Breakthrough in Quantum Simulation Achieved with 50-Qubit Universal Quantum Computer

A research team at the Julich Supercomputing Center, in partnership with NVIDIA, has achieved a groundbreaking milestone in quantum simulation by fully simulating a universal quantum computer with 50 qubits.

This accomplishment was realized on JUPITER, Europe's first exascale supercomputer, which was inaugurated in September. This new record surpasses the previous achievement of 48 qubits, set by Julich researchers on Japan's K computer in 2022.

The simulation proves the immense computational capability of JUPITER and paves the way for advancements in quantum algorithms. Quantum computer simulations are crucial for the future development of quantum systems, allowing researchers to verify experimental results and test algorithms before practical quantum machines become available.

Two key algorithms that benefit from this technology are the Variational Quantum Eigensolver, which models molecules and materials, and the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm, applicable in logistics, finance, and artificial intelligence.

Simulating a quantum computer on traditional hardware poses significant challenges, as the number of possible quantum states grows exponentially with each additional qubit. For instance, while thirty qubits can be managed on a standard laptop, simulating fifty qubits requires around two petabytes of memory, which is accessible only to the world's largest supercomputers.

The complexity of the simulation involves synchronizing over two quadrillion complex numerical values across thousands of computing nodes to accurately replicate a real quantum processor's operations. This breakthrough was facilitated by the innovative design of NVIDIA's GH200 Superchips, which integrate CPUs and GPUs to optimize memory usage without sacrificing performance.

The simulation software, known as the Julich Universal Quantum Computer Simulator, or JUQCS, was enhanced to accommodate this new memory architecture. The updated version, JUQCS-50, allows for efficient quantum operations even when data exceeds GPU memory limits.

Furthermore, the introduction of a byte-encoding compression method has significantly reduced memory requirements. JUQCS-50 will soon be available to external research institutions and companies through the Julich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum Computing, or JUNIQ, serving as both a research tool and a benchmark for future supercomputers.

This development is part of the JUPITER Research and Early Access Program, showcasing the collaborative efforts between Julich experts and NVIDIA in the design and implementation of this exascale system.

This success is seen as a vital step towards unlocking the full potential of quantum computing.