Germany Expands its Quantum Computing Roadmap with QuaST

By Carolyn Mathas

Germany aims to become a leader in quantum technologies and is rapidly rolling out its roadmap. A newly launched Quantum-enabling Services and Tools for Industrial Applications (QuaST) Consortium will enable rapid quantum adoption without requiring relevant prior knowledge or major investment. QuaST will supply end-users with high-level libraries that automatically decompose a solution into parts requiring classical, high-performance or quantum computing, according to the problem submitted. The parts requiring quantum computing are then optimized and mapped onto the hardware, including a co-design process. Potential applications include logistic optimization, scheduling in production management, health care and drug development and cases from automotive and cybersecurity.

The project is managed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS, with the additional involvement of such industry partners as the Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied and Integrated Security (AISEC), for Integrated Circuits (IIS), and for Integrated Systems and Device Technology (IISB), the Leibniz Supercomputing Center, and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), as well as companies DATEV eG, Infineon Technologies AG, IQM and ParityQC. The project sponsor is German Aerospace Center (DLR).

Each member brings guidance, technology, training, or funding to the effort. ParityQC, through its architecture and operating system, for example, offers a new approach to optimization encoding and is developing a solution path that automatically finds ideal algorithmic building blocks to solve a problem, and suggesting the most efficient way to encode it on a quantum computer.

The QuaST project emerged from the Munich Quantum Valley initiative for the promotion of Quantum Sciences and Quantum Technologies in Bavaria. QuaST will run until the end of 2024. It has so far received 5.5 million euros ($6.3M USD) in funding, and the total volume of the project amounts to 7.7 million euros ($8.8M USD) with funds provided by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action. For more information, access the press release here.

February 9, 2022