{"id":2205,"date":"2022-07-12T17:57:56","date_gmt":"2022-07-12T17:57:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/machine-learning\/2022\/07\/12\/merge-ahead-researcher-takes-software-bridge-to-quantum-computing\/"},"modified":"2022-07-12T17:57:56","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T17:57:56","slug":"merge-ahead-researcher-takes-software-bridge-to-quantum-computing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salarydistribution.com\/machine-learning\/2022\/07\/12\/merge-ahead-researcher-takes-software-bridge-to-quantum-computing\/","title":{"rendered":"Merge Ahead: Researcher Takes Software Bridge to Quantum Computing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kristel Michielsen was into quantum computing<\/a> before quantum computing was cool.<\/p>\n

The computational physicist simulated quantum computers as part of her Ph.D. work in the Netherlands in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n

Today, she manages one of Europe\u2019s largest facilities for quantum computing, the J\u00fclich Unified Infrastructure for Quantum Computing (JUNIQ<\/a>) . Her mission is to help developers pioneer this new realm with tools like NVIDIA Quantum Optimized Device Architecture <\/a>(QODA). <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis helps bring quantum computing closer to the HPC and AI communities.\u201d -Kristel Michielsen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t go on with today\u2019s classical computers alone because they consume so much energy, and they can\u2019t solve some problems,\u201d said Michielsen, who leads the quantum program at the J\u00fclich Supercomputing Center<\/a> near Cologne. \u201cBut paired with quantum computers that won\u2019t consume as much energy, I believe there may be the potential to solve some of our most complex problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enter the QPU<\/b><\/h2>\n

Because quantum processors, or QPUs, harness the properties of quantum mechanics, they\u2019re ideally suited to simulating processes at the atomic level. That could enable fundamental advances in chemistry and materials science, starting domino effects in everything from more efficient batteries to more effective drugs.<\/p>\n

QPUs may also help with thorny optimization problems in fields like logistics. For example, airlines face daily challenges figuring out which planes to assign to which routes.<\/p>\n

In one experiment, a quantum computer recently installed at J\u00fclich showed the most efficient way to route nearly 500 flights \u2014 demonstrating the technology\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

Quantum computing also promises to take AI to the next level. In separate experiments, J\u00fclich researchers used quantum machine learning to simulate how proteins bind to DNA strands and classify satellite images of Lyon, France.<\/p>\n

Hybrids Take Best of Both Worlds<\/b><\/h2>\n

Several prototype quantum computers are now available, but none is powerful or dependable enough to tackle commercially relevant jobs yet. But researchers see a way forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a long time, we\u2019ve had a vision of hybrid systems as the only way to get practical quantum computing \u2014 linked to today\u2019s classical HPC systems, quantum computers will give us the best of both worlds,\u201d Michielsen said.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s just what J\u00fclich and other researchers around the world are building today.<\/p>\n

Quantum Gets 49x Boost on A100 GPUs<\/b><\/h2>\n

In addition to its current analog quantum system, J\u00fclich plans next year to install a neutral atom quantum computer from Paris-based Pasqal. It\u2019s also been running quantum simulations on classical systems such as its JUWELS Booster<\/a>, which packs over 3,700 NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe GPU version of our universal quantum-computer simulator, called JUQCS, has given us up to 49x speedups compared to jobs running on CPU clusters \u2014 this work uses almost all the system\u2019s GPU nodes and relies heavily on its InfiniBand network,\u201d she said, citing a recent paper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recently, classical systems like the JUWELS Booster use NVIDIA cuQuantum<\/a>, a software development kit for accelerating quantum jobs on GPUs. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s great for cross-platform benchmarking, and for others it could be a great tool to start or optimize their quantum simulation codes,\u201d Michielsen said of the SDK.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Diagram<\/p>\n

<\/a>

A100 GPUs (green) form the core of the JUWELS Booster that can simulate quantum jobs with the NVIDIA cuQuantum SDK.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hybrid Systems, Hybrid Software<\/b><\/h2>\n

With multiple HPC and quantum systems on hand and more on the way for J\u00fclich and other research centers, one of the challenges is tying it all together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe HPC community needs to look in detail at applications that span everything from climate science and medicine to chemistry and physics to see what parts of the code can run on quantum systems,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Herculean task for developers entering the quantum computing era, but help\u2019s on the way.<\/p>\n

NVIDIA QODA acts like a software bridge. With a function call, developers can choose to run their quantum jobs on GPUs or quantum processors.<\/p>\n

QODA\u2019s high-level language will support every kind of quantum computer, and its compiler will be available as open-source software. And it\u2019s supported by quantum system and software providers including Pasqal, Xanadu, QC Ware and Zapata.<\/p>\n

Quantum Leap for HPC, AI Developers<\/b><\/h2>\n

Michielsen foresees JUNIQ providing QODA to researchers across Europe who use its quantum services.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis helps bring quantum computing closer to the HPC and AI communities,\u201d she said. \u201cIt will speed up how they get things done without them needing to do all the low-level programming, so it makes their life much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michielsen expects many researchers will be using QODA to try out hybrid quantum-classical computers \u2014 over the coming year and beyond.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho knows, maybe one of our users will pioneer a new example of real-world hybrid computing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Image at top courtesy of Forschungszentrum J\u00fclich \/ Ralf-Uwe Limbach<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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