10085817Qiron - Assessing future resource requirements for fault tolerant quantum computers - Phase 1ClosedSmall Business Research InitiativeInnovate UKQuantum computers are a new type of powerful computer, based on building blocks called quantum bits, or qubits. These qubits carry information in a more effective way than bits on a conventional computer. As such, quantum computers will be able to run complicated calculations and help solve some of the world's biggest challenges, including drug discovery and materials development. They will also be powerful enough to start a "quantum apocalypse" and break widely used communication and encryption protocols, potentially exposing bank accounts, medical records and state secrets. Every government needs to understand when this will happen and get their country prepared. Qubits can be affected by their environment and this changes the information they contain. 'Correcting' these errors is the biggest technical challenge in quantum computing. When solved, this will be a major turning point in the quantum industry. Quantum computers will then become extremely powerful machines. But it is not that simple. Keeping track of the errors and correcting them efficiently requires a lot of computational resources, similar to the amount of data Netflix handles every second. Unfortunately, no one has been able to accurately estimate this computational resource or tell us when quantum computers will become a real threat; current predictions range from a few years to a few decades. We will address this major problem by developing all the necessary products to accurately assess the resources needed to run calculations on a real quantum computer and use this knowledge to accurately predict the timeline to fully capable quantum computers. We will work closely with a UK National Security organisation, who is focused on protecting the country and its infrastructure from such threats. Every hardware company needs error correction to build a useful quantum computer, but currently, no company or research group has developed a complete solution. Riverlane is the only quantum company globally trying to solve error correction. We have assembled world experts in error correction, quantum technologies, and software engineering to investigate and solve this problem. Our products will be directly relevant to companies building quantum computers and will help them direct their efforts in the right direction. This is the only way for quantum computers to become powerful and stable enough to solve real-world problems. Our work will strengthen the UK quantum industry and our national security, as well as accelerating quantum computers that will transform several industries, such as drug discovery and materials development.