The UK government announced a £10 million investment to let businesses and researchers make the most of quantum capabilities.
California-based company Rigetti Computing will develop the quantum computer over a three-year programme, in partnership with various UK organizations such as the University of Edinburgh, Standard Chartered Bank and Phasecraft. The device will be housed in a dilution refrigerator provided by Oxford Instruments.
The new machine is expected to help businesses unleash the billion-dollar opportunities promised by the quantum revolution in industries ranging from pharmaceuticals and transport to aerospace. While the new quantum computer will be physically located in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, partners and customers will be able to access and operate the system over the cloud, to run applications in machine learning, materials simulation and finance.
The consortium plans to have the quantum computer operable in the second half of next year, and to continue to improve its scale and performance throughout the lifetime of the project and beyond.
As part of the national programme, the UK government also launched the National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), a £93 million ($123 million) venture announced two years ago to improve the commercialization of quantum technologies, and provide businesses and research institutions with access to quantum computers as they are developed around the world. (ZDNet)
