Q-Bet

Bridging classical computing and quantum computing towards high-performance computing (HPC) systems involves harnessing the strengths of both approaches to tackle complex problems efficiently. Classical computing excels at executing sequential algorithms exploiting data locality and handling vast amounts of data up to some level of parallelism, while quantum computing offers the potential to solve certain problems exponentially faster through quantum parallelism and entanglement. Q-Bet will try to find a methodology to bridge the know-how acquired with 80 years from classical computing to make the leap to quantum computing, exploiting the strengths of each and overcoming the limitations of the other. This hybrid exploration of both technologies will be performed first running perfect qubits with HPC at quantum simulators in some of the fastest machines available in our datacenters at the Universidade de Coimbra, and later on real noisy qubits from IBM (partner of the project) quantum machines. The middleware developed will foster the experimentation of new use cases in the quantum domain, namely in the physics arena by exploiting new potential agents in the form of particles sensing for solar energy conversion cells. We will also advance security problems for networks and communications by developing powerful error- correcting codes for quantum technology. Finally, we will explore bio-inspired computing and AI for performing Bayesian inference and running optimization algorithms in several domains. By integrating classical and quantum computing techniques, HPC systems can leverage the power of quantum algorithms for specific tasks while maintaining the robustness and scalability of classical systems. The exploratory nature of the project will allow integrating on a competitive environment a core team experienced in teaching and researching quantum computing. Adding new post-grads involving more departments and targeting emerging applications will be possible thanks to the active collaboration of IBM Portugal. Q-Bet outlines the exciting potential for hybrid classical-quantum computing architectures in realising the next generation of HPC. Moreover, collaborating across borders with external partners of Q-Bet will allow sharing the costs and resources associated with research and development. This can help mitigate the financial and logistical constraints that small countries or individual institutions may face, enabling a more ambitious and impactful Q-Bet project. Finally, we expect to integrate in this preliminary research project specific recommendations regarding the integration of Quantum Technologies into the work programs of the Chips-Act for semiconductors, and EuroHPC for High- Performance Computing (HPC).