- Google is launching an academic research program that will award up to $150,000 to projects that investigate quantum transduction and networking for scalable computing applications.
- The company’s Quantum AI team is developing the Superconducting Qubit platform, which aims to enhance robustness, cost efficiency, and performance in data centers through distributed computing.
- The shift to distributed quantum computing will increase modularity and robustness of designs, while significantly reducing control wiring and cryogenics requirements.
Google is advancing quantum technology by leveraging its success in modular computing. The company’s quantum AI team is developing a superconducting qubit platform that aims to increase robustness, cost efficiency, and performance in data centers through distributed computing.
To support these efforts, Google is opening an academic research program that will award up to $150,000 for projects investigating quantum transduction and networking for scalable computing applications. Larger grants are available for exceptional experimental proposals that demonstrate a clear and compelling rationale for increased funding, the team added.
According to information on Google’s request for proposal, the shift to distributed quantum computing will increase the modularity and robustness of designs, while significantly reducing control wiring and cryogenics requirements. The ability to process quantum data directly from its source could also lead to unprecedented scientific discoveries, impacting both immediate experiments and the future architecture of Google’s quantum devices.
Significant challenges remain, particularly in high-fidelity information transfer between superconducting qubits and optical photons, known as transduction. This technology is still in its early stages, and research is needed to improve it. Beyond parallel computing and quantum key distribution, developing applications for distributed quantum systems is crucial for further progress.
Google’s approach is based on the demonstrated advantages of modular computing over traditional monolithic architectures. These advantages include greater robustness, lower cost, and improved performance, which apply from single-facility networks to global data-sharing systems. By applying these principles to quantum technology, Google aims to create more efficient and scalable quantum computing systems.
A primary benefit of distributed quantum computing within a data center is the potential for increased modularity. This modular approach allows for more robust system designs, reducing the likelihood of system-wide failures. Additionally, it dramatically reduces the need for extensive control wiring and cryogenics, which are significant challenges in the development and maintenance of quantum computers.
Furthermore, quantum technology’s ability to process data directly from its source could lead to unprecedented scientific discoveries. This capability enables real-time analysis of quantum data, which could uncover new insights and advance our understanding of the universe. Such advancements are expected to have a profound impact on both the design of near-term experiments and the future architecture of Google’s quantum devices.
Despite these promising prospects, there are significant obstacles in this field. High-fidelity transduction, the process of transferring information between superconducting qubits and optical photons, is still underdeveloped. Improving this technology is crucial for the advancement of distributed quantum computing. Research efforts should focus on enabling the seamless transfer of quantum information between different media, such as optical or flying microwave qubits.
Google has outlined specific research topics for proposals to address these challenges. These include transduction of superconducting qubits into quantum transmission media such as flying microwave qubits and optical qubits, and direct transduction of superconducting qubits into alternative sensing or computing platforms such as neutral atom arrays or defects in diamond. Other research topics include the development of scientific or industrial applications for linked quantum systems with fewer than 50 logical qubits, and applications for multi-qubit quantum sensors linked to quantum computers via transduction to achieve exponential speedups in quantum learning.
According to Google, the funds will be distributed to universities as an unrestricted gift, not for overhead or indirect costs.
Eligibility for these awards is open to professors at universities or degree-granting research institutions. Proposals must be computing or technology-related, and applicants can serve as principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on only one proposal per round, with a maximum of two PIs per proposal. Proposals must be in line with Google’s AI principles and demonstrate the potential for significant impact.
Google Quantum AI will be holding informational sessions with live Q&A to discuss these technologies and their potential applications. Interested parties can RSVP here.
