Berlin, December 7, 2023 – Concluding a four-year research endeavor, the PlanQK research project, led by Anaqor AG together with University of Stuttgart and funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection as part of the AI Innovation Competition, presents its findings on December 7, 2023. Hosted at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, the consortium introduces the PlanQK platform and ecosystem connecting researchers, quantum developing organizations, and end-users, with a focus on making quantum computing accessible for organizations of all sizes.

Quantum computing is a game-changer for businesses, offering quicker and more insightful analysis for complex scenarios. However, the present hardware does not yet have the necessary capacity and accuracy to speak of a quantum advantage over classical computers. Nonetheless, researchers and businesses have started testing first use cases and proofs of concepts. Over the four-year research period, the PlanQK consortium explored over 30 use cases for quantum computing, such as fraud detection for credit card transactions or financial portfolio optimization via QUBOs.  

After the successful research period, it can be stated: The PlanQK research project has successfully modeled what the quantum value chain of tomorrow will look like. It has developed a platform that enables frictionless collaboration among researchers, quantum developing organizations, hardware providers, and end-users. Organizations of all sizes can consume quantum solutions and integrate quantum applications into their existing processes. Quantum developers can benefit from extensive platform services such as hosting, management, and billing of their quantum applications.  

With the support of more than 100 organizations and a consortium of 19 leading companies and research institutions, PlanQK has advanced to the pioneering European platform for quantum applications with international recognition. Anaqor, the consortium leader of PlanQK, expresses enthusiasm for PlanQK’s outcome. Co-founder and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Dr. Mathias Petri notes, “With the support of the BMWK funding, we've been able to address the technical and economic potentials of quantum computing in its early stages. Now, fully equipped with a proven platform and a dynamic ecosystem, we're ready to robustly initiate productization and professional marketing."  

Looking ahead to 2024, the software-based startup plans to further develop the expertise gained during the research phase and integrate additional quantum solutions into the platform. This endeavor is strengthened by a potent, globally-oriented ecosystem of major enterprises, associations, and startups, creating a dynamic and engaging environment. PlanQK users will not only benefit from cutting-edge technology on the PlanQK platform, but also engage with like-minded professionals in user group sessions and conferences that will be rolled out in early 2024.

T-Systems and Anaqor AG now offer an easy way to get started with quantum technology. Both companies are thus making the future technology of quantum computing easy to use for business customers. Anaqor AG operates the leading platform in Europe for quantum computing algorithms and applications: PlanQK. Customers can access ready-made algorithms on this platform and integrate them into their own projects. In addition, a large number of open-source models are freely available. T-Systems brings access to real quantum computers and consulting services to the partnership.

The PlanQK ecosystem consists of a large user and developer communityt hat unites start-ups, research organizations and industry. The platform offers companies an easy entry into quantum computing. All the building blocks of programming, consisting of algorithms and finished applications, can be obtained from the PlanQK community on an open-source basis or as commercial products. Through the partnership with Anaqor, T-Systems customers receive quantum applications and algorithms, consulting and computing power from a single source.

Both T-Systems Quantum Cloud and PlanQK customers can access the resources of the respective platform via the cloud. In addition, computing time can be booked in pay-as-you-go models or as a pre-booked bundle. T-Systems also provides support with training and consulting services. The offering ranges from one-day introductions to business case proofs-of-concept lasting several months.

An important step for Europe's technological sovereignty

The cooperation between T-Systems and Anaqor AG is an important step towards technological sovereignty in Europe in the future technology of quantum computing. Customers can use the offer to expand their quantum expertise,d evelop new business models and prepare for a future with quantum computers –all along a sovereign, European value chain.

Enabling entry into a crucial future technology

“PlanQK's algorithm and implementation offering is the perfect complement to T-Systems' Quantum Cloud,” explains Adel Al-Saleh, Member of theBoard of Management of Deutsche Telekom and CEO of T-Systems. “We now offer access to ready-made quantum applications, coupled with consulting services from our experts and our targeted industry knowledge. We are thus making quantum computing accessible to all our customers and enabling European industry to adopt this crucial future technology.”

David Niehaus, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Anaqor AG, says: “For us, the connection between PlanQK and the T-Systems Quantum Cloud is great news for all users and those with an interest in quantum computing. With T-Systems, we have gained a strong infrastructure partner for our vision of making quantum computing accessible to organizations of all sizes. In particular, the T-Systems approach of pay-as-you-go access to quantum hardware, coupled with the wealth of ideas and implementations provided by the PlanQK community, is a core element in realizing the potential of quantum computing.We are not only creating a direct connection between the users of our respective platforms, but also significantly strengthening the quantumecosystem to attract more users, together.”

