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NordIQuEst @ NeIC Conference

The NeIC conference “Nordic e–Infrastructure Tomorrow”, held in Tallinn at the end of May 2024, provided the perfect stage for discussing quantum computing and its relation to high–performance computing. For NordIQuEst, it gave the opportunity to showcase its central role in the development of the field.

Mikael Johansson presenting Quantum Computing
Mikael Johansson presenting Quantum Computing

Mikael Johansson’s keynote session on “Unveiling the Boundaries: Exploring the Limits and Potential of Quantum Computing” set the stage, by explaining the current status of quantum computing, including what can be realistically achieved now and what to expect in the next few years. Moreover, the importance of the collaboration between high–performance computing (HPC), quantum computing (QC) and artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) was highlighted as crucial for the technological development in the field.

Costantino Carugno presenting the paper “NordIQuEst: the Nordic–Estonian Quantum Computing e–Infrastructure Quest”
Costantino Carugno presenting the paper “NordIQuEst: the Nordic–Estonian Quantum Computing e–Infrastructure Quest”

Costantino Carugno presented the paper “NordIQuEst: the Nordic–Estonian Quantum Computing e–Infrastructure Quest”, part of the conference proceedings. The presentation summarized the e–infrastructure architecture that lies at the core of the NordIQuEst project, while also identifying lessons learned and potential improvements. Moreover, the audience was provided with a short introduction on how quantum computers operate. You can find a public copy of the paper on arxiv here.

Alberto Lanzanova giving a brief overview of the project activities
Alberto Lanzanova giving a brief overview of the project activities

Alberto Lanzanova gave a brief overview of the project activities and where it is headed in the last year of its initial implementation stage. The cross–border collaboration, alongside the synergies with other NeIC and European projects, such as Puhuri, OpenSuperQ+, and LUMI–Q were highlighted.

The conference highlight was the workshop facilitated by Jake Muff. In a directly-to-action introduction to quantum computing, the participants were able to experience the NordIQuEst infrastructure by running basic tutorials on the VTT quantum computer Helmi, through the LUMI EuroHPC supercomputer. Entanglements were created and errors mitigated, in what was a first direct experience with quantum computing for many of the participants.

Participants were able to submit their first job to VTT’s 5 qubit quantum computer Helmi via the LUMI web interface. A focus of the workshop was highlighting what is needed to run on a real quantum computer versus using a simulator. Participants also had the opportunity to see a Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) run on Helmi in real time, demonstrating current hybrid quantum computing in practice!

Jake Muff giving a workshop introduction LUMI and Helmi
Jake Muff giving a workshop introducing LUMI and Helmi

For those that could not join us in Tallinn, despair not, more training activities for 2024 will soon be announced!

Additional information

NordIQuEst conference article: https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.02216 Workshop overview: https://nordiquest.net/neic2024-qc101/notebooks/introduction-to-using-a-qc/