Quantum Elements, a startup emerging from stealth this fall, is leveraging the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins to accelerate the timeline to commercially viable, fault-tolerant quantum computing. Backed by QNDL Participations and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the company has launched its Constellation platform, designed to facilitate the development and testing of quantum algorithms and applications.
The pace of innovation in AI is reshaping various industries, including the realm of digital twins. According to McKinsey & Co, creating a digital twin for specialized tasks—such as vehicle routing or multi-machine production scheduling—can take upwards of six months. However, large language models can expedite this process, generating code that reduces the labor and time needed for such projects. By integrating generative AI with digital twins, organizations are poised to achieve significant synergies that lower costs, enhance deployment speed, and ultimately provide increased value.
Quantum Elements aims to fill a critical void in the quantum computing space, offering an AI-native development platform that includes AI agents and simulation tools. These resources enable organizations to generate code, create, run, and test quantum algorithms, while also constructing virtual prototypes—or digital twins—of quantum systems. This approach is crucial for minimizing the time and costs associated with adopting quantum technologies.
Izhar Medalsy, co-founder and CEO of Quantum Elements, emphasized the challenges previously faced in the quantum development landscape. “Hardware is scarce and expensive,” Medalsy noted, detailing the complexities involved with various chip manufacturers and generations. “What is dragging behind is the ability to virtualize and simulate those systems at scale.” He argues that digital twins are essential for effective system analysis, akin to how flow simulators are used in aerospace engineering.
Major players in the tech industry, including IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services, are working on enhancing the performance and reliability of quantum systems. As multiple pure-play companies develop their own roadmaps, the timeline for achieving fault-tolerant quantum technology appears to be shortening. Quantum Elements is positioning itself to leverage AI-driven simulation capabilities to streamline the development and operation of quantum software and hardware.
Simulating quantum infrastructure presents unique challenges compared to classical systems. Medalsy highlighted the differing behaviors of qubits, stating, “In classical systems, a bit is a bit. But in quantum systems, each qubit has a different way of behaving.” This necessitates a nuanced understanding of modalities, coherence time, and gate fidelity, all of which contribute to the reliability of quantum calculations.
With the Constellation platform, organizations can build digital twins that accurately represent the hardware in their quantum systems, allowing them to run applications and algorithms on simulations before physical implementation. This not only reduces the duration and expenses associated with building physical prototypes but also enables organizations to conduct tests that would traditionally require months of effort and significant financial resources.
The platform claims to offer a 20X increase in productivity and a 100X improvement in development speed. Medalsy described the utility of this approach: “You are selecting the platform that you’re interested in, and this digital canvas allows you to build your virtual quantum processor based on your needs.” By pooling metrics that define system performance, Quantum Elements provides a digital representation that accounts for various environmental noise factors affecting qubit functionality.
As a case in point, the company recently achieved a 99 percent accuracy rate for Shor’s algorithm—used for factorizing integers—through its simulated digital twin. Without this technology, such tests would typically take four to six months and cost over $100,000 due to the complexities of fabricating components and managing qubit interactions.
Quantum Elements, co-founded by Medalsy, Daniel Lidar, and Amir Yacoby, has established itself within a strong financial ecosystem and various partnerships, including collaborations with IBM, AWS, and Nvidia. Medalsy concluded, “AI is emerging as quantum computing’s missing ingredient,” drawing parallels to other industries that have benefited from simulation technologies.
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