Workshop on the state of the art of HPC and Quantum Computing and how they can work together to solve complex problems.

Classical HPC & QC: the way to foster the integration

Thursday, 01/18/2024

HPC is a well-established technology capable of solving and simulating complex problems in a wide variety of contexts-from plasma physics to molecular dynamics to weather forecasting, to name a few. Traditionally, classical HPC has been applied -with excellent results- to solve complex problem by optimizing the two-benchmark metrics time-to-solutions and energy-to-solutions.

Quantum Computing is an emerging technology with great potential, especially in solving particular classes of problems, called NP hard, that would take extremely long time with “classical” HPC systems.

However, these systems are as of now in a prototypal phase, with low TRL indices and without a defined standard. These systems collectively form a multitude of possible technological paths among which it is expected that in the future the architectures that will prove to be more stable and able to scale toward “quantum supremacy” may emerge.

In fact, classical HPC and QC are not at all antithetical systems as much as they can work side by side in solving complex problems; they should be thought of as two sides of the same coin if the ‘correct’ separation of the quantum algorithm parts from the classical algorithm parts is implemented and orchestrated among the two architectures so that they can cooperate efficiently.

The topics that will be discussed during the workshop at HiPEAC 2024 are:

• Whether at present makes sense to start considering how to do this interfacing, what aspects should be considered, both from a software and a hardware point of view.
• Understanding what the critical issues are to start working in this direction and what the benefits and potential targets will be.
• How and when heterogeneous technologies in QC systems will converge toward integration with classical computers and what the limitations may be.
• Status of the art for Quantum Computing technologies, presenting academics and companies results in this field.

The full programme will follow soon.