NVIDIA, Xanadu Work Together to Enable Perlmutter Supercomputer’s Quantum Explorations
Insider Brief
- Brookhaven National Laboratory researchers are conducting quantum computing simulations on the Perlmutter supercomputer.
- The experiments are powered by PennyLane, an open-source quantum programming framework developed by Xanadu, in collaboration with the NVIDIA cuQuantum software development kit.
- The computer programs will leverage up to 256 NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs on Perlmutter to simulate about 36 qubits.
- Image: Shinjae Yoo prepares to scale up his quantum work on the Perlmutter supercomputer. Credit: NVIDIA blog
U.S. Department of Energy‘s Brookhaven National Laboratory researchers are conducting quantum computing simulations on the Perlmutter supercomputer at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC). This achievement is made possible by the latest version of PennyLane, an open-source quantum programming framework developed by Xanadu, in collaboration with the NVIDIA cuQuantum software development kit, according to a NVIDIA blog post.
The software combination allows high-performance clusters of NVIDIA GPUs to run complex simulations, marking a significant leap in quantum computing research, the post states.
Shinjae Yoo, the computational scientist and machine learning group lead at Brookhaven National Laboratory, intends to use Perlmutter’s computational prowess to process huge datasets. Yoo’s programs will leverage up to 256 NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs on Perlmutter to simulate about 36 qubits, effectively doubling the capacity of most current quantum simulations. This accomplishment is facilitated by the multi-node version of PennyLane, in conjunction with the NVIDIA cuQuantum SDK, which simplifies the execution of massive quantum system simulations.
“This opens the door to allowing even my interns to run some of the largest simulations—that’s why I’m so excited,” Shinjae Yoo said in the post. His research spans into high-energy physics and machine learning. Furthermore, quantum simulations play a pivotal role in advancements in fields like chemistry and materials science, pushing the limits of classical computing capabilities.
Beyond academia, corporations are also delving into quantum computing’s potential. Xanadu, for instance, collaborates with companies such as Rolls-Royce and Volkswagen Group to develop quantum algorithms for designing sustainable aviation engines and more powerful electric vehicle batteries, respectively.
According to the NVIDIA blog, NERSC’s quantum computing program leader, Katherine Klymko, confirmed that at least four other projects are in progress this year using the multi-node PennyLane framework, including efforts from NASA Ames and the University of Alabama. These projects aim to address complex problems in fields like chemistry, which classical computers struggle to handle, preparing for the eventual utilization of large-scale quantum computers.
PennyLane, a quantum programming framework, adapts deep learning techniques and tools like PyTorch to program quantum computers. According to the blog, its versatility has gained traction within the quantum community since its introduction in 2018, making cutting-edge research accessible and engaging for researchers.
Quantum enthusiasts frequently express their desire for more qubits, and the blog states that PennyLane’s development team is responding to this demand. Lee J. O’Riordan, a senior quantum software developer at Xanadu, reported significant speedups in performance when integrating with NVIDIA cuQuantum.
“When we started work in 2022 with cuQuantum on a single GPU, we got 10x speedups pretty much across the board … we hope to scale by the end of the year to 1,000 nodes — that’s 4,000 GPUs — and that could mean simulating more than 40 qubits,” O’Riordan said.
This could provide scientists with unprecedented computational resources for quantum research.
The collaboration between PennyLane and cuQuantum, demonstrates the power of GPUs in scaling quantum computing simulations. By splitting a quantum program across more than 100 GPUs, researchers were able to simulate over 60 qubits, paving the way for even more ambitious workloads.
The blog post adds that with continuous advancements, scientists and companies alike are poised to explore new frontiers in quantum computing, leading to innovative solutions and software improvements in PennyLane, thus creating a virtuous cycle of progress in the field.
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Matt Swayne
With a several-decades long background in journalism and communications, Matt Swayne has worked as a science communicator for an R1 university for more than 12 years, specializing in translating high tech and deep tech for the general audience. He has served as a writer, editor and analyst at The Quantum Insider since its inception. In addition to his service as a science communicator, Matt also develops courses to improve the media and communications skills of scientists and has taught courses.
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MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
Brookhaven National Laboratory is executing a cross-disciplinary strategy to harness quantum effects in physics for advanced computing, communications, and fundamental science. The laboratory is applying its expertise in quantum technologies to overcome the current limitations of scientific experiments and measurements, integrating new quantum capabilities and instruments into its existing facilities. Some of the projects include the Quantum Material Press, quantum telescopes and astrometry, quantum LIDAR, and a quantum-enhanced microscope. Brookhaven Lab and Stony Brook University are working together to bring the vision of a quantum internet into reality, enabling completely secure communications online. The team has built the Nation’s longest quantum network, which spans 98 miles and connects the institutions’ two campuses. Researchers at Brookhaven are also developing a quantum repeater prototype to ultimately connect the Lab to New York City. The Computational Science Initiative (CSI) at Brookhaven Lab has a Quantum Computing Group (QCG) that addresses Quantum Information Science research challenges. The Brookhaven National Laboratory Quantum Network Facility is an experimental facility open to the user community, and experimental opportunities are focused on the development of foundational quantum devices, including entanglement. Brookhaven National Laboratory leads the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA), which is building the tools necessary to create scalable, distributed, and fault-tolerant quantum computer systems. The center is working toward quantum advantage in computations for high-energy and nuclear physics, chemistry, materials science, condensed matter physics, and other fields. The C2QA Quantum Computing Summer School is a virtual six-week tutorial program introducing college students to the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage. .
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Xanadu
Xanadu is a Canadian photonic quantum computing company founded in 2016 that is building fault tolerant systems utilizing light. The company collaborates with defense and hardware partners like AMD and Lockheed Martin to accelerate computational fluid dynamics simulations and train an aerospace engineering workforce.
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NVIDIA
NVIDIA Corporation is an American multinational technology company and a global player in accelerated computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Founded in 1993, the company pushes the aerospace frontier with the Space-1 Vera Rubin Module, a platform for orbital data centers that delivers massive AI-compute Space Computing. This NVIDIA technology enables satellites and autonomous spacecraft to process and fuse sensor data rapidly Space Computing.
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U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
The mission of the Department of Energy is to ensure America's security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. In September, 2022, Research supported by ASCR demonstrated that classical machine learning algorithms can accurately predict ground state properties and classify quantum phases of matter using data generated from quantum experiments. In November, 2022, Research supported by Q-NEXT revealed that the performance of a sensor network is constrained by the intrinsic noise associated with the quantum states used in the network. In March, 2023, Research funded by DOE SC NP achieved the first experimental observation of entanglement between dissimilar particles, specifically positive and negative pions. In August, 2023, Research funded by DOE SC BER demonstrated strong preservation of entanglement in a two-photon absorption process involving organic molecules, offering a new approach for developing quantum light-based spectroscopy and microscopy.
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Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a British multinational aerospace and defence company incorporated in February 2011. The company owns Rolls-Royce, a business established in 1904 which today designs, manufactures and distributes power systems for aviation and other industries.
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NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the U.S. government agency driving pioneering research and technological development in both atmospheric flight (aeronautics) and space exploration (astronautics). NASA acts as a research organization, utilizing advanced wind tunnels, supercomputing, and flight test laboratories to advance aircraft aerodynamics, propulsion, and materials, while simultaneously involved in the design, construction, and operation of launch vehicles and spacecraft for deep space exploration. Through its aeronautics research directorate, the agency works to improve the safety, efficiency, and environmental impact of aviation, whereas its space programs focus on developing cutting-edge flight systems, robotic explorers, and human transportation capabilities.
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