About quantum computing

Quantum computing draws on the fundamental laws of nature to carry out calculations using quantum bits — qubits. Unlike each bit on a classical computing system, which can represent either 1 or 0, qubits occupy a“superposition”, representing a probability distribution between 0 and 1. This allows for exploration of exponentially larger compute spaces, and gives quantum computers the potential to solve complex problems beyond the means of even the most powerful classical supercomputers.

‍

Festo, a globally leading innovator in automation technology, joins the PlanQK Community as a new associate partner. The partnership marks a significant step for the development and application of quantum technologies in the field of automation. Festo sees tremendous opportunities for the company in the areas of Quantum Machine Learning and optimization. Their goal is to further enhance the efficiency and precision of their automation solutions. This enables customers to maximize production performance, reduce production and energy costs, and minimize CO2 emissions.

"We are not only proud to be part of the PlanQK Community but also excited to contribute our long-standing expertise in automation technology. We believe that quantum technologies can fundamentally change the automation industry and look forward to collaborating with PlanQK on groundbreaking projects," says Daniel Spies, Machine Learning Engineer at Festo.

David Niehaus, Co-founder and COO of Anaqor, the consortium leader of PlanQK, adds: "Our mission is to make quantum computing accessible to everyone and eliminate barriers. Each new partner and use case brings us closer to this goal, and the partnership with Festo is another significant step in this direction."

PlanQK is the first open, community-based platform and ecosystem for quantum applications, connecting developers, industrial users, researchers, and providers of quantum hardware with a platform for the integration, deployment, advancement, and monetization of quantum services. With over 30 successfully tested use cases and more than 100 partners, PlanQK is a pioneer in the field of quantum platforms. PlanQK was initiated in 2019 and has been continuously developed in collaboration with leading universities and companies as part of a lighthouse project funded by the federal government.

‍

A consortium of machine learning and quantum computing experts – Gradient Zero, Anaqor, QMware and PQML – is launching  Quantum Connect, Austria's first national quantum machine learning initiative.

The initiative aims to build an active community dedicated to the research and development of quantum machine learning applications for future use in various Austrian industries and public administration.

Developing machine learning applications that can benefit from quantum computing requires not only ML expertise, but also knowledge of the specific quantum hardware platforms and the combination of infrastructure, quantum mathematics, and machine learning. This combination of skills is difficult for individual companies to achieve, which underlines the need for interdisciplinary collaboration between all stakeholders to enable broader access to quantum machine learning. Quantum Connect brings together experts and industry partners to create a unified platform for knowledge and technology sharing.

The initiative was launched by Gradient Zero, a leading Austrian machine learning company, and funded by PQML. Through the partnership with QMware, the leading European quantum cloud company, and Anaqor, a pioneer in the European quantum ecosystem with its platform PlanQK, Quantum Connect was born.

PlanQK, a community-driven platform and ecosystem for quantum applications, with its established user base, will form the technological cornerstone of Quantum Connect and drive the exploration and development of quantum machine applications.

While Quantum Connect leverages PlanQK as a DevOps platform, QMware provides unmatched back-end efficiency by delivering its innovative hybrid quantum computing approach - a combination of classical high-performance and quantum computing resources - to run quantum applications on both simulated and native quantum hardware.

Quantum Connect offers machine learning developers direct and easy access to a fully functional quantum system. Quantum Connect is dedicated to advancing quantum machine learning and building an active community in the field.

"We are excited to launch Quantum Connect with our partners QMware and Anaqor to bring Quantum Machine Learning to Austria and beyond," says Jona Boeddinghaus, COO at Gradient Zero. "We can't wait to connect learners of all ages and experience levels and provide tutorials and infrastructure to those who want to dive into the world of Quantum and AI."

QML stands for Quantum Machine Learning and refers to the execution of machine learning tasks on innovative hardware - a quantum computer. But what does this mean in detail? What benefits can this bring to your company, and how can you take the first step into this exciting world?

Categorizing Quantum Computing (QC), Machine Learning (ML), and Quantum Machine Learning (QML)
The applications of machine learning are diverse and include identifying structures, recognizing patterns, and predicting values. This is fundamentally based on statistics and linear algebra. Interestingly, quantum computing also shares these mathematical foundations. The idea of quantum computing, processing quantum information, has been around for decades. Now, we are finally seeing the first practically usable quantum computers. Quantum Machine Learning (QML) is essentially the execution of machine learning on a quantum computer.

