Quantum technology, AI, and IoT are the three major technologies that will spark the fourth industrial revolution. In the future, quantum technology will change people’s lives, and many countries are looking forward to its various applications. Undoubtedly, advanced countries have already listed the technology as a critical aspect of their national development strategies. To keep up with the progress of international research, the “Center for Quantum Frontiers of Research and Technology (QFort) at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU)” has received support from the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The center has selected Amazon Braket, a quantum cloud service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), as the primary computing platform for continuous enhancement of integrated research that incorporates quantum theories, materials, quantum devices, and computers.

Professor Yueh-Nan Chen of the Department of Physics and QFort said that NCKU began investing in the research of quantum technology as early as two decades ago. Additionally, the university established the “Quantum Information Science Research Center” in November 2003 and began recruiting new research talents in quantum-related fields to accumulate more extensive research capabilities. Today, members of Qfort specialize in various fields, of which the three major fields are “quantum theory,” “quantum devices and computers,” and “quantum materials.”

International interdisciplinary partnerships are extremely important for the long-term research of emerging quantum technologies. The NCKU quantum research team not only maintains a partnership with the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) in Japan, it has also driven joint programs in superconducting quantum bits between Taiwan and the U.S., as well as quantum communications programs between Taiwan and Europe. Moreover, by integrating resources and allowing parties to leverage their strengths, both the quality and quantity of research results can be improved.

Quantum computing, and information and communication must be established based on a solid foundation in quantum theory. The NCKU team has long been focusing on “quantum correlations” that can distinguish the difference between quantum and classical computers. Other focuses include open quantum systems and basic quantum research. For quantum devices, the NCKU team has developed the world’s first all-electric all-semiconductor spin field-effect transistor, a feat where a new type of interferometer or design principle in quantum electronics is created. In terms of quantum materials, the primary research focuses include one-way two-dimensional graphene, topological materials, composite oxides, and van der Waals materials. Research in these areas has produced remarkable results. Not only was the first theoretical forecasting of the chiral topological semimetals proposed, but also a gateless monoatomic layer diode was produced for the first time.

In the current stage, hardware architectures for achieving quantum computing are diverse. Superconducting circuits and ion trap technologies are currently the mainstream technologies on the market, while other technologies include quantum dots, photons, and topological qubits. The current research focus in Taiwan is on superconducting circuits and photon qubits. Through testing, Professor Chen said that the performance of ion trap qubits in noise reduction, quantum correlation validation, and running of simple algorithms is exceptional.

However, in terms of research hardware for quantum qubits, Taiwan lacks a stable quantum computer. As such, utilizing a cloud-based quantum service is the most optimal and feasible pathway to gradually cultivating capabilities in the research and validation of quantum technologies. Amazon Braket allows scholars in Taiwan to conduct their research without being limited by a specific quantum computing hardware architecture. It also precludes delay in existing research or loss of opportunities to catch up with global development trends in quantum research. With extensive results in quantum theories and basic quantum research, a solid foundation may be established for future release and fine-tuning of quantum hardware. Through the synergy between Amazon Braket and NCKU’s capabilities in hardware research and development, Taiwan’s next quantum miracle is definitely forthcoming.

Amazon Braket has gathered a group of quantum hardware suppliers that provide support for various quantum computing technologies. These suppliers include Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Rigetti) and Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) for superconducting circuits technology, IonQ, Inc. (IonQ) for ion trap technology, QuEra Computing Inc. (QuEra) for neutral-atom technology, and Xanadu Quantum Technologies (Xanadu) for photon technology. Professor Chen said that based on unique quantum theories proposed by NCKU, they hope to utilize different quantum computing technologies to conduct cross-validation and cross-comparison. Amazon Braket supports multiple quantum computing hardware architectures by requiring only small modifications in coding to perform comparison and validation under different architectures.

This year, the NSTC has announced a NT$34.9 billion budget to establish a forward-looking technology platform for eight major fields, one of which is semiconductors and quantum technology. With strong budgetary support from the NSTC, QFort opened the first phase of Amazon Braket usage for application in August 2021. Those who hold a position above the assistant professor/assistant research fellow level in universities, colleges and research institutes are eligible to apply. The subsidy program has been in place for two years so far, and has completed the eighth phase of open application. The program will go on for the next three years.

Currently, QFort will utilize Amazon Braket to test and validate theories such as quantum batteries and quantum heat engines. As Amazon Braket charges by actual usage time, users can utilize a free simulator from AWS to develop prototypes, or identify and eliminate potential syntax or environmental issues in advance.

Professor Chen stated that their team treats Amazon Braket as an experimental platform capable of validating various quantum theories. The biggest advantage of Amazon Braket is its support for different technological architectures. Currently, the NCKU team mainly uses Rigetti’s superconductor and IonQ’s ion trap quantum processors. Meanwhile, the team will also cross-compared their performance with that of the existing quantum cloud service providers.

Furthermore, the NCKU team praises IonQ’s ion trap technology, especially its latest generation quantum computer, Aria. Aria has significantly more computing power compared with the previous generation, Harmony. The team became the first batch of users when Amazon Braket launched Aria on May 17 this year. Affirmed by testing, Aria’s computer noise is found to be significantly lower than that of the previous generation, and offers improved performance in noise reduction stability. The NCKU team has since published the first quantum research paper in Taiwan using Amazon Bracket. Currently, the latest paper related to IonQ Aria has also been submitted.

According to forecasts made by Yole Développement, the overall quantum technology market will reach a scale of US$4 billion in 2035. [1] With such positive outlook on this market, AWS will continue to expand its quantum resources.

AWS will also continue to collaborate with more quantum computer suppliers. In the future, it will launch even more quantum computing technologies to provide users with a more diverse selection of quantum services. This includes integrating computing, data storage (e.g., Amazon S3 cloud object storage), machine learning (e.g., Amazon SageMaker), account management, and usage fee calculation in a single platform with a universal access interface. Furthermore, Amazon Braket will offer a dedicated software development kit (SDK) to help customers quickly implement quantum software, as well as a calculator to estimate current usage fees to meet user’s budgets.

AWS has spared no effort in providing research budget to support quantum development. It has established a Quantum Solution Lab in California dedicated to assisting research institutes and guiding their research, offering partnerships or budget subsidies. In terms of community research planning, the establishment of AWS Cloud Credit for Research Program and Amazon Science community allows leading quantum research scholars to apply for subsidies and obtain resources. The latter gathers many third-party research institutes and scholars, offering them resources and information on research programs, subsidies, and partnerships.

To promote quantum science education and allow introductory courses of quantum science to take root, QFort has been organizing an annual microcourse of quantum computing for high school students since 2020. The fourth microcourse was successfully held recently. Professor Chen concluded, “We must allow more new talents to enter the field of quantum technology. Regardless of software or hardware, from now on, the focus should be on the investment and cultivation of future talents. This will begin with high school students!”

（News Provider: TrendForce）