The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has launched a call for tender for the installation of EuroQCS-Poland, the EuroHPC quantum computer to be located in Poland.
The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking has launched a call for tender to procure the first EuroHPC quantum computer, which will be based on trapped-ions. EuroQCS-Poland will be a digital, gate-based quantum computer offering 20-plus physical qubits.
The system will be hosted at the Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center (PSNC) in Poland and integrated into the local high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure allowing for remote access via the co-located supercomputer connected to the PIONIER NREN. PSNC leads the EuroQCS-Poland consortium, which consists of two additional Polish partners, the Center for Theoretical Physics Polish Academy of Science and Creotech Instruments S.A, and one academic partner from Latvia, the University of Latvia.
EuroQCS-Poland will primarily target research, development and innovation and will be available to a wide range of European end-users, from the scientific community to industry and the public sector. The upcoming quantum computer infrastructure will support the development of a wide range of applications with industrial, scientific and societal relevance for Europe, adding new capabilities to the European supercomputing infrastructure.
The acquisition and integration of quantum computers into existing HPC data centres is EuroHPC’s first initiative in procuring quantum computing hardware in Europe.
Further calls focusing on different technologies will be launched in the future. To complement the upcoming quantum infrastructure, calls targeting the development of hybrid HPC-Quantum Computing middleware technologies, as well as hybrid algorithms and applications are planned for the near future, ensuring a holistic approach encompassing hardware and software.
More details
The total cost of ownership of the system is EUR 15.5 million. The EuroHPC JU will fund 50% of the total cost of the acquisition, integration and operating cost of the new machine, and the remaining 50% will be funded by the Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland
The closing date for submission of an application to tender is the 17th of November at 17:00.
More information can be found here.
Background
On June 2023, the EuroHPC JU signed hosting agreements with six sites across Europe to host & operate EuroHPC quantum computers.
The selection of six hosting entities followed the view of offering the widest possible variety of different European quantum computing platforms and hybrid classical-quantum architectures, giving Europe the opportunity to be at the forefront of this emerging field, and to provide European users with access to diverse and complementary quantum technologies.
This initiative offers a novel interpretation of quantum computers as accelerator platforms in genuine HPC environments. The foreseen integration will require essential R&D developments towards a hybrid software stack managing both HPC and quantum computing (QC) workloads. During the integration work, all Hosting Entities will collaborate closely with European Standardisation bodies.
These six quantum computers will come on top of two analogue quantum simulators currently being procured under the EuroHPC JU project HPCQS and are based on neutral atoms, supplied by the French company PASQAL. HPCQS aims to develop and coordinate a cloud-based European federated infrastructure, tightly integrating two quantum computers, each controlling 100-plus qubits in the Tier-0 HPC systems Joliot-Curie of GENCI and the JUWELS modular supercomputer at the Julich Supercomputing Centre (JSC).
The EuroHPC JU is a legal and funding entity, created in 2018 and reviewed in 2021 by means of Council Regulation (EU) 2021/1173, with the mission to:
• develop, deploy, extend and maintain in the EU a world-leading federated, secure and hyper-connected supercomputing, quantum computing, service and data infrastructure ecosystem;
• support the development and uptake of demand-oriented and user-driven innovative and competitive supercomputing system based on a supply chain that will ensure components, technologies and knowledge limiting the risk of disruptions and the development of a wide range of applications optimised for these systems;
• widen the use of that supercomputing infrastructure to a large number of public and private users and support the development of key HPC skills for European science and industry.
In order to equip Europe with a world-leading supercomputing infrastructure, the EuroHPC JU has already procured nine supercomputers, located across Europe. Seven supercomputers are now operational: LUMI in Finland, LEONARDO in Italy, Vega in Slovenia, MeluXina in Luxembourg, Discoverer in Bulgaria, Karolina in the Czech Republic and Deucalion in Portugal. Two more supercomputers are also underway: MareNostrum5 in Spain and JUPITER in Germany.
