Xanadu and Rolls-Royce to build quantum computing tools with PennyLane

Xanadu and Rolls-Royce will work together to accelerate research in aerospace by co-developing new features in PennyLane

TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Xanadu, the world leader in photonic quantum computing, and Rolls-Royce are co-developing new quantum algorithm tooling for PennyLane, Xanadu's open-source quantum computing software widely used for quantum machine learning, chemistry, and optimization.

Xanadu and Rolls-Royce are committed to advancing the field of quantum computing, studying its potential to solve complex problems and building tools with lasting business impact. The first project will develop quantum software functionality tailored for Quantum Singular Value Transformation, or QSVT, in PennyLane to help Rolls-Royce accelerate its research into quantum algorithms for aerospace applications. QSVT is a modern paradigm for quantum algorithms that enables innovative methods for employing quantum computers to explore a variety of problems of interest.

Rolls-Royce, a leader in aerospace and defence, is actively involved in long-term quantum computing research aimed at developing robust algorithms and applications that are ready for the fault-tolerant quantum computers expected over the next decade. Quantum computing is a potentially disruptive technology for the aerospace industry with a wide range of applications from materials chemistry to product design using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).  Rolls-Royce is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and has recently successfully tested a hydrogen powered gas turbine in collaboration with EasyJet. Quantum computers, which aim to drastically out-perform classical ones, are expected to play a key role in meeting aerospace's climate goals.

"We are proud to partner with Rolls-Royce on this project," said Dr. Juan Miguel Arrazola, Head of Algorithms at Xanadu. "Rolls-Royce is a world-class engineering company with deep expertise in complex simulations; their support will be invaluable in guiding our design and implementation for PennyLane, which we hope will help accelerate research into improving quantum algorithms."

"We are excited to be working with Xanadu on our quantum computing journey," said Dr. Leigh Lapworth, Rolls-Royce Fellow and Quantum Computing Lead. "They have demonstrated rapid advancements in scaling up photonic quantum computers and have built an impressive software library in PennyLane. The focus on QSVT is a natural fit for us as it extends our research beyond CFD and I look forward to running our first case on a Xanadu computer."

Xanadu is a Canadian quantum computing company with the mission to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. Founded in 2016, Xanadu has become one of the world's leading quantum hardware and software companies. The company also leads the development of PennyLane, an open-source software library for quantum computing and application development. Visit www.xanadu.ai or follow us on Twitter @XanaduAI.

PennyLane is an open-source software framework for quantum machine learning, quantum chemistry, and quantum computing with the ability to run on all hardware. To find out more, visit the PennyLane website (www.pennylane.ai), or check out the PennyLane demos: a gallery of hands-on quantum computing content (https://pennylane.ai/qml/demonstrations.html).

Rolls-Royce pioneers the power that matters to connect, power, and protect society. We have pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in our operations by 2030 (excluding product testing) and joined the UN Race to Zero campaign in 2020, affirming our ambition to play a fundamental role in enabling the sectors in which we operate to achieve net zero carbon by 2050. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces and navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers. Annual underlying revenue was £10.95 billion in 2021, underlying operating profit was £414m and we invested £1.18 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research. Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a publicly traded company (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY, LEI: 213800EC7997ZBLZJH69).

SOURCE Xanadu