Seeking the Quantum Advantage
Similar to many other challenges, it is crucial to tackle the right problem with the right tool. A current focus of research is to determine which types of problems are difficult for classical computers to solve but can be more easily handled by quantum computers. This involves complexity classes, discussing how the effort to solve increases as the problem size grows. It is considered problematic if the effort to solve doubles for each minor increase in the task. It also involves the relationship between input, search space, and output. Current considerations suggest that problems with small input (e.g., a set of objects), a large search space (all possible combinations), and a small output (a subset of objects) are well-suited for quantum computing.

Finally, literature indicates that a particular advantage can be gained with quantum data, such as in machine learning with data based on (quantum) physical experiments. This may involve materials research or predicting radiation.

Examples of Practical Applications
The potential of quantum computing is carefully examined in almost every industry to determine how this emerging technology can be beneficial. The following two examples illustrate its versatility.

In the aerospace industry, the focus is on developing materials that are extremely lightweight and exceptionally resilient. Simulations at the atomic level are required for this, a task that is ideal for quantum computing. With the help of quantum computers, researchers can simulate quantum physical phenomena that were previously challenging to explore. This leads to the development of materials that not only reduce the weight of airplanes and spacecraft but also increase efficiency and safety in the industry.

In the energy sector, the focus is on the intelligent use of renewable energies, such as wind and solar power. The goal is to optimize the energy grid, a huge and highly complex system with conditions derived from physics. Thanks to quantum computing, precise predictions about energy generation and demand can be made, while machine learning analyzes large datasets to predict energy needs. The combination of QC and ML enables more efficient control of energy flow in the network, leading to a more reliable and sustainable use of renewable energies.

Taking the First Steps
The application of QML in the corporate context is undoubtedly a complex task. Both the fundamental principles of quantum physics and machine learning, as well as the specific application domain, are challenging. But somewhere, it has to start, preferably with simple examples and pre-built algorithms, to get a sense of how QML works and how it could be integrated into your company's structure. Various platforms are available for this, such as PlanQK. On these platforms, pre-built algorithms can be explored, explanations understood, and experiments conducted.

Conclusion
It's an exciting time! We are starting to understand the theoretical benefits that quantum computing can offer, and now it's time to explore the real-world applications. This requires work on various fronts, from hardware development to software and algorithms to integration into existing corporate systems. While the opportunities are undoubtedly present, we must not underestimate the journey ahead. Nevertheless, we should engage with this technology today, as we should be well-prepared when the benefits of quantum computing come into full effect.

About  
Sebastian Feld is an assistant professor at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. He is part of the Quantum & Computer Engineering department, where he and his group are working on Quantum Machine Learning. The overall goal is to investigate how quantum technology might help creating near-term quantum applications, but also how machine learning techniques may assist with developing scalable quantum devices. Before, he was head of Quantum Applications and Research Laboratory (QAR-Lab) at LMU Munich. His main focus as a postdoctoral researcher was on optimization problems and the application of quantum-assisted artificial intelligence. He earned his doctorate from LMU Munich working on time series analysis. Feld is part of Anaqor’s scientitic advisory council.

‍

The PlanQK team is pleased to announce a significant enhancement to its quantum software development platform. Users can now access IBM’s  Eagle processor, boasting an impressive 127 qubits. In a recent publication in the scientific journal Nature, IBM showcased the potential of quantum computers with over 100 qubits, competing over a special task with classical supercomputers. This achievement opens doors to tackling complex challenges in fields like materials science, paving the way for more efficient fertilizers, enhanced batteries, and groundbreaking medicines.

With the addition of IBM’s Eagle processor, PlanQK users can explore a diverse array of quantum computing backends and simulators from leading providers, including Amazon Braket, IonQ, OQC, Rigetti, IBM, and D-Wave. As part of this enhancement, the PlanQK team has also integrated Qiskit Runtime support into the developer-friendly PlanQK extension of the popular Qiskit SDK. This improvement promises quicker execution times, enhanced error correction, and a streamlined development process.

Sebastian Wagner, Head of Quantum Service Integration at Anaqor, shares his enthusiasm, saying, "At PlanQK, we're committed to providing our users with access to the latest technology to ensure a seamless development experience. This advancement empowers quantum enthusiasts to execute their algorithms on a wide range of backends and simulators, addressing complex challenges."

With these latest PlanQK feature updates, users can evaluate their algorithms on different quantum computers to efficiently tackle intricate problems and therefore enhance their code’s quality. PlanQK not only offers a developer-friendly environment with access to powerful resources but also provides opportunities for users to share and monetize their solutions through the PlanQK marketplace.

Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to elevate your quantum software development experience. Start your quantum computing journey with PlanQK today: Sign Up Here.

