Quantum computers make mistakes, constantly, and correcting them takes a lot of ordinary computing power working right beside the quantum machine. AMD, IBM and the Quantum Science Center at the US Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have now set up a shared platform to work on exactly that problem, with IBM's 120-qubit Nighthawk quantum computer installed next to an AMD-powered supercomputer.
Quick facts
- A new codesign platform for quantum error correction, set up by IBM and ORNL's Quantum Science Center, with AMD supplying the classical computing.
- The first deployment places IBM quantum computers, including the 120-qubit IBM Quantum Nighthawk, beside ORNL's Umbra system.
- Umbra runs on AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs and 5th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs.
- The work supports the US Department of Energy's Quantum Genesis Mission, which aims for a scientifically relevant quantum computer by 2028.
Why a quantum computer needs a supercomputer next to it
Error correction is what stands between today's quantum computers and ones that can do useful science, and AMD says a large part of that work happens on the classical side. Each partner brings one piece: IBM the quantum hardware, ORNL its research and computing environment, and AMD the processors and open software that connect the two.
AMD splits its part four ways. EPYC CPUs coordinate the hybrid system, Instinct GPUs handle the heavy simulation and optimisation work, Versal adaptive chips sit near the quantum processor for low-latency control, readout and decoding, and the ROCm open software stack ties it together for developers.
"Building useful quantum systems requires the quantum and classical computing communities to solve system design challenges together," said Ralph Wittig, Corporate Fellow and Head of Research and Advanced Development at AMD.
What comes next
The partners plan to connect the platform to the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, home to ORNL's new Lux supercomputer, which also runs on AMD EPYC CPUs and Instinct GPUs. The work extends an existing AMD and IBM collaboration on GPU-accelerated science and FPGA-based error decoding, which we covered when the two companies first teamed up on quantum-centric supercomputing.
None of this reaches a Malaysian desk or gaming PC soon: it is research infrastructure in the United States. On the consumer side, AMD's most recent news for PC owners here was the Radeon software in our latest Adrenalin driver update. AMD's full announcement is on the AMD Newsroom.
