Quantum Cloud Service

Description of the purpose of the contract and justification for Chalmers decision to award the contract without prior publication of a procurement notice in Mercell Tendsign and TED.

Market analysis for cloud access to quantum computers.

The Microtechnology and Nanoscience Department (WACQT) at Chalmers University of Technology is developing a full stack, gate-based, quantum computer built from superconducting qubits. Presently WACQT is operating a 25-qubit processor with plans to scale to 100 qubits in a few years. To lower barriers for Swedish researchers and industry to use quantum algorithms, WACQT is also setting up a testbed which will contain a copy of the 25-qubit quantum computer. Later this will be increased to 40 qubits and eventually to 100 qubits.

As part of the testbed WACQT also wants to provide access to larger quantum computers when the testbed users have outgrown the WACQT quantum computers.

For this, the University is interested in accessing cloud-based quantum computers that are similar to, and larger than, the WACQT quantum computers. The University is therefore looking for a provider that gives access to quantum computers with the following properties:

– gate-based quantum computing

– built on the same technology platform as the WACQT quantum computers, namely superconducting circuits

– can offer substantially more than 100 qubits

– compatible with the WACQT software stack, i.e. running Qiskit

In May 2022 the Quantum Insider made an inventory of the market. htps://thequantuminsider.com/2022/05/03/13-companies-offering-quantum-cloudcompung-services-in-2022/#4_Forest_Rige_Compung_Quantum_Cloud_Services

They found 13 providers (first 13 in the list below). In late 2023 these companies are still the main actors in this sector. In addition, a few new companies have emerged as potential providers, namely IQM in Finland, Pascal in France and PSI-quantum and IONQ in the US. Thus, the University have compared 18 different companies;

1. IBM Q Experience: IBM (Quantum Cloud Provider)

2. Google Quantum AI: Google (Quantum Cloud Provider)

3. Xanadu Quantum Cloud: Xanadu (Quantum Cloud Provider)

4. Forest: Rige Compung (Quantum Cloud Services)

5. Amazon Braket: AWS (Cloud System Provider)

6. Azure Quantum: Microso

7. Quantum Inspire: Qutech (Quantum Cloud Services)

8. Forge: QC Ware (Quantum Cloud Plaorm)

9. D-Wave

10. AQT (Quantum Cloud Services)

11. Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC)

12. Alibaba Group

13. Quannuum (Quantum Cloud Services)

14. IQM

15. Pascal

16. Alice and Bob

17. PSI-quantum

18. IONQ

Several of these of these are either based on different platforms (AQT, Azure Microsoft Quantiniuum, Pascal, Alice and Bob and PSI-quantum), some are not gate based (D-wave).

Thus, the University finds 7 providers that offer access to quantum computers based on superconducting circuits using gate-based computing.

Provider # qubits accessible Soware Based in

1. IBM Q Experience: IBM

(Quantum Cloud Provider) 433 Qiskit US

2. Google Quantum AI:

Google (Quantum Cloud Pro-vider) 72 Circ US

3. Forest: Rigetti Computing

(Quantum Cloud Services) 40 US

4. Quantum Inspire: Qutech

(Quantum Cloud Services) 5 Netherlands

5. Oxford Quantum Circuits

(OQC) 8 UK

6. Alibaba Group

Closed down Nov. 2023 11 China

7. IQM 25 Finland

Technical reasons

We hereby state the following technical reasons for why the procurement has not been advertised in open competition and the actual circumstances that apply in this specific case.

Based on the above, it is necessary for technical reasons with access to:

- gate-based quantum computing,

- a platform built on the same technology as the WACQT quantum computers, namely supercon-ducting circuits,

- computers that can offer substantially more than 100 qubits, and

- which is compatible with the WACQT software stack, i.e. running Qiskit.

Among the companies mentioned, only IBM meets the requirements based on Chalmers´ research focus. Additionally, IBM offers the largest number of qubits by a significant margin and also has some of the best decoherence times. Furthermore, they have a roadmap for further scaling and are compatible with WAXQT software stack.

They offer access to multiple quantum computers of varying size for a 5-year period including educa-tional services and other support.

3 Name and contact details regarding the individual(s) or entity(ies) awarded the contract

IBM Svenska AB, 164 92 Stockholm.