HPE and Rigetti Computing have announced plans to jointly deploy a hybrid quantum-classical computer at the TangleLab supercomputing testbed, set to be housed at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC).

Funded by a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the testbed will feature a supercomputer powered by a 9-qubit Novera quantum computer integrated with a classical high-performance computing system.

Rigetti launched its Novera QPU, the company’s first commercially available quantum processing unit, in December 2023.

Built at Rigetti’s Fab-1 facility in Fremont, California, the Novera QPU includes a 9-qubit chip with turntable couplers for fast 2-qubit operations and a 5-qubit chip for testing single-qubit operations. The Novera QPU is based on Rigetti’s fourth-generation Ankaa-class architecture, which was first unveiled in August 2023.

Meanwhile, the classical compute infrastructure that makes up the system will include HPE ProLiant Compute DL384 Gen12, HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen11, HPE Cray Storage Systems C500, and HPE Networking, all of which will be connected to Rigetti’s Novera quantum processor.

Construction of TangleLab is expected to begin at PSC’s new data center on September 1, 2026, with the test bed expected to be fully operational in 2027.

“We are excited to have a Novera [QPU] at the core of TangleLab, which will provide researchers and educators access to a state-of-the-art hybrid quantum-classical computer to push the boundaries of quantum computing innovation and discovery. This system will benefit from the fast gate speeds that are intrinsic to superconducting quantum systems, a critical metric for high-performance hybrid quantum computing environments,” said Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, Rigetti CEO. “Moreover, by collaborating with HPE, the global leader in HPC, we are in a strong position to deliver world-leading hybrid computing solutions -- starting with TangleLab.”

Masoud Mohseni, director of HPE Quantum at HPE Labs, added: “Realizing the potential of quantum computing will depend on how effectively quantum processors integrate with high-performance computing, AI, and advanced networking. HPE’s role in TangleLab is to bring those technologies together into a unified hybrid environment, enabling researchers to develop, benchmark, and optimize quantum-classical workflows while gaining critical insight into how future quantum-HPC-AI systems will operate at scale.”