Quantum computers have yet to outperform today’s computers on problem-solving tasks, but a Virginia Tech research team has a plan to bring this next milestone closer: applying an algorithm that can be tailored simultaneously to different types of quantum computers and to specific problems being solved.
This past fall, the Department of Energy awarded the interdisciplinary, multi-university team a five-year $5 million grant to put this plan into action. The team working on these algorithms includes Ed Barnes, a Virginia Tech professor of physics, Physics Professor Sophia Economou, Sumeet Khatri in the Virginia Tech Department of Computer Science, Alexander Kemper from North Carolina State University, and Murphy Niu from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The team also includes the Department of Chemistry’s own Nicholas Mayhall — who is working with the team to improve quantum computer performance by leveraging an approach he’s helped pioneer the last few years. The approach consists of improving algorithms for near-term quantum applications. And while quantum computing is a technological advancement, it’s still in early days, and shows increasing promise that will hopefully be unlocked by this team of scientists.