Quantum Brilliance, a global leader in mass-deployable, room-temperature diamond quantum technology, and Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre today announced a significant milestone in quantum computing integration. The collaboration has resulted in the development of a tightly integrated, HPC-oriented, flexible and scalable hybrid workflow that seamlessly combines GPU, CPU, and quantum processing capabilities. This breakthrough, led by Dr. Pascal Elahi and the Pawsey quantum team, demonstrates a practical path toward incorporating quantum computing into real-world applications.
The workflow dynamically deploys Quantum Brilliance’s virtual Quantum Processing Unit (vQPU) alongside traditional and accelerated computing resources, offering researchers and enterprises a flexible and scalable pathway to explore quantum computing applications. Powered by NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, hosted at Pawsey, the workflow is designed to be hardware-agnostic, much like a universal adapter that bridges multiple computing platforms.
The hybrid workflow functions like a universal translator for computing resources, enabling different types of processors to work together to solve complex problems. A key feature of the workflow is its ability to communicate with both virtual and physical quantum computers using the same language and method and easily integrates with high performance computing (HPC) clusters by hooking into HPC tools like the SLURM job scheduler. This greatly simplifies integration and will accelerate quantum exploration by research groups and eventual adoption across industries.
“What we've developed is essentially a conductor for a technological orchestra, where quantum and classical computers can work in harmony to solve complex problems,” said Dr. Pascal Elahi, Quantum Team Lead at Pawsey. “Previous approaches focused on quantum algorithms in isolation, but real-world problems require seamless integration of multiple computing technologies."
“This novel hybrid workflow demonstrates that accelerated computing is key to advancing quantum computing,” said Sam Stanwyck, Group Product Manager for quantum computing at NVIDIA. “NVIDIA collaborates with innovators, like Quantum Brilliance and Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, to bring us closer to running useful quantum applications.”
Quantum Brilliance’s vQPU provides a low-barrier entry to quantum computing by realistically emulating the user experience and behaviour of physical quantum processors with tens of qubits. Unlike physical quantum devices, which are limited in availability, the vQPU offers a scalable, high-performance solution that can be easily deployed in clusters within high-performance computing (HPC) environments. Utilizing NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, vQPU instances can be configured to accommodate circuits with varying depth and complexity, while their realistic noise modelling and shot result representation enable researchers to test algorithms under conditions that mimic real-world quantum hardware constraints.
“By successfully integrating our virtual QPU into Pawsey's workflow, we're demonstrating that quantum computing is not just theoretical – it is set to become a practical tool for solving real-world problems,” said Andrea Tabacchini, VP of Quantum Solutions at Quantum Brilliance. “This dynamic virtual-physical hybrid capability positions Australia at the forefront of quantum and supercomputing convergence, strengthening national infrastructure and quantum technology leadership.”
Key applications of this technology include radio astronomy data processing, artificial intelligence workflows, and bioinformatics, where hybrid quantum-classical computing can accelerate computational tasks. The success of this initial phase paves the way for further advancements, with the next step involving the deployment of the workflow on Pawsey’s Setonix supercomputer using a physical quantum computer.
By providing seamless access to CPU, GPU, and QPU computing resources, this technology positions researchers and enterprises to experiment with quantum-enhanced problem-solving, accelerating the practical adoption of quantum computing across diverse fields.