Quantum Computing

In support of NASA's Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL), the NAS facility hosts a 2,048-qubit D-Wave 2000Q™ quantum computer. The QuAIL project is a collaborative effort among NASA, Google, and Universities Space Research Association (USRA) to explore the potential for quantum computers to tackle optimization problems that are difficult or impossible for traditional supercomputers to handle.

Our facility engineers work closely with partner teams and D-Wave to plan and design the power, cooling, and network infrastructure required to maintain the D-Wave system at its near-absolute-zero operating temperature and protect it from vibration and electromagnetic noise.

The hardware performs quantum annealing—an optimization process that takes advantage of quantum effects such as superposition and tunneling. The D-Wave 2000Q—currently the largest quantum annealer in the world—was upgraded in summer 2017, which more than doubled the number of qubits in the 1,115-qubit D-Wave 2X system installed in 2015 (and quadrupled the amount of qubits in the original 509-qubit D-Wave system installed in 2013).

NASA researchers are using this system to investigate areas where quantum algorithms might someday dramatically improve the agency's ability to solve difficult optimization problems in aeronautics, Earth and space sciences, and space exploration. Applications relevant to NASA include machine learning, pattern recognition, mission planning and scheduling, distributed navigation and coordination, and system diagnostics and anomaly detection.

More Information

For more details about NASA's quantum computing research project, visit the QuAIL web page.