Rigetti joins Honeywell, Ionq and Quantum Circuits in Microsoft’s cloud-based quantum computing ecosystem
Berkeley, Calif.-based quantum computer maker Rigetti announced a collaboration with Microsoft to bring Rigetti’s quantum computers to Microsoft’s Azure Quantum service. The two companies anticipate the new Rigetti systems to go online in the first calendar quarter of 2022.
Microsoft bills Azure Quantum as “the first full-stack, open cloud quantum computing ecosystem.” Azure Quantum comprises a cloud-based service and development kit for students, developers and researchers working on quantum computing solutions that seeks to offer a “write once, run everywhere” approach.
Azure Quantum is also a marketplace. Azure Quantum provides developers with access to software and the ability to rent time on quantum computing hardware. Microsoft hardware partners include Honeywell, Ionq, Quantum Circuits Inc. and soon, Rigetti. Pricing per compute hour on Azure Quantum ranges from free for students to up to US $900 per hour, for performance at scale.
Speeding up the quantum app lifecycle
“Some companies offer only one solution — their own, while others offer open ecosystems but leave it to you to change your code when you want to try a new quantum system. This means more work for you; higher code maintenance costs and incompatibility as technologies mature,” said Fabrice Frachon, principal PM manager, Azure Quantum.
“Azure Quantum provides the best development environment to create quantum algorithms for multiple platforms at once, while preserving flexibility to tune the same algorithms for specific systems. You can pick from many programming languages such as Qiskit, Cirq and Q# and run your algorithms on multiple quantum systems. On Azure Quantum, it’s easy to simultaneously explore today’s quantum systems and be ready for the scaled quantum systems of the future,” said Frachon.
Quantum computing applies the unique behavior of quantum physics to help calculate data. The basic unit of operation of quantum computing — the quantum “bit” — is a qubit. While bit values alternate between 0 and 1 in classic computing, qubits can hold a “superposition” of all possible states.
Quantum computers hold considerable promise for massive storage and data processing potential. Quantum computers are solving problems in machine learning, pharmaceutical discovery and development, energy, logistics optimization, weather forecasting and financial forecasting.
Rigetti said it builds scalable systems using superconducting qubit-based quantum processors. This scalability offers novel opportunities for Azure Quantum developers, according to Krysta Svore, general manager of Microsoft Quantum.
“We’re working closely with Rigetti to deliver hybrid quantum-classical computing with the performance to tackle problems that were previously out of reach,” said Svore in a statement.
