Quantum Computing Access @ NERSC: Neutral Atoms - Call for User Proposals

The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) at Berkeley Lab is seeking user proposals as part of its Quantum Computing Access @ NERSC (QCAN) program to conduct research on one of the first publicly accessible quantum computers based on neutral atom technology through its partnership with QuEra Computing. Neutral atom quantum computers offer distinct advantages in terms of scale and coherence time. This first-of-its-kind user program offers a unique opportunity to gain access to Aquila, the neutral atom analog quantum computer developed by QuEra Computing.

All areas of quantum information science are encouraged to apply, including by not limited to:

Quantum simulation for condensed matter physics, high-energy physics, materials science, and quantum chemistry,
Quantum characterization, verification, and validation,
Quantum optimization (incl. native independent set problems), or Monte-Carlo sampling,
Quantum machine learning (e.g. quantum reservoir learning),
Development and testing of quantum algorithms and protocols tailored to neutral atom analog hardware.

Quantum computer time will be provided for the Aquila system developed by QuEra Computing, a 256-qubit analog quantum simulator that can simulate time evolution under the many-body Rydberg Hamiltonian. Selected proposals will be awarded up to 25 hours of quantum computer time, or 270k shots.

More technical background on Aquila, including prototypical use cases, is available in this white paper,on QuEra’s online learning platform, and as part of two training sessions (first recording and second recording). The application programming interface for Aquila is based on Python, either through the AWS braket or Bloqade API.

The award may also include an allocation of NERSC resources, including storage and compute time on Perlmutter, upon request.

Successful applicants will start a deep engagement with NERSC and QuEra staff including biweekly meetings to ensure project goals are met.

Users will be able to leverage CUDA-Q, NVIDIA’s high-performance quantum-classical computing platform, with QuEra’s Aquila processor. CUDA-Q’s upcoming integration with Aquila will offer uniquely unified access to CPUs, GPUs and QPUs (Quantum Processing Units). Allowing programmers to seamlessly integrate QuEra’s Aquila QPU and NERSC’s Perlmutter GPU supercomputer, CUDA-Q supports fully hybrid applications. This focus on accelerated quantum supercomputing empowers developers to explore scalable quantum solutions. Additionally, CUDA-Q’s open-source model and hardware agnostic workflow means users can trivially switch between QPU hardware and GPU-accelerated simulators, streamlining and expanding application development. The CUDA-Q+Aquila integration will be made available soon.

Award Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated on feasibility of the proposed research, alignment with the capabilities and the amount of neutral atom quantum hardware resources available, and benefits to current or future DOE Office of Science research objectives.

Projects must be executed within a nine-month performance period starting on October 1, 2024 and ending on July 1, 2025. Selected teams will be required to meet with NERSC staff on a regular, biweekly basis and provide a summary at the end of the nine-month term.

Eligibility and Application Process

This is an open call and is not limited to current NERSC users. NERSC is a Department of Energy Office of Science national user facility for open scientific research and all research results must be published in open scientific journals or presented in open forums. Projects must also abide by the usual NERSC Appropriate Use Policies. If the proposed research is not federally funded, an Institutional User Agreement will be required.

Applications are currently being accepted until September 6, 2024. Selected teams will be notified by September 20, 2024 and expected to start their project on October 1, 2024. NERSC can support only a limited number of proposals this year, and expects users to be fully committed to carrying out their projects. NERSC staff may reach out to applicants to discuss the proposed work before making an award.

Contact

Contact QCA-NERSC@lbl.gov for further information.

Apply for QCAN: Neutral Atoms

About NERSC and Berkeley Lab
The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility that serves as the primary high performance computing center for scientific research sponsored by the Office of Science. Located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, NERSC serves almost 10,000 scientists at national laboratories and universities researching a wide range of problems in climate, fusion energy, materials science, physics, chemistry, computational biology, and other disciplines. Berkeley Lab is a DOE national laboratory located in Berkeley, California. It conducts unclassified scientific research and is managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy. »Learn more about computing sciences at Berkeley Lab.