Posted On: Feb 28, 2022
Amazon Braket, the quantum computing service from AWS, adds support for a new superconducting gate-based quantum processing unit (QPU) from Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) named Lucy, located in the UK. With this launch, European customers can now access more types of quantum hardware during the typical EU workday. Furthermore, customers can now run quantum programs on two different superconducting, gate-based devices on Amazon Braket, allowing them to compare and contrast quantum hardware across different providers.
Quantum computing is a nascent technology, but is evolving rapidly, both in terms of the underlying hardware and applications. Easy access to quantum hardware is one of the main factors that limit innovation today. Amazon Braket’s core mission is to accelerate research and innovation in quantum computing by making quantum hardware available to customers on-demand, with pay-as-you-go pricing, via a unified interface and access model. With this launch, customers can now use the familiar Braket SDK/APIs to access the latest eight-qubit superconducting quantum processor from OQC. The processor, named ‘Lucy’, after German physicist Lucy Mensing, supports features such as verbatim compilation, allowing advanced customers to program circuits at the native-gate level without intervening compilation passes. The new OQC processor fully supports the recently launched Braket Hybrid Jobs feature, which allows customers to easily run hybrid quantum-classical workloads on the service. Furthermore, for customers in Europe, this processor will provide Europe friendly uptimes at launch with an availability window starting at 10am GMT(+00) for three hours a day on weekdays.
You can access the OQC device from the Europe (London) region. With this region expansion of the Amazon Braket service, customers now also have access to Braket’s managed SV1, DM1 and TN1 simulators in the new region. To get started with the new OQC processor, please see the following resources: