Anyon Systems, a Canadian quantum computing company headquartered in Montreal, will deliver what it claims to be “Canada’s first quantum computer for public research” to Calcul Québec, a leading high-performance computing center that is part of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.
The new quantum computer, named Monarch, will be integrated into Calcul Québec‘s classical supercomputing infrastructure. “We are very excited for the opportunity to integrate our quantum computer with Narval, the largest Canadian supercomputer for public research. This is the first time, to my best knowledge, that a universal quantum computer is integrated directly with high-performance computing infrastructure. This is an important technical milestone.” said Dr. Alireza Yazdi, founder and CEO of Anyon Systems.
Quantum computing is a rapidly emerging technology that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems too complex for conventional computers. Still in its infancy, the technology has the potential to have a significant impact on national security as well as many industries.
“Hosting and supporting a quantum computer will allow the research community to develop and test new quantum algorithms while ensuring that all intellectual property developed remains the property of Canadian institutions. With the development of open-source software, this infrastructure will have a national and international scope”, explained Suzanne Talon, chief executive officer of Calcul Québec, during the project announcement.
The machine is expected to be delivered in the first half of 2023 and will initially feature Anyon’s state-of-the-art 12-qubit quantum processor, code-named Yamaska.
This project is supported by funding from the Ministry of Economy and Innovation of Quebec. Calcul Québec’s quantum computer will be installed at the École de technologie supérieure alongside its Narval and Beluga supercomputers.