Earlier this month, IBM announced it had opened a new quantum data center in Europe, the first to be built outside of the United States. Located in Ehningen, Germany, IBM’s European quantum data center is equipped with two utility-scale IBM quantum computers running 127-qubit IBM Eagle processors. This data center is located on premises shared by IBM Research and IBM Germany. It is managed by a local IBM team who are part of the worldwide IBM quantum team. For the first time, Europeans are able to run IBM quantum workloads on European utility-scale systems while being primarily supported by European resources.
What ‘Utility-Scale’ Means In The Quantum Context
Quantum computers equipped with more than 100 qubits are considered to be utility-scale systems. Last year, IBM and the University of California at Berkeley collaborated on breakthrough research to support this idea. The project was the first demonstration that quantum computers with 100 qubits could be used to extract valuable results from quantum circuits that exceed the capabilities of brute-force classical simulations. When the research results were published in Nature, it encouraged researchers around the world to begin utilizing 100-plus-qubit quantum computers to explore problems in materials science, particle physics, chemistry and more. You can read more about this research in one of my previous Forbes articles.
IBM’s Quantum Expansion Plans In Europe
IBM plans to add access to a third quantum computer in the Ehningen quantum data center within a few weeks. The new quantum machine will be powered by IBM’s newest 156-qubit Heron quantum processor. The Heron QPU benefits from improved error rates and advanced features that can link multiple processors together to accommodate demand and application requirements. You can read more about the Heron’s original architecture and how it fits into IBM’s ten-year roadmap here.
The third system will not be the last quantum processor added. The data center is designed for more growth, including adding an IBM Quantum System Two at some point in the future. The IBM Quantum System Two integrates classical computing resources needed for future quantum processors and modular devices. It also has an advanced cooling system to support physically larger QPUs that will eventually be needed.
It appears that three quantum processors are only the beginning for IBM in Europe.
Why Europe?
IBM had a number of reasons to choose Europe as the location for its first non-U.S. quantum data center. First, IBM has a long history of cooperation with European governments, and those relationships have resulted in a number of dedicated IBM quantum teams being located in multiple European countries. For example, IBM has quantum-specific business software and firmware development teams in Germany, as well as software and ecosystem resources in Spain. And most of IBM’s European support team is based in France.
Europe also represents a large revenue opportunity for IBM. It has a growing quantum ecosystem fed by research, commercial business and technology. In the IBM Quantum Network, there are more than 80 European organizations using quantum computing, along with 900 European developers who have IBM Quantum learning badges. Continued user growth also looks promising, considering the 100,000 or more Europeans currently enrolled in the IBM Quantum Learning program.
A significant milestone in IBM’s history of quantum computing in Europe occurred in mid-2021 when the Fraunhofer Institute in Munich deployed a dedicated IBM Quantum System One computer. Even though this occurred just three years ago, that system is small in comparison with today’s systems. It had a 27-qubit Falcon processor and a quantum volume of 32. Even so, at the time it was Europe’s most powerful quantum computer. The progression in size to the new machines shows how much quantum computing progress has been made in just a few years.
The Fraunhofer installation was a clear indication to the world that IBM had the capability to install a quantum system outside of the United States. More information about that installation is in the Forbes.com article I wrote at the time.
It is important to understand that the new IBM Quantum Data Center in Ehningen is separate from IBM’s collaboration with Fraunhofer. While Fraunhofer remains a valued partner of IBM Quantum, this new data center is in its own dedicated facility and can be used by all clients.
Access To The European Quantum Data Center
IBM offers several ways to access the new Europe-based quantum processors. First, for customers with a Premium Plan, the IBM Quantum platform provides access to the company’s entire fleet of quantum computers. Second, Qiskit Runtime on IBM Public Cloud in Frankfurt, Germany offers a pay-as-you-go model with limited upfront commitments at a rate of $1.60 per second for the compute time used. This service ensures that circuit inputs and outputs stay within the region. There is also an option for third-party providers or clients to integrate directly on the API level. The main purpose of the API is to ensure that data stays within the European Union and complies with data sovereignty and privacy expectations. (See the next section for more on the regulatory aspects of IBM’s approach.)
IBM currently works with business partners via its existing Quantum Innovation Centers. It plans to expand this model to a partnering arrangement with regional European businesses to offer third-party services. Once implemented, this would allow clients to work directly with local partners for access to IBM quantum technology and other IBM services. Partner locations and data handling capabilities will likely vary from partner to partner once the plan has been implemented.
Data Locality And Its Importance
Data sovereignty and data locality are two important aspects of data handling. Data sovereignty defines the right of a country to specify how data is collected, stored and processed within its borders. Data locality refers to the physical location where data is stored and processed.
The architecture for the IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe is almost identical to the configuration used for IBM’s quantum facility in Poughkeepsie, New York. The European entry point to IBM’s cloud infrastructure is located in Frankfurt, and from there, dedicated networking provides connectivity to the quantum hardware resources in Ehningen. Classical computers are also co-located with the quantum computers in Ehningen in order to run the necessary software components, such as Qiskit Runtime, that handle tasks like error correction and circuit execution.
In any instance when European quantum services are used, IBM ensures that the user circuits, parameters and data results are stored within the EU.
IBM uses global infrastructure to protect against DDoS and SQL injection attacks for all of its services. This applies to global services such as those for IBM Quantum’s Premium clients as well as for regional services like pay-as-you-go on IBM Cloud. Customers that require strict data locality have the option of using a VPN connection to access IBM Cloud in Frankfurt. That option bypasses the global infrastructure and keeps data within the EU. IBM recommends that customers needing the highest possible level of data locality always use the VPN private connectivity option when accessing IBM Quantum Europe services. The company has also emphasized that in all cases it is fully compliant with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation that govern the collection, storage, use and sharing of personal data.
Benefits Of The Expanding Quantum Ecosystem In Europe
European institutions and individuals have already made significant contributions to the IBM Quantum Network and to the global quantum ecosystem as well. The IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe represents a major step forward in advancing quantum computing capabilities for Europe. It will enable organizations, researchers and academics to develop and test almost all facets of quantum computing.
Thanks to IBM’s lowering of the barriers to entry for quality quantum research, I expect to see a surge in European experimentation and innovation. Also, access to cutting-edge quantum hardware will accelerate progress in a variety of domains such as materials science, drug discovery and complex optimization problems. These advances should have the obvious benefit of job creation and promote the overall growth of Europe’s quantum computing ecosystem.
Quantum computing has demonstrated an ability to create significant and long-lasting economic value. The IBM Quantum Data Center in Europe has the potential to drive innovation, foster talent development and strengthen both IBM’s and Europe’s positions in the global quantum landscape.
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