Insider Brief
- Leaders from across classical and quantum computing met to accelerate the path to fault tolerant quantum computing and integration with high performance computing and AI infrastructures.
- The second QDA highlighted the fast approaching horizon of commercial use of quantum computers, with examples of partnerships and deployments today.
- Speakers from NVIDIA, IBM, Coherent, Equinix, Quantinuum, Atom Computing, DSIT, Nu Quantum, and more presented lessons learned from real world commercial deployments and projects and discussed outstanding challenges.
- Image: Panel for Where Are We Today: QPU-HPC Deployments (Nick Beard)
PRESS RELEASE — The second international Quantum Datacenter Alliance (QDA) Forum highlighted the progress towards commercial deployments and acceleration of distributed quantum computing architectures, while also outlining the next critical areas of focus for progress.
At the iconic Battersea Power Station, London, the QDA brought together technical, business, and government leaders to address one of the most pressing technical and ecosystem challenges: how to integrate emerging quantum hardware into existing and future data center infrastructure.
The agenda explored how quantum systems are moving from lab-scale demonstrations toward commercial deployment, highlighting that system level architecture, control, error correction, interoperability and power consumption have become as critical as the qubits themselves. Attendees also emphasised the importance of open sharing, interoperability, and collective thinking about the direction and future uses of quantum technologies.
Dr. Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Founder and CEO of Nu Quantum said, “As quantum computing moves towards large-scale utility, collaboration becomes critical. The QDA brings the industry together to tackle the shared challenges of building quantum computing as infrastructure — scalable, interoperable, reliable and efficient — and ultimately making quantum compute accessible to the world, responsibly.”
Dame Wendy Hall, speaking about lessons from classical computing and AI,said, “It’s all about communication. It is so important to get the positive messages out about any new technology ahead of the inevitable scare stories about the risks and potential harms which the media love to pick up on. Of all the new technologies on the horizon though. Quantum computing is the hardest to explain to non technical audiences. That messaging will need a lot of work as the technology begins to emerge into the public arena.”
Hannah Boardman, Director responsible for AI, Quantum, Engineering Biology, Semiconductors, Robotics, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, said, “Initiatives like this QDA show the power of bringing together different sections of the ecosystem across technologies, thinking in a different kind of way and focusing on delivering common goals to be identified in the room.”
Petrina Anne Steele, Head of Emerging Technologies at Equinix, said, “Quantum is an incubating technology that sits alongside classical HPC and now AI environments, and is highly complementary. Hybrid infrastructure is making quantum commercially actionable today. We already have companies doing high precision molecular modelling and exploring FX trading optimisation.”
Ben Bloom, Founder and CEO at Atom Computing, said, “Over the past two days, Nu Quantum and its partners have been exploring how to integrate quantum systems into a data center. This is an incredibly important topic as we continue to expand the reach of quantum computers to more and more industries and more and more users. Building a utility scale quantum computer doesn’t just fall to one company, and doesn’t even just fall to one technology. It’s the combination of multiple components together that will actually bring out a utility scale quantum computer.”
Looking ahead, the QDA will continue to convene industry leaders through future forums, working groups, and events, driving the industry toward scalable, robust, commercially viable quantum computing.
