Research.
In summer 2024, JSC scientists, together with colleagues from Slovenia, proved with D-Wave that an annealing quantum computer can directly mirror the microscopic interactions of electrons in the material, a significant advancement in the field.
Moreover, a recent collaboration involving a team of scientists from JSC, the University of Leeds, and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria succeeded in gaining important insights into quantum physical processes during the formation of the universe by combining the D-Wave system with a supercomputer, with the results being presented in Nature Physics.
The press release also highlights the potential for breakthroughs in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum optimization as a result of the coupling of the quantum computer with the exascale supercomputer, Jupiter.
It's clear from these developments that the integration of D-Wave's innovative technology into JUNIQ and its future coupling with the exascale supercomputer, Jupiter, will take the use of quantum technology in Jülich, Germany, and on behalf of Europe, to a new level, as stated by Prof. Kristel Michielsen, head of JUNIQ & Quantum Computing at JSC.
The collaboration between JSC and D-Wave has the potential to drive significant innovation and applications, with Dr. Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave, expressing excitement about the innovations and applications that are expected to emerge from this important collaboration. The market has reacted to these announcements by moving the company's shares 5.5% to a price of $6.38. If you want to know more, read the company's complete 8-K report here.
