HPE advances quantum systems in HPC – News

As the fifth annual World Quantum Day gets underway on April 14, researchers say the focus of their efforts is shifting from hardware experimentation to integrating quantum systems into broader computing environments alongside artificial intelligence and traditional supercomputers.

A team at the Argonne National Laboratory is working to incorporate quantum computing into existing high-performance computing workflows. Rather than treating quantum as a standalone technology, the emphasis is on building heterogeneous systems that combine CPUs, graphics processing units, AI and quantum accelerators, according to Laura Schulz (pictured), project lead for quantum innovation.

“Quantum is coming in as a new way to compute for very specific workloads,” she said, noting that her team’s goal is to give scientists “results that they’ve not been able to achieve before.”

Schulz spoke with theCUBE, News Media’s livestreaming studio, for an exclusive interview during the HPE World Quantum Day event. (* Disclosure below.)

Quantum systems reshape HPC and AI workflows

Several technologies are coming together to make such integration possible. HPC has long been used for modeling and simulation. The addition of GPUs has enabled advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Quantum computing is now being positioned as another specialized tool for problems involving quantum-mechanical systems or complex optimization.

Unlike classical systems, quantum computers can directly model quantum phenomena rather than simulating them. This capability improves accuracy and efficiency in domains such as chemistry and materials science, where classical simulations require approximations and long processing times.

“When we’re trying to simulate or study quantum mechanical effects with HPC, we’re having to build a simulation,” Schulz said. “Quantum computing allows researchers to study quantum mechanical effects” directly.

Quantum computing is most effective when used as part of a broader workflow, Schulz added. Researchers may offload specific portions of a problem, such as molecular modeling or optimization, to quantum systems, then feed the results back into classical simulations running on supercomputers.

Challenges remain

As promising as recent developments have been, significant challenges remain before quantum computing can be widely adopted. Qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information, are fragile, error-prone and must be maintained at temperatures near absolute zero. Keeping them stable long enough to perform useful computations remains a central hurdle.

When qubits lose their quantum state, “we lose the ability to compute on them,” Schulz said.

Software tools are also lacking. Today’s quantum systems often require users to work at the hardware level, similar to programming a classical computer with binary code. Argonne and its partners are developing software layers that abstract away hardware complexity, enabling scientists to incorporate quantum computing into existing workflows without deep expertise in quantum mechanics.

“We don’t want them to have to understand what a Hamiltonian operator or an Ansatz is,” Schulz said.

AI is also playing a role in advancing quantum systems. Researchers are using AI to discover new quantum algorithms, optimize error correction and improve the efficiency of hybrid workflows that combine multiple computing paradigms.

Looking ahead, Schulz expects gradual progress rather than rapid commercialization. While small-scale systems are available today, broadly accessible, “it’s probably going to be a while” before off-the-shelf quantum computers are common.

In the near term, the focus will remain on experimentation, integration and expanding access. As more researchers begin to test quantum capabilities within real-world workflows, the technology’s role is likely to become clearer.

“I genuinely enjoy being back in the Department of Energy because of the scale of the problems that we take on, the complexity and, frankly, the hardness,” Schulz added. “It’s really exciting.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of News’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the HPE World Quantum Day event:

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the HPE World Quantum Day event. Neither HPE, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or News.)

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