Making noisy quantum processors practical: from theory to applications

Quantum computers harness the strange features of quantum mechanical systems in order to solve computational problems that cannot be solved using current (classical) computing technology. The most well-known task where quantum computers outperform classical computers is factoring large numbers, which can be used for breaking encryption. Quantum computers also naturally excel at simulating quantum systems, a notoriously difficult computational problem that has applications in materials science and drug design.

The potential of quantum computers has attracted investments from technology giants including Google, IBM and Amazon, as well as from national governments and venture capitalists.

Quantum technology has matured to the point where researchers now have excellent control over the elementary building blocks of a quantum computer: quantum bits (qubits). Unfortunately, state-of-the-art quantum processors still suffer from errors caused by unwanted interaction of the fragile qubits with their environment. In our project, we are developing robust implementations of quantum algorithms that can run successfully on today's error-prone quantum processors.

Our project unites experts in industry and academia with extensive experience in quantum computing research. The industrial partners are PhaseCraft, a quantum software start-up based in London (UK), and Quantum Benchmark, a quantum software start-up based in Kitchener (Canada). PhaseCraft has world-leading expertise in designing error-resilient algorithms for near-term quantum computing hardware.

Quantum Benchmark is the leading provider of software tools for characterizing the errors that occur in different quantum processors, delivering a deep understanding of the capabilities and limitations of different quantum processors. The academic partners are the University of Waterloo, University College London, and Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

All three are leading quantum computing research centres, with particular strength in the fields of quantum error correction and fault-tolerant quantum computing. Together, our work will hasten the demonstration of quantum advantage for industrially relevant problems such as the simulation of quantum systems, thereby realizing the potential of quantum computing.