Denmark has announced an investment of €80 million in what it claims will be the world’s most powerful quantum computer. The project, called QuNorth, aims to achieve breakthroughs in medicine and materials research.
The computer will start with 50 logical qubits, a crucial number according to Jason Zander, executive vice president of Microsoft. “When we get to about 50 logical qubits, that’s when we start hitting true quantum advantage,” explains Zander. “I get to the point where I can run something on a quantum computer that I could not run on a classic computer.”
A logical qubit is a virtual qubit made up of multiple physical qubits to reliably process quantum information. Microsoft and Atom Computing created 24 logical qubits in November last year, the highest number ever achieved.
Mythical computer with practical goals
The quantum computer will be named Magne, inspired by Norse mythology, where Magne is the son of Thor and is known for his immense strength. This name reflects that the computer will have to perform computations that would take current systems millions of years.
Quantum computing has the potential to fundamentally change drug development and materials science by enabling calculations that are currently impractical.
Funding and partners
Funding comes from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, a non-profit organization affiliated with the pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, and the Danish state-controlled Export and Investment Fund (EIFO). Microsoft, which has its largest quantum lab in Denmark, is providing the software. Atom Computing is building the physical system.
The ambitions extend beyond the initial capacity. “When the machine gets up to 100 (logical qubits), we can start doing science problems, get up to a couple 100s, we can start doing some chemistry and starting to answer things, and then when all the way up to 1,000, now you are solving everything,” says Zander.
Construction is scheduled to begin this fall, with the computer expected to be operational by the end of next year. The project promises revolutionary breakthroughs in areas where the almost infinite combinations of molecules pose insurmountable challenges for classical computers.
Tip: The Netherlands gets its first quantum computer in an Amsterdam data center