US connects 20-qubit quantum computer to world’s most powerful supercomputer The quantum computer will support AI, chemistry and materials research. US scientists have connected a novel 20-qubit quantum computer to Frontier, the world’s most powerful supercomputer for open science, in a major step aimed at advancing hybrid computing. The research team at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) launched Pathfinder on June 16. The new 20-qubit IQM Radiance system will operate alongside the lab’s high-performance computing infrastructure. Finland’s IQM, which built and deployed the Pathfinder, said the system is the first commercially procured quantum computer at ORNL. It is furthermore IQM’s first installation in the US. “Our first US system now sits on Oak Ridge campus, connected to their HPC environment, owned and operated by their teams,” Jan Goetz, IQM co-founder and CEO, noted. “Quantum becomes useful when it works inside real computing infrastructure, and there is no better place to prove that.” Pathfinder goes live The Pathfinder is owned and run by ORNL. The researchers will have direct access to the hardware. They will moreover have the ability to build their own intellectual property and applications. Travis Humble, ORNL Quantum Science Center Director, stated that the presence of the quantum computer has already sped up their efforts to integrate quantum technologies with the lab’s world-class supercomputing capabilities. “On-premises systems enable us to demonstrate quantum computing concepts that realize our goal of building a scalable, hybrid HPC ecosystem,” Humble said. “Our research teams are now developing new methods and tools to demonstrate applications in materials simulations, chemistry, and artificial intelligence.” The director said these fields are widely regarded as among the most promising areas in which quantum computing could provide advantages over conventional systems. The installation also serves as a test case for how future research sites