Quantum computing outfit D-Wave Systems has announced availability of an Advantage quantum computer accessible via the cloud but physically located in the US, a key move for selling quantum services to American customers.
D-Wave reported that the newly deployed system is the first of its Advantage line of quantum computers available via its Leap quantum cloud service that is physically located in the US, rather than operating out of D-Wave’s facilities in British Columbia.
The new system is based at the University of Southern California, as part of the USC-Lockheed Martin Quantum Computing Center hosted at USC’s Information Sciences Institute, a factor that may encourage US organizations interested in evaluating quantum computing that are likely to want the assurance of accessing facilities based in the same country.
“This is an important moment for our US-based customers who want their Leap cloud access to the newest Advantage system and quantum hybrid solver service to be in-region,” D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz said in a statement.
The Advantage quantum system has been built around a new processor architecture, according to D-Wave. This features over 5,000 qubits and 15-way qubit connectivity, which the company said enables it to solve larger and more complex business problems than previous D-Wave systems.
Like existing D-Wave kit, this one is based on quantum annealing technology rather than the quantum gate approach being followed by other companies, such as IBM. Quantum annealing is good for optimization problems, but some experts regard these systems as being less flexible than those based on quantum gates. D-Wave is also developing its own quantum gate technology.
However, D-Wave said that its customers have already developed hundreds of early quantum applications using its quantum annealing systems, in fields such as financial modeling, flight planning, and quantum chemistry simulation.
With the Advantage system, users of D-Wave’s Leap cloud service will be able to access the quantum computer in real-time, the company said. Leap also gives researchers, governments and enterprises access to a variety of programming tools and hybrid quantum-classical resources.
D-Wave also said that the US-based Advantage system will be available for use in Amazon Braket, the fully managed quantum computing service offered via AWS.
IDC has previously forecast that the global quantum computing market is set to expand to be worth $8.6 billion by 2027, up from just $412 million in 2020. ®
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