TU Delft tests quantum fluid dynamics code on QuTech's Tuna chips

[WWFRoss95]

Simulating how fluids flow is one of the most demanding jobs for supercomputers, and researchers are testing whether quantum computers can help. Quantum Zeitgeist reports that TU Delft's Quantum Computational Fluid Dynamics Lab ran quantum fluid dynamics code on QuTech's Tuna-9 and Tuna-17 chips

The lab, led by associate professor Matthias Möller, used QuTech's Quantum Inspire platform free of charge. The team ran a quantum lattice Boltzmann simulation on a one dimensional grid of eight cells for four timesteps

Results were compared with a perfect simulator and with other commercial quantum processors. The compiled circuits exceeded 1,000 native gates, close to the practical limit for today's noisy machines, and accuracy dropped significantly after five timesteps

Möller said meaningful fluid dynamics on a quantum computer is still a long way off. For now, the hardware is mainly useful for benchmarking algorithms

It is refreshing to see researchers being so clear about the limits. Eight cells and four timesteps is tiny, but testing on real hardware shows exactly where the problems lie. Free access through Quantum Inspire also makes this kind of experiment possible for university teams

Will quantum computers ever beat supercomputers at fluid simulation? And how useful are small benchmark tests like this?

Quantum Fluid Dynamics Codes Tested On QuTech's Tuna-9 And Tuna-17 Chipsquantumzeitgeist.com