On 28 September 2023, the PlanQK Meetup 2023 took place in the Forum Digitale Technologien showroom in Berlin. This event brought together members of the PlanQK community and offered an exciting insight into the PlanQK project as well as inspiring talks and networking opportunities on an interactive community mile.

The event started with a welcome by the PlanQK Community Manager, David Niehaus from Anaqor, the consortium leader of PlanQK. The first highlight was the announcement by Maximilian Walz (T-Systems) and Michael Falkenthal (Anaqor) that both companies will cooperate very closely in the future to provide the PlanQK community with access to the quantum backends of the T-Systems Quantum Cloud. At the same time, T-Systems customers will get access to innovative quantum applications on PlanQK - especially with regard to ensuring Europe's technological sovereignty and based on gate and annealer technologies.  

During the rest of the day, those present received interesting impulses from the PlanQK community, including Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Frank Leymann (University of Stuttgart), Prof. Dr Enrique Solano (Kipu Quantum), Frederik Wilde (FU Berlin), Dr. Daniel Ohl de Mello (D-Fine), Danielle Schumann (LMU Munich), Tim Leonhardt (Accenture) and Benno Rott and Felix Zenz (Virality). A special attraction was the interactive community mile, where participants had the opportunity to find out about exciting developments and use cases at various stands of the community members. Not only could contacts be made here, but live demonstrations of Quantum applications could also be experienced. The Community Mile offered a unique opportunity to experience the commitment and innovative power of the PlanQK community at first hand.

At the PlanQK Meetup 2023, the doors were opened to a broad audience. This format aims to make the PlanQK community and quantum applications accessible to interested parties and to promote networking between science and industry in the field of quantum computing.

David Niehaus, PlanQK Community Manager, emphasised the importance of this event: "The PlanQK Meetup 2023 was a great success.On behalf of the entire consortium, we would like to thank all participants for their valuable input.It was inspiring to see how the PlanQK community continues to grow and how the transfer between science and industry in the field of quantum computing is successful."The PlanQK Meetup 2023 was a milestone for the PlanQK community and offered valuable insights into the future of the PlanQK platform and the collaboration between industry and academia. We are already looking forward to the upcoming event on 07 December 2023 and continuing this exciting journey.

Link to the upcoming event

‍

As consortium leader of the SeQuenC initiative launched in 2022, IONOS welcomes PlanQK consortium lead Anaqor AG as a new associate partner. SeQuenC has been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Research (BMWK) to develop the first quantum cloud for German industry. With the new partner, the consortium can use the platform PlanQK to develop an end-to-end offering for challenges in optimisation, simulation and machine learning.

German research projects such as PlanQK and SeQenC are driving development in the field of quantum computing to ensure European digital sovereignty in this important area. In doing so, the political funding aims to provide small and medium-sized enterprises in particular with access to quantum computing.Last year, the University of Stuttgart, the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS and hybrid quantum computing cloud company QMware AG joined forces under the consortium leadership of IONOS: the SeQuenC Cloud is intended to democratise quantum computing.

SMEs in particular should be able to test and use quantum computing solutions at an early stage. The new partnership between Anaqor - and thus also the PlanQK platform - and the SeQuenC initiative aims to share knowledge between the two projects and strengthen the European quantum community.

The new cooperation marks a significant milestone in German quantum research and its political funding.Also launched by the BMWK in 2020, PlanQK can now strengthen the further development of the European quantum computing ecosystem after successful implementation. As a new partner of the SeQuenC initiative, PlanQK enriches the project with a professional Quantum DevOps platform that provides companies and business users with a selection of applications. Current users of the PlanQK platform are now the first to gain access to the SeQuenC Cloud.PlanQK is thus a successful example of political investment at the federal level and is leading the way in promoting high technology.

Commenting on the partnership, Michael Falkenthal, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Anaqor, said: "With SeQuenC, we share a mission to make the use of quantum computing as easy and frictionless as possible. Therefore, it is a pleasure for us to provide the PlanQK community with future access to Germany's first quantum cloud for industrial users and empower them to drive innovation in quantum computing."

Rainer Sträter, Senior Vice President Technology Office at IONOS, adds: "With SeQuenC, we are creating the basis for the first German quantum cloud for industrial users. The project is a major step for the future viability of German industry.We are thus positioning Germany as a pioneer in this key technology and strengthening Europe's digital sovereignty."

‍

We are excited to announce that Multiverse, a Spanish deep-tech company specializing in quantum software development, has joined PlanQK as an associated partner. With a strong focus on developing cutting-edge quantum solutions, Multiverse serves clients across more different industries, including energy, finance, mobility, and manufacturing. Founded in 2019 by renowned experts in quantum computing and finance, Multiverse has established offices in Spain, Canada, France, and Germany.

