IonQ, one of the few companies that can lay claim to having sold a quantum computer, has partnered with Rescale, maker of accelerated computing software for cloud-based high-performance computing, in a match that could have big implications for users tackling large and complex AI projects.
The new partners said in a statement that they aim “to merge the raw processing power of accelerated cloud computing with the unique problem-solving potential of quantum computing” to tackle problems and applications in the realms of product development, healthcare, life sciences, financial services, materials research, logistics optimization, and national research labs.
IonQ already has sold two of its quantum computers to a European research lab, and Rescale’s platform would serve as a “springboard” for users of IonQ’s machines, such as its 29-algorithmic-qubit Forte, to be used on AI projects in a hybrid quantum computing/HPC environment, the companies said.
IonQ also just this week unveiled a more advanced 35-algorithmic-qubit machine, and as quantum computers continue to advance, they already are making a case for their ability to handle large AI and machine learning tasks.
At the recent Needham Growth Conference, IonQ officials spoke to quantum’s advantage, with IonQ CFO Thomas Kramer saying, “AI runs on top of very large machine learning models, and what we’ve seen when they run on our quantum computers… is that they're able to capture predicted outcomes [as well as] more outlying possible events–Black Swans, if you will… and on many fewer iterations.”
He added that running some problems on classical computing infrastructure may require running the same query thousands or even millions of times. “We have seen that when you do that on a quantum computer–our quantum computers–you can get to the same predictive output or even better output by going through 1/1000th the number of iterations. We've also seen that in very large models we can get to the same predictive output with 1/1000th the number of input variables,” which translates to not only a time savings, but also reduced cost and greater power efficiency.
“Because of that, “we will be able to run machine learning problem sets [on quantum computers] that we can't do today [on classical computers] and will not be able to because the training set is too large to do it in an economic fashion,” Kramer said.
Jordan Shapiro, vice president of financial planning and analysis and head of investor relations, also in attendance at the Needham conference, concluded, “So imagine if you go to an OpenAI or any one of the thousands of companies now using these large language models and tell them that you can run and train their model cheaper, in less time, and using less power, and with better accuracy and fewer input variables–that is a compelling use case.”
The new partnership may demonstrate a new channel for Rescale, as it has not previously partnered with any quantum computing companies. To date, it has worked with many cloud providers and semiconductors firms, including Nvidia and AMD, on combining its software with their hardware on AI applications.
"Through seamlessly blending the largest full-stack integrated R&D capabilities and AI-powered computational workflows on Rescale with IonQ's cutting-edge quantum technology, we are embarking on a journey to accelerate engineering innovations and discover new science," said Joris Poort, CEO of Rescale. "This partnership not only accelerates R&D in fields such as engineering product development and life sciences exploration, but it creates a collaborative ecosystem where the boundaries of innovation are productively explored by the world's leading scientists."
"In our partnership with Rescale, we are exploring new ground in the realm of hybrid quantum computing," said Rima Alameddine, Chief Revenue Officer at IonQ. "IonQ's cutting-edge quantum computers, coupled with Rescale's R&D platform, form a dynamic duo poised to revolutionize how we approach healthcare, life sciences, financial services, and address national security challenges. This collaboration is about more than accelerating computer power; it's also about bringing the best of high performance computing, AI, and quantum computing to solve complex intractable problems and unlock unprecedented possibilities."
The companies also said the new partnership goes beyond hardware and software integration, fostering “a collaborative environment where scientific expertise, computational power, and quantum know-how converge.”