Quantum Computer Maker Begins Hardware Simulations

Multiphysics simulations have begun on D-Wave’s quantum computer architecture. Will the results help advance the tech?

D-Wave, a company considered to be at the forefront of quantum computer engineering, has partnered with ANSYS to run multi-physics simulations on its super-computing hardware.

According to ANYSYS, D-Wave is using an entire suite of multi-physics solutions, ranging from the electromagnetic simulation of integrated circuits to structural and computational fluid dynamics that probe the machine’s cooling system. D-Wave’s primary concerns seem to be how a quantum computer’s components actually behave when subjected to the extremely low temperatures required for their operation.

While ANSYS is happy to snag some of the hype surrounding these next-gen number crunchers, I think their involvement signals something very interesting in the world of these strange new machines.

For some time now quantum computers have been relegated to the domain of academia, with only a handful of companies working on them. Essentially, quantum computing has been a theoretical model that just barely made it into the experimental stage. However, now that a robust simulation software provider is probing the inner workings of a D-Wave machine it makes me wonder, has D-Wave made a breakthrough? Are they looking to see how their product behaves on a more granular level because they’re interested in scaling up their operation?

Now, I could be wrong (let me rephrase, I’m most likely wrong), but I wonder if D-Wave is about to massively increase the number of qubits or quantum chips that they can run in parallel, or if they’re on the verge of taking more of their machines to market (currently there are just a few D-Waves running at private and public entities).

If I were a gambling man, I’d say the former is more likely because it represents a natural progression of the technology. Then again, both options could wind up being bad bets. Whatever the case, the news that D-Wave is getting better insights into their system’s behavior is encouraging for this emerging tech.

Source: ANSYS