Rigetti Computing and Oxford Instruments NanoScience announced that their three-year project to build and operate one of the first quantum computers in the UK has been completed. The consortium also included the Quantum Software Lab at the University of Edinburgh, Phasecraft, and Standard Chartered Bank.
The goals of the Rigetti-led £10 million ($12.4mn) consortium were to accelerate the commercialization of quantum computing in the UK through the delivery of a quantum computer in the UK, by advancing practical applications in machine learning, materials simulation, and finance, and furthering the development of the UK’s quantum computing talent, infrastructure, and national supply chain.
In addition to showcasing Rigetti’s ability to successfully deploy a quantum computer in the UK, the research conducted during this project also resulted in subsequent quantum application development work. In January 2024, Rigetti announced that it was awarded an Innovate UK grant as part of the Feasibility Studies in Quantum Computing Applications competition with Standard Chartered, Imperial College London, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Elena Strbac, managing director and global head of Data Science and Innovation at Standard Chartered Bank, said in a statement: “Establishing ourselves as a quantum-ready financial institution is becoming more important as quantum computers scale, and our problems become more complex. An important result of this work is addressing the feasibility of quantum machine learning methods to more effectively process, interpret, and make decisions with complex data streams, which we will continue to study in our new Innovate UK consortium.”
The consortium was backed by funding from the UK government’s Quantum Technologies Challenge, led by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI). The 32-qubit Aspen-class quantum computer was Rigetti’s first system deployed in the UK and was made available over the cloud to the Company’s UK partners via Rigetti’s Quantum Cloud Services (QCS) cloud computing platform to pursue quantum application and algorithm development.
The Quantum Software Lab worked to develop new ways of testing quantum hardware and verifying the performance of quantum programs, and worked with Standard Chartered Bank to advance quantum machine learning applications for finance. Phasecraft used its deep knowledge of quantum algorithms and high-efficiency quantum software to harness the system for near-term applications in materials design and simulation.
The system was hosted at Oxford Instruments’ Tubney Woods facility using Oxford Instruments’ ProteoxLX dilution refrigerator, and was supported by Oxford Instruments’ state-of-the-art infrastructure and expert cryogenics support. Smooth and seamless infrastructure was essential so that the consortium partners could run algorithms without interruption via QCS. Backup power and resilient cooling systems in highly controlled temperature and humidity environments guaranteed high uptime of the quantum system.
Subodh Kulkarni, Rigetti CEO, said in a statement, “Completing this project, with the end result being a useful 32-qubit quantum computer, is an exceptional achievement for all of the project partners. It takes a world-class team to build and deploy a quantum computer. The UK has become a world leader in quantum computing technologies, and we are excited to continue to contribute to its quantum computing capabilities. Additionally, Rigetti plans to leverage this experience to continue to develop our UK quantum computing leadership as we embark on deploying a 24-qubit Ankaa-class quantum computer at the NQCC’s Harwell campus.”
Matt Martin, managing director at Oxford Instruments NanoScience, said in a statement, “The project was planned from the beginning to align with national strategic initiatives and is a fantastic step towards the commercial adoption of quantum computing in the UK. Our team learned a huge amount from this project, rising to every challenge. We have comfortably demonstrated both the reliability of the ProteoxLX and the proficiency of our service team.”
Ashley Montanaro, Phasecraft co-founder, said, “Quantum research and algorithm development is nothing without the ability to test it in real-life situations. Hands-on access to Rigetti’s quantum hardware throughout this project enabled us to advance our quantum simulation algorithm and software development for near-term applications, which will support us in furthering our research in areas such as new material discovery. We also gained valuable insight into real-world use cases that will help with the adoption of practical quantum computing across many industries, including clean energy technologies such as batteries and solar.”
Elham Kashefi, director of the Quantum Software Lab and Professor of Quantum Computing at the University of Edinburgh, said in a statement: “This consortium enabled our research team to not only pursue important quantum algorithm work to further benchmark quantum devices using real quantum hardware, but to also grow our group and rebrand as the Quantum Software Lab (QSL) at the University of Edinburgh. We are already applying the techniques and protocols developed during this project towards advancing our understanding of the requirements of practical quantum computers.”
Roger McKinlay, challenge director for Quantum Technologies at Innovate UK said in a statement: “This project was launched with a vision of the UK being the go-to place for those striving to turn quantum research into quantum business. My thanks to this outstanding team of ‘quantrepreneurs’ – led by Rigetti UK Limited – who have made the vision a reality.”