Azure Quantum gets a boost with Rigetti quantum computer collaboration

Microsoft Azure Hero 4
Microsoft Azure Hero 4 (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Rigetti and Microsoft have announced a collaboration wherein Rigetti will bring its quantum computers to Azure Quantum via the cloud.
  • This collaboration will allow Azure Quantum users to utilize the superconducting qubit technology Rigetti offers.
  • Tasks such as finance simulation, logistics optimization, and machine learning are designed to be aided by these quantum computers.
  • Users can look forward to the collaboration's efforts being operational and available in the first quarter of 2022.

If you're an Azure Quantum user, the first quarter of 2022 just potentially got a bit more exciting: Riggeti Computing is bringing its quantum computers to Azure Quantum via the cloud, meaning Riggeti's superconducting qubit technology will be available for those on Microsoft's service.

Krysta Svore, General Manager of Microsoft Quantum, had this to say about the collaboration: "Rigetti's scalable approach to superconducting quantum computers will create new opportunities for the Azure Quantum development community. We're working closely with Rigetti to deliver hybrid quantum-classical computing with the performance to tackle problems that were previously out of reach."

Microsoft stated that the collaborating company's superconducting processors coming to Azure Quantum will make for the largest quantum computer system on the platform.

In Rigetti's press announcement on the news, Taryn Naidu, chief operating officer of Rigetti, shared his thoughts on the collaboration. "Microsoft has fostered an impressive community of quantum developers and researchers," he said. "Together, we can power a new generation of algorithms that chart the path toward quantum advantage."

Rigetti's tech means that Azure Quantum users will be more aptly prepared for actualizing tasks such as financial simulations, logistics optimizations, and machine learning endeavors.

A demonstration of what interested parties can expect from the quantum collaboration will be presented at Q2B 2021, a quantum computing conference.

Robert Carnevale

Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He's a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author of Cold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.