As Nvidia is hosting its annual software developer conference in San Jose, California, CEO Jensen Huang announced the opening of a quantum computing lab in Boston, with scientists from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology collaborating.
This institution, currently named the Nvidia Accelerated Quantum Research Center (NVAQC), is presumed to start operating later this year. Reuters reports that NVAQC will partner with Quantinuum, Quantum Machines, and QuEra Computing for research and development in quantum computing.
Quantum computing is the application of energy and matter on atomic and sub-atomic
level to solve complex problems faster than classical computers. These computers are anticipated to have many real-world applications, including cyber security, climate modeling, manufacturing, and medical research. However, currently, quantum computers are facing multiple challenges due to limited advancements in this technology. On this, the CEO of Nvidia stated in January.
‘useful quantum computers are 20 years away’
Quantum Advancements
Though the world is yet to see fully operational quantum computers capable of beating supercomputers, there are major advancements made in this emerging technology.
In December 2024, Google launched Willow Chip (used in quantum computers), claiming to reduce errors exponentially and provide the fastest computation speed. The company claimed that this new chip addresses the critical issue of error scalability by reducing errors with an increase of qubits. Additionally, the makers of Willow claimed that this chip outperformed by computing in less than five minutes, which would take about ten-sevenths of years for the world’s fastest supercomputer to solve.
Similarly, China launched its Tianyan-504 quantum computer in December 2024. This newly launched quantum computer set a domestic record by surpassing the 500 qubits threshold.
Currently, all major tech players, including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and IBM, are investing in this emerging technology. Considering the pace of advancements and real-world applications, Nvidia also decided to dedicate a full day to quantum computing in its annual software developers conference. Though the newly announced research center is to be initiated by the end of this year, it is to be seen how it will compete with already developed research and manufacturing institutions in this domain.
