IonQ and Kipu Quantum Break New Performance Records For Protein Folding and Optimization Problems

Kipu Quantum and IonQ announced a record achievement: the successful solution of the most complex known protein folding problem ever executed on a quantum computer.

This joint effort is the largest known quantum computation of its kind to-date, and demonstrates the synergy between Kipu’s innovative algorithmic framework and IonQ’s state-of-the-art hardware.

In their latest study, the teams solved:

All instances were executed on IonQ’s Forte generation systems using Kipu Quantum’s flagship BF-DCQO (Bias-Field Digitized Counterdiabatic Quantum Optimization) algorithm. The results advance the frontier of near-term quantum computing and have the potential to make a large impact on biology and drug development.

BF-DCQO provides a non-variational, iterative method that is both accurate and resource-efficient. This algorithm can achieve better solutions with fewer quantum operations in each subsequent iteration. This is especially critical for protein folding, where several long-range interactions are present, making the all-to-all connectivity of IonQ’s trapped ion systems an important asset.

“Connectivity between qubits in quantum computing impacts efficiency and accuracy. Having all-to-all connectivity means faster time to solution, with higher quality results, and is a unique characteristic of trapped-ion systems. Combining that with Kipu’s unique quantum algorithms results in unparalleled performance with minimal resources, a sine qua non path to quantum advantage with IonQ’s next-generation system,“ said Prof. Enrique Solano, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Kipu Quantum.”This collaboration is not only breaking performance records, but is also positioning us to actively pursue quantum advantage using trapped-ion technologies with IonQ for a wide class of industry use cases.”

”Our collaboration with Kipu Quantum has delivered breakthroughs in both speed and quality that sets a new standard for what’s possible in quantum computing today,” said Ariel Braunstein, SVP of Product at IonQ. “This collaboration demonstrates the value of every part of IonQ’s quantum computing stack – from the quality of our qubits and how they are connected, to our compiler and operating system to how error mitigation techniques are applied.  Kipu’s capabilities complement IonQ’s cutting-edge systems perfectly and this collaboration is only the first step in our mutual pursuit of near-term commercial value for customers across multiple industries.”

IonQ and Kipu Quantum will extend their collaboration with early access to IonQ’s upcoming 64-qubit and 256-qubit chips, unlocking the potential to address even larger, industrially relevant challenges. Both companies are exploring additional use cases capable of delivering quantum-advantage in the near term across drug discovery, logistics, and material design.

Source: Kipu Quantum and IonQ media announcement