NVIDIA, the tech giant known for its powerful GPUs, has announced that Japan’s new supercomputer ABCI-Q, designed to drive the country’s quantum computing initiative, will be powered by NVIDIA platforms for accelerated and quantum computing. This announcement was made during NVIDIA’s GTC conference on March 18, 2024.
ABCI-Q will enable high-fidelity quantum simulations for research in various industries. This high-performance and scalable system is integrated with NVIDIA CUDA-Q, an open-source hybrid quantum computing platform with powerful simulation tools and capabilities to program quantum-classical hybrid systems. The supercomputer is powered by over 2,000 NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs on more than 500 nodes interconnected by NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand, the world’s only fully download-ready networking computing platform.
Built by Fujitsu at the National Research and Development Center for Quantum-IA Business Technology (G-QuAT) at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), ABCI-Q is expected to be deployed early next year and is designed to integrate with future quantum hardware.
Tim Costa, director of high-performance computing and quantum computing at NVIDIA, emphasized the importance of high-performance simulation to address the toughest issues in quantum computing. According to Costa, “CUDA-Q and NVIDIA H100 equip pioneers like those at ABCI to make critical advancements and accelerate the development of integrated quantum supercomputing.”
Masahiro Horibe, deputy director of G-QuAT/AIST, noted that “ABCI-Q will allow Japanese researchers to explore quantum computing technology to test and accelerate the development of their practical applications.” Horibe also highlighted that the NVIDIA CUDA-Q platform and NVIDIA H100 will help these scientists pursue the next frontiers of quantum computing research.
ABCI-Q is part of Japan’s quantum technology innovation strategy, aiming to create new opportunities for businesses and society to benefit from quantum technology, including through research in AI, energy, and biology.
The ABCI-Q system aims to be a platform for advancing quantum circuit simulation and quantum machine learning, building classical-quantum hybrid systems, and developing new algorithms inspired by quantum technology.
Additionally, NVIDIA and G-QuAT/AIST plan to collaborate on industrial applications using ABCI-Q. This opens up a range of possibilities to bring advances in quantum computing to key sectors of the economy.
Quantum computing is an emerging field that promises to revolutionize how we process and analyze data. Unlike classical computers that use bits, which can be 0 or 1, quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in multiple states simultaneously. This allows for much more complex calculations in less time.
However, quantum computing still faces significant challenges, such as qubit instability and difficulty scaling systems. That’s why initiatives like ABCI-Q are so important, as they provide researchers with the tools and infrastructure needed to overcome these obstacles.
NVIDIA’s announcement of its involvement in ABCI-Q is a testament to the increasing interest and investment in quantum computing by major tech companies. With their expertise in GPUs and accelerated computing platforms, NVIDIA is well positioned to play a key role in advancing this field.
As quantum computing continues to evolve, we are likely to see more collaborations like this between industry, academia, and government. Together, these stakeholders can drive innovation and pave the way for a future where quantum computing is applied to a wide range of problems, from drug discovery to supply chain optimization.
In conclusion, NVIDIA’s announcement of its involvement in Japan’s ABCI-Q supercomputer is a significant milestone in the advancement of quantum computing. With its powerful hardware and software, NVIDIA is helping Japanese researchers push the boundaries of what is possible with this transformative technology. As quantum computing continues to mature, initiatives like this will become increasingly important in unlocking its full potential.