Capgemini sets up quantum lab in partnership with IBM

Technology services and consulting firm Capgemini on Wednesday announced that it has set up a quantum computing laboratory, called the Capgemini Q-Lab. The facility will be available in the United Kingdom, Portugal and India, and will work as research facilities to help build quantum applications. 

According to Capgemini, the Q-Lab can be used by the company’s clients to build in-house quantum computing applications, as well as licensable technologies. 

The Q-Lab has been set up in collaboration with IBM, and will be an authorised IBM Quantum Hub. The latter will facilitate users of the laboratory to access IBM’s quantum computing platforms, including access to Qiskit -- IBM’s open source quantum information SDK (software development kit). The lab will also feature the latter’s latest 127-qubit quantum processor, Eagle. 

Capgemini will offer its clients a suite of ‘professional services’ for end to end implementation of building quantum computing applications and services, the company said in a statement. 

Also read: 69% cos have adopted or plan to adopt Quantum Computing in future

“Establishing a quantum industry will require a deep focus on expanding the quantum computing ecosystem across public and private sectors – something IBM cannot do alone. Clients will have options for hands-on expertise to develop proofs of concepts to explore the potential of quantum computing across a variety of industries and disciplines,” said Jay Gambetta, vice president of quantum computing at IBM, upon the announcement. 

According to Capgemini, the facility will allow researchers and developers working in sectors such as molecular design in life sciences and fluid dynamics in aerospace engineering through quantum computing, confidential computing, data storage and sharing through quantum communications, and medical diagnosis and autonomous mobility through quantum sensing, among others. 

Alongside Capgemini, IBM also recently announced a partnership with LG Electronics to create a facility that will allow researchers and developers to access the company’s quantum computing platform to build various products. 

Quantum computing is a new branch of computing that can simultaneously process both 0 and 1 of a binary system, instead of a traditional computing platform where the binary bits exist in separate states. During the unveiling of its new Eagle quantum processor, IBM said that it expects to surpass the maximum computing power of traditional computing systems within the next two years.