QuEra is set to deploy a quantum computer at a computing center in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has granted just under $5 million to establish a Quantum Computing Complex at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) in Holyoke.
QuEra is a partner of the project, and will deploy a neutral atom quantum computer at the complex. The $16 million project is co-funded by $11 million in matching funds from QuEra.
“We are thrilled to support the growth of quantum computing in Massachusetts, where QuEra has deep roots through our partnerships with MIT and Harvard and access to world-class talent,” said QuEra Interim CEO Andy Ory. “By enabling businesses, academia, and research organizations to leverage cutting-edge quantum capabilities, we aim to reinforce Massachusetts’ position as a hub of innovation and prepare the next generation to lead in this groundbreaking field.”
The New England Research Cloud, a classical computing system that operates within the MassOpen Cloud Alliance (MOC Alliance), will make the quantum computer accessible to academic researchers in the open-source community.
“This pioneering investment will enable researchers from across the MGHPCC’s university partners to gain access and leverage the power of quantum for work on algorithms and the application advances that will propel quantum computing within our lifetimes,” said Innovation Institute director Pat Larkin. “Not only can we expect breakthrough applications that have the potential to transform industries, but this user-driven innovation on the software side will drive change and innovation on the hardware systems necessary to scale quantum computing.”
A joint venture of Boston University, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, the University of Massachusetts system, and Yale, the MGHPCC data center is part of downtown Holyoke’s former industrial district and was first used for manufacturing textiles in the 1880s. The 900,000 sq ft (83,610 sqm) facility opened in 2012 and was expanded around 2016.
QuEra to partner with Japan’s AIST
QuEra has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST).
The two companies previously signed a contract for QuEra to deploy a quantum computer on-premises alongside AIST’s Nvidia-powered ABCI-Q supercomputer.
The new agreement will see QuEra establish and operate a cloud-based platform, providing remote access to the quantum computer for researchers, collaborators, and external users. The platform will be integrated with AIST’s HPC infrastructure, including the ABCI-Q supercomputer.
Massachusetts-based QuEra was founded in 2018, based on research conducted at Harvard and MIT. Google is an investor in the company, which offers on-premise quantum systems as well as access to quantum hardware through its own cloud and Amazon Web Services. The company operates a lab and data center near the Charles River in Boston.
