Exploring the National Quantum Computing Centre

The National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) at present announced a partnership with IBM that will provide cloud access to IBM Quantum’s Premium Plan, which includes IBM’s fleet of quantum computing systems, for UK researchers. The goal of this partnership is to encourage new research avenues focused on the application of quantum computing. Through the start of this initiative and its membership in the IBM Quantum Network, the NQCC is moving closer to its objective of enabling the UK to use quantum computing to address some of the most challenging and complex problems confronting society.

The NQCC program is co-sponsored by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Through assisting proof-of-concept projects, feasibility studies, and discovery-led research, it aims to push the frontiers of science in the UK’s academic, scientific, and public sectors.

According to the NQCC’s director, Dr. Michael Cuthbert, “granting access to quantum computing is an important step in contributing towards the national effort.” “The NQCC will be able to provide utility-scale quantum computing resources to the UK’s active research community thanks to the deal with IBM. This could hasten the creation of breakthrough technologies and new discoveries as well as provide new opportunities for basic and applied research.”

Users can obtain utility-scale computers with over 100 qubits through IBM Quantum. These systems perform well enough to be used as scientific instruments to investigate a wider range of issues that traditional systems might never be able to resolve.

Dr. Scott Crowder, Vice President, Adoption and Business Development, IBM Quantum, stated, “Organizations that collaborate with the NQCC will have the opportunity to access quantum computers which, as shown in recently published research, are capable of accurately modeling a physical system in nature beyond leading classical approaches.” “With the help of this ‘quantum utility,’ IBM users can investigate challenging issues and start to extract meaningful value.”

The NQCC, as a national lab, is dedicated to collaborating with organizations across government, industry, and the research community to support the delivery of quantum computing capabilities for the UK and develop the user community for quantum computing. This is in line with the recently published National Quantum Strategy and the commitment of £2.5 billion in investment.

Through its support of UK-based enterprises, the center aims to make the UK ready for the world of quantum computing and to fully reap its benefits. It will further accelerate its SparQ user engagement initiative, facilitating the user path from awareness to advocacy, and help increase access to quantum computing resources for users located in the UK.

The goals of NQCC are in line with those of STFC’s other long-standing collaboration with IBM, the Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation program, which uses AI, data science, HPC, and quantum computing to benefit public and private sectors in the UK.

While the mission of the NQCC is to use quantum computing to help the UK solve some of the most difficult and complex problems that society faces, the Hartree Center and IBM seek to assist UK organizations in creating and implementing creative solutions based on core technologies to address problems in engineering, materials development, life sciences, energy, and the environment.

As a result, there are several chances for the NQCC and the Hartree Centre to work together and assist UK industry at all phases of the adoption and innovation path in order to completely ready and future-proof the UK economy to reap the most benefits from quantum computing.

Concerning NQCC

The NQCC is a brand-new research organization supported by UKRI that aims to solve the scalability issues in order to advance the field of quantum computing. The NQCC is coordinating and executing a technical program, commissioning and operating new facilities, and collaborating with partners in the government, industry, and research community to establish the requisite R&D capabilities. By delivering guaranteed quantum computing capacity, the program will help the UK maintain its competitiveness in the global market. The center will have its headquarters in a specially constructed building in the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Campus of the STFC in Oxfordshire. The building is scheduled for completion in 2024.

Concerning IBM

IBM is a top supplier of consulting services, AI, and hybrid cloud solutions globally. They support customers in over 175 countries to take advantage of data insights, optimize business operations, cut expenses, and obtain a competitive advantage in their sectors. Red Hat OpenShift and IBM’s hybrid cloud platform are used by over 4,000 government and corporate entities in key infrastructure domains including financial services, telecommunications, and healthcare to facilitate digital transformations that are swift, secure, and efficient. Open and flexible alternatives are provided to their clients via IBM’s ground-breaking advances in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions, and consultancy. IBM’s longstanding dedication to transparency, accountability, inclusion, trust, and service supports all of this.