Dell Technologies Inc. engineers recently tested an internally developed emulation platform for running “hybrid” quantum algorithms, which use both quantum circuits and classical computing hardware to carry out calculations. 

The company detailed the project today. Dell’s platform is based on its commercial PowerEdge R740xd data center server, which uses Intel Corp. central processing units. Also included in the package is IBM Corp.’s Qiskit Runtime software for running quantum algorithms. 

Large-scale quantum computers that can consistently outperform standard computing hardware have not yet been built. However, companies such as IBM are actively working toward making large-scale quantum computing a reality. Enterprises and scientists have taken notice. A growing number of companies, as well as research groups, are already developing specialized software to harness tomorrow’s ultrafast quantum machines.

Physicists are experimenting with algorithms that use quantum circuits to simulate microscopic phenomena. Machine learning experts are exploring the technology’s potential for speeding up artificial intelligence training. New algorithms are also being developed to harness quantum computing for other applications in chemistry, supply chain optimization and other fields. 

Since the quantum hardware necessary to run quantum algorithms at scale has not yet been built, companies are using simulators and emulators for the task. Simulators and emulators make it possible to run quantum algorithms on classical computing hardware. In this way, researchers can use standard servers or cloud infrastructure to test their quantum code and find areas for improvement.

Dell’s newly detailed hybrid emulation platform is aimed at simplifying the task. According to the company, the platform provides a convenient way of running quantum algorithms on classical computing hardware.

The PowerEdge R740xd server on which the platform is based features two central processing units from Intel’s 2nd Generation Xeon Scalable chip family. A standard PowerEdge R740xd server ships with up to 24 high-speed NVMe flash drives for storing data and also allows companies to keep a part of their information on Intel’s Optane DC Persistent Memory. 

An important detail is that Dell describes the offering as a hybrid emulation platform rather than a simulator. The difference between the two terms has to do with the way quantum computers are built. 

Most quantum systems feature not only quantum circuits but also one or more classical processors, such as CPUs, that assist with running algorithms. Simulators often only replicate a system’s quantum circuits. An emulator such as Dell’s new platform, in contrast, provides a more realistic development environment that recreates both the quantum and classical computing elements of a quantum machine.

A growing number of quantum algorithms use both quantum and classical circuits to carry out operations. While processing data, the two sets of circuits can interact with one another upwards of millions of times. An emulation environment that replicates all the computing elements of a quantum machine, classical as well as quantum, could potentially help researchers develop algorithms that can be more efficiently transferred to real quantum hardware.

Dell’s platform uses a technology called Qiskit Runtime from IBM to create the emulation environment. Qiskit Runtime, in turn, leverages software containers to help users run algorithms more efficiently. By combining the technology with a number of other technical advances, an IBM team recently managed to increase the performance of a quantum algorithm for simulating molecules by 120 times.

“This hybrid emulation platform represents an important step forward for the Qiskit Ecosystem and the quantum industry as a whole,” said Jay Gambetta, IBM’s vice president of quantum. “The platform allows users to work with Qiskit Runtime on their own classical resources, making it easier for both new users and established quantum developers to build and refine their algorithms.”

Dell is promising several benefits for users. The company says that its hybrid emulation platform allows users to run sequences of quantum code, or quantum circuits as they’re known among researchers, with fewer delays than when using other methods. Dell says that further efficiency improvements are provided by the ability to emulate both quantum and classical circuits in the same environment.

“Each quantum circuit no longer needs to be executed and wait in queue separately,” explained John Roese, Dell’s global chief technology officer. “The classical components of algorithms are tightly integrated with quantum resources, gaining performance improvement and cutting down development time.”

Dell is also positioning the platform as a compelling alternative to the existing cloud-based quantum simulation offerings available for companies. “Leveraging the capability through an on-premise infrastructure solution may provide incremental cost efficiency and benefit over traditional cloud service providers,” Roese said. 

Photo: IBM