A new algorithm has improved the ability of quantum computers to model new materials and chemicals by a factor of 10. That’s according to its developer, UK startup Phasecraft.
The Bristol- and London-based company describes the breakthrough as the largest single leap in quantum simulations to date — moving us a step closer to real-world quantum applications.
Quantum computers improve on classical simulations by accurately modelling complex quantum behaviours — like the ever-changing interactions between molecules or the evolution of materials over time — that are too difficult for classical computers to simulate efficiently.
This could lead to technological leaps in various fields, from energy to manufacturing and medicine. For example, quantum computers could simulate materials in a battery far more accurately than ever before, enabling scientists to design materials that store energy more efficiently, last longer, and charge faster.
Currently, quantum computers are not yet fast enough to make those world-changing calculations. Phasecraft’s new algorithm, called THRIFT, promises to accelerate the process. By optimising quantum simulation, THRIFT enables scientists to model new materials and chemicals faster and more accurately, even on today’s slow machines.
In tests, THRIFT improved simulation estimates for a key benchmark in quantum physics — the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model — by a factor of 10. The advance enables simulations that are 10 times larger and can run 10 times longer than those produced by standard methods. The findings were published in Nature Communications today.
“We’ve managed to show a 10x increase on today’s machines, and we’d expect this to only get better as the hardware advances and quantum computers become better at tolerating errors and handling more complex calculations,” Raul Santos, Phasecraft’s lead quantum scientist, told TNW.
The future of quantum simulations
In the last year or so, the obscure world of quantum computing has emerged from the lab and entered the public domain — fuelled by Big Tech’s recent progress in quantum processors. In the past few months alone, Google launched a chip called Willow, Microsoft unveiled Majorana, and Amazon revealed Ocelot.
Advances in quantum computing are only good news for Phasecraft. “This algorithm enhances efficiency on near-term devices, like those Google and Microsoft have announced,” said Santos. “Any improvements in their performance can only enhance our approach.”
Rather than waiting for years or even decades for quantum hardware to mature sufficiently, Phasecraft is redesigning algorithms to work on today’s imperfect quantum machines.
Phasecraft was founded in 2019 by professors Ashley Montanaro (CEO), Toby Cubitt (CTO), and John Morton (director). The company spun out of the University of Bristol and UCL. The startup, which has raised over $20mn to date, works with leading quantum hardware companies, including Google, IBM, and QuEra.