qatalyst quantum

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Quantum Computing Inc. (QCI) has rolled out a new partner program that promises to deliver a low-risk but high-reward path to using quantum computing to provide value to customers.

The announcement follows the launch of Qatalytst, QCI’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) quantum computing solution, earlier this year. Qatalyst makes quantum computing resources readily accessible to users on classic computer systems, reducing related costs and deployment time. The new Partner Program seeks to take this a step further, extending Qatalyst’s benefits to partners’ customers.

Quantum computing is still in its infancy, with its adopters few and far between. QCI’s Partner Program could help change that.

How the QCI Partner Program Works

The Qatalyst platform offers what QCI calls a “seamless quantum bridge” that connects classical and quantum computers. Instead of working in binary bits like conventional devices, quantum computers operate on qubits, which can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously. As a result, quantum computers can process far more possibilities at once, solving more complex problems faster. For businesses looking to crunch more and more data, quantum computing could be an important breakthrough.

“Our partner program creates a practical path to quantum computing, with minimal risk,” Rebel Brown, VP of strategy and marketing for QCI, told Channel Insider. “Quantum computing is an exciting emerging technology, but it requires a significant investment in expertise to properly program and utilize it. Our program offers organizations the opportunity to explore the benefits of quantum computing without having to invest in this costly expertise, or the long timeframes required to develop a single quantum program.”

Users can leverage their current devices and applications to send problems through Qatalyst and get answers from quantum computers. The QCI Partner Program expands on this accessibility by letting partners extend connectivity to their clients.

“Partners can offer immediate access to Qatalyst, connecting SMEs to quantum hardware from IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave via AWS Braket, as well as classical systems,” Brown said. “Qatalyst dramatically simplifies and de-risks quantum exploration by allowing the same problems to be sent via API calls across all QPUs and classical systems, with no need for extra programming. Our partners empower their customers to run their problems across multiple quantum computers, without risky investments in quantum experts or any vendor lock-in.”

QCI’s Partner Program is aimed specifically at new quantum computing vendors. Traditionally, QPU vendors would have to develop their own software to offer quantum benefits to clients. Instead, the Partner Program grants access to Qatalyst as a ready-made QPU solution, connecting their customers to quantum resources faster.

Benefits of Quantum Computing for Businesses

Connecting clients to quantum computing capabilities can have several significant benefits. Quantum computers can solve complex problems far faster than conventional resources — D-Wave, one of the quantum services Qatalyst connects to, simulates some materials 3 million times faster than a traditional method could.

Since quantum software can calculate more possible outcomes at once, it can reveal connections and insights in data that human analysts may miss

Conventional computers are sufficiently fast for most business problems, but as companies seek to leverage data further, they’ll face more complex computations. Quantum computing could help companies make sense of large, unstructured data sets to drive business optimization strategies.

Since quantum software can calculate more possible outcomes at once, it can reveal connections and insights in data that human analysts may miss. Conventional machines can perform similar actions but will take far more time to produce the same results, and many traditional computers lack sufficient hardware to handle larger problems.

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Overcoming Quantum Computing Challenges

“QCI gives partners and their customers first-mover advantage in the quantum computing industry,” said Brown, “empowering them to start exploring quantum applications with minimal risk. Their customers are able to experiment with this new way of solving problems and see how the diverse results provided by quantum techniques improves their ability to adapt to dynamic situations.”

Historically, achieving these benefits and providing them to customers was a significant challenge. In part due to substantial upfront and operational costs, quantum computers have yet to see widespread adoption.

Since heat causes errors in qubits, quantum computers must operate near absolute zero to function, a situation which few businesses have the resources or infrastructure to support. SaaS quantum solutions like Qatalyst remove that upfront cost, making it far easier to access these machines.

Mechanical considerations aside, operating a quantum program requires expert subject knowledge. Most companies don’t have staff with the necessary understanding or experience to create workflows that work as intended in a quantum machine. QCI’s Partner Program removes that step as well, by using Qatalyst to translate conventional problems into quantum commands.

Widespread Quantum Computing Is Near

How successful the QCI Partner Program will be is still uncertain. If it plays out how QCI intends, it could be a significant moment in the history of quantum computing. These advanced resources could become accessible to the masses, leading to rapid innovation and business optimization.