UK companies to build radically new OS for quantum computers

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14 May, 2020 – A consortium led by Cambridge-based quantum computing software developer Riverlane has been awarded a £7.6M grant from the government’s Industrial Challenge Strategy Fund to deploy a highly innovative quantum operating system.

The project will deliver an operating system that allows the same quantum software to run on different types of quantum computing hardware. By working together, the quantum operating system, Deltaflow.OS, will be installed on every quantum computer in the UK accelerating the commercialisation of the UK’s quantum computing sector.

Joining the Riverlane led consortium are the UK’s most exciting quantum hardware companies, SeeQC, Hitachi Europe, Universal Quantum, Duality Quantum Photonics, Oxford Ionics, and Oxford Quantum Circuits, along with UK-based chip designer, ARM, and the National Physical Laboratory.

Dr Steve Brierley, CEO of Riverlane, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this grant to build and install the quantum operating system Deltaflow.OS on all leading hardware platforms in the UK. Together with consortium partners, we have a unique opportunity to accelerate the commercialisation of the UK quantum technology sector and overtake global competitors in this space.”

“By making OQC’s stack compatible with Deltaflow.OS, we’re helping build a new standardised quantum ecosystem. This UK-first effort to build compatibility is a critical step in ensuring the widest possible use of our consortium’s technologies and opening up this ecosystem to new players, generating additional commercial opportunities” said Dr Ilana Wisby, CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits.

In the very same way that regular computers need an operating system, quantum computers need one too. However, there is no quantum version of Windows, IOS or Linux. Without an operating system, computers would be much less useful. By automating the scheduling of tasks and allocation of resources, such as memory and disk space, operating systems simplify the use of computers so everyone can benefit from them. Quantum computers are expected to outperform conventional computers at specific tasks, such as predicting the properties of a new medicine or vaccine. To get the best performance out of quantum computers, elements of conventional computers and quantum computers have to be integrated tightly, which makes it difficult to design an operating system.

Deltaflow.OS is the first of its kind. While competitors typically present quantum computers as a “black box”, Deltaflow.OS exposes the different elements of the full quantum computing stack. This gives users the power to schedule tasks in an optimal way, improving the performance of quantum computers by orders of magnitude compared to other leading approaches. Once the hardware and software are tightly integrated, the performance is expected to improve even further.

Riverlane, experts in quantum software, will lead on the development of a dataflow framework, a runtime and powerful quantum applications. Leading hardware companies – SeeQC, Oxford Quantum Circuits, Hitachi Europe, Universal Quantum, Oxford Ionics and  Duality Quantum Photonics – will evolve their technology and develop firmware for their quantum processors that will later interface with Deltaflow.OS. Experts in chip design ARM will develop specific control systems emulators. A prerequisite for delivering a portable yet hardware-aware system is a standardised hardware abstraction layer. The National Physical Laboratory will coordinate the definition of this standardised interface based on its expertise in developing technical standards for breakthrough technology and will hence play a vital role in delivering the project.

About Riverlane: Riverlane builds ground-breaking algorithms and software to unleash the predictive power of quantum computing. With a multidisciplinary team of world-leading researchers, our mission is to make quantum computers useful sooner. Backed by leading venture-capital funds and the University of Cambridge, Riverlane collaborates with leading quantum hardware providers, as well as visionary chemical, pharmaceutical and materials companies. For more information, visit https://riverlane.com.

Oxford Quantum Circuits: At OQC, we’re creating the core of the quantum revolution to solve some of humanity’s most significant challenges. Founded in 2017, OQC has built the UK’s most advanced superconducting quantum computer in the UK, the only one commercially available in the country. With its patented innovation, the Coaxmon, a unique 3D architecture bringing key componentry & wiring off-chip, OQC is furthering the scalability of its technologies without any compromise on quality. Keeping practical applications in mind, OQC’s ambition is to lead the industry on Quantum Computing as a Service. https://oxfordquantumcircuits.com