Nvidia has announced a significant advancement in its quantum computing initiatives, revealing plans to enhance quantum computing capabilities at national supercomputing centers worldwide using the open-source Nvidia CUDA-Q platform.
Supercomputing centers in Germany, Japan, and Poland will integrate the CUDA-Q platform to power the quantum processing units (QPUs) within their Nvidia-accelerated high-performance computing systems. This initiative aims to boost the capabilities of quantum processors, which use the behavior of particles like electrons or photons to perform calculations differently from traditional processors, promising faster computation for specific tasks.
Nine new supercomputers across the globe are now utilizing Nvidia Grace Hopper Superchips, significantly enhancing scientific research and discovery. Combined, these systems deliver an impressive 200 exaflops (200 quintillion calculations per second) of energy-efficient AI processing power.
Key Supercomputing Centers Utilizing Nvidia Technology
| Location | Supercomputing Center | QPU Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Jülich Supercomputing Centre | IQM Quantum | Chemical simulations, optimization, classical acceleration |
| Japan | National Institute of Advanced | QuEra | Quantum applications in AI, energy, biology |
| Industrial Science and Technology | |||
| Poland | Poznan Supercomputing and | ORCA Computing | Biology, chemistry, machine learning |
| Networking Center |
Germany’s Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) at Forschungszentrum Jülich is installing a QPU built by IQM Quantum Computers as a complement to its Jupiter supercomputer, which is powered by the Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip. This integration is expected to enable researchers to develop quantum applications for chemical simulations and optimization problems, demonstrating how classical supercomputers can be enhanced by quantum computing.
In Japan, the ABCI-Q supercomputer at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) aims to advance the nation’s quantum computing initiatives. Powered by the Nvidia Hopper architecture, the system will incorporate a QPU from QuEra. This QPU will facilitate research in AI, energy, and biology, using Rubidium atoms controlled by laser light as qubits for calculations. These atoms, identical in nature, offer a promising approach to achieving large-scale, high-fidelity quantum processors.
Poland’s Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC) has recently installed two photonic QPUs built by ORCA Computing. These QPUs are connected to a new supercomputer partition accelerated by Nvidia Hopper, enabling researchers to explore quantum applications in biology, chemistry, and machine learning. The systems use single photons at telecom frequencies as qubits, allowing for a distributed, scalable, and modular quantum architecture using standard telecom components.
“Useful quantum computing will be enabled by the tight integration of quantum with GPU supercomputing,” stated Tim Costa, director of quantum and HPC at Nvidia. “Nvidia’s quantum computing platform equips pioneers such as AIST, JSC, and PSNC to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and advance the state of the art in quantum-integrated supercomputing.”
“Japan’s researchers will make progress toward practical quantum computing applications with the ABCI-Q quantum-classical accelerated supercomputer,” said Masahiro Horibe, deputy director of G-QuAT/AIST. “Nvidia is helping these pioneers push the boundaries of quantum computing research.”
“Our collaboration with ORCA and Nvidia has allowed us to create a unique environment and build a new quantum-classical hybrid system at PSNC,” said Krzysztof Kurowski, CTO and deputy director of PSNC. “The open, easy integration and programming of multiple QPUs and GPUs efficiently managed by user-centric services is critical for developers and users. This close collaboration paves the way for a new generation of quantum-accelerated supercomputers for many innovative application areas, not tomorrow, but today.”
“Quantum computing is being brought closer by hybrid quantum-classical accelerated supercomputing,” said Kristel Michielsen, head of the quantum information processing group at JSC. “Through our ongoing collaboration with Nvidia, JSC’s researchers will advance the fields of quantum computing as well as chemistry and material science.”
Nvidia’s announcement also highlighted the deployment of Grace Hopper Superchips in nine new supercomputing centers. These supercomputers, including EXA1-HE in France, Helios in Poland, and Alps in Switzerland, are set to accelerate scientific research and discovery. Notable installations include:
- EXA1-HE (France): Developed by CEA and Eviden, features a new warm-water cooling system and 477 compute nodes based on Grace Hopper.
- Helios (Poland): Accelerates scientific endeavors at the Academic Computer Centre Cyfronet.
- Alps (Switzerland): Managed by the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre with Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) technology.
- DeltaAI (USA): Enhances research at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- Miyabi (Japan): A collaborative effort between the Center for Computational Sciences at the University of Tsukuba and the Information Technology Center at the University of Tokyo.
Other significant installations include Isambard-AI and Isambard 3 at the University of Bristol in the UK, as well as systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Texas Advanced Computing Center in the US.
The push for new, efficient AI-based supercomputers is driven by the strategic importance of sovereign AI. Nations are investing in domestically owned and hosted data, infrastructure, and workforces to foster innovation. The Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip, combining Arm-based Nvidia Grace CPU and Hopper GPU architectures, serves as the engine behind many of these scientific supercomputing centers, enabling rapid advancements in various fields.
Isambard-AI phase one, comprising a HPE Cray Supercomputing EX2500 with 168 Nvidia GH200 Superchips, is poised to become one of the most efficient supercomputers ever built. The upcoming installation of 5,280 Nvidia Grace Hopper Superchips at the University of Bristol’s National Composites Centre will boost performance by approximately 32 times.
“Isambard-AI positions the UK as a global leader in AI and will help foster open science innovation both domestically and internationally,” said Simon McIntosh-Smith, professor at the University of Bristol. “Working with Nvidia, we delivered phase one of the project in record time, and when completed this summer, it will see a massive jump in performance to advance data analytics, drug discovery, climate research, and many more areas.”
Key Highlights
- Germany: Integration of QPUs with the Jupiter supercomputer at JSC for chemical simulations and optimization problems.
- Japan: ABCI-Q supercomputer at AIST to advance AI, energy, and biology research using Rubidium atom qubits.
- Poland: PSNC’s photonic QPUs for quantum applications in biology, chemistry, and machine learning.
Nvidia’s ongoing efforts to integrate quantum computing with traditional supercomputing infrastructures signify a major leap forward in scientific research capabilities. By equipping global supercomputing centers with cutting-edge technology, Nvidia is fostering a new era of quantum computing advancements, enabling researchers to tackle complex problems with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
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