Through its partnership with Anaqor, Multiverse brings its powerful quantum solutions to the PlanQK community. Anaqor CTO Michael Falkenthal shared his excitement, “Our core principle at Anaqor is to enable companies of all sizes to leverage the potential of quantum computing by keeping entry levels as low as possible. With Multiverse we have a leading European quantum software specialist who brings quantum power to our community. That’s a huge opportunity that can positively shape the European future of quantum computing."

Since its inception, Multiverse has already established a notable customer base in industries such as chemistry, defense, cybersecurity, and manufacturing, working closely with renowned companies in each sector. As an associated partner of PlanQK, Multiverse aims to further explore quantum applications within the PlanQK community, benefiting from the growing interest in PlanQK as Europe's pioneering open, community-powered platform and ecosystem for quantum applications.

Multiverse Chief Revenue Officer Mehdi Bozzo-Rey said, “Our focus at Multiverse is to provide our customers with immediate value by harnessing the potential of quantum and quantum-inspired methods. Collaborating with PlanQK will play a pivotal role in strengthening our position in the German market as we connect with the significant industrial ecosystem available within their PlanQK community.”

This partnership between Multiverse and PlanQK signifies a significant step toward advancing quantum computing capabilities and fostering collaboration among industry experts and researchers. As Multiverse continues to innovate and develop quantum solutions, the PlanQK community stands to gain valuable insights and advancements in the field of quantum computing.

Anaqor, the consortium leader of the PlanQK project, has been nominated for the esteemed Innovation Award Berlin Brandenburg 2023. This yearly recognition honours exceptional innovation and entrepreneurial excellence, and Anaqor is proud to have been acknowledged as one of the top 10 innovators in the capital city this year for its pioneering PlanQK platform.

PlanQK is a testament to Anaqor's dedication to not only driving economic growth but also addressing global climate and societal challenges. By cultivating a vibrant community of quantum developers and nurturing their skills, PlanQK is poised to provide inventive answers to pressing global challenges.

The eagerly awaited announcement of the winners will be made at the end of November. Anaqor is eager to make it to the final round. This nomination affirms PlanQK's significant contribution to technological advancement. Anaqor expresses its gratitude to all PlanQK partners and the exceptional development team for their efforts in turning the PlanQK vision into reality.

More information can also be found on Anaqor's blog: https://lnkd.in/eefuB7D8

Aumann AG is a leading manufacturer and integrator of special machines and automation systems in the field of electromobility. By joining the PlanQK community, Aumann aims to explore the possibilities of quantum computing in the areas of artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as for optimisation tasks.

Frank Hilbk-Kortenbruck, Director Technology at Aumann AG: "At Aumann, we see quantum computing as a promising future technology from which we expect important innovation impulses, especially for mechanical and plant engineering. Therefore, we are pleased to be able to participate in the development of the ecosystem for quantum applications as an associated partner through our involvement in the PlanQK network."

David Niehaus, Co-founder of Anaqor and PlanQK Community Manager, adds: "With Aumann we have gained an important industry partner for the PlanQK community. Aumann covers a potentially relevant use case - an exchange of knowledge within the community promises groundbreaking innovations for the electric mobility industry and beyond."

Molecular Quantum Solutions (MQS), a Danish company specialising in state-of-the-art computational tools for the pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical industries, has officially become an associated partner of PlanQK.

MQS provides innovative computational tools that accelerate Research and Development (R&D). Harnessing the power of supercomputers and quantum computers, MQS has developed advanced computational models and algorithms that enable fast and efficient calculation of material and chemical properties. This allows researchers to rapidly test and evaluate new materials for a range of applications, such as batteries, environmentally friendly solvents, novel pharmaceuticals and biodegradable plastics, without the need for costly and time-consuming laboratory experiments.

David Niehaus, PlanQK Community Manager, expressed his excitement about the collaboration: "With MQS on board, we are not only enriching the PlanQK community with additional tools for the pharmaceutical and chemical sector, but we are also creating an exciting opportunity within the European landscape. Collaborations that transcend national borders are critical to strengthening Europe's technological sovereignty and creating a strong ecosystem for innovation in quantum computing."

Mark Nicholas Jonas, CEO & CTO of MQL, added: "We are supporting PlanQK in building an open platform and marketplace at a European level that will contribute to a healthy, competitive vendor landscape. Anaqor has developed a well-designed infrastructure that fits well with the way we have developed our containerised applications at MQS."

Join the PlanQK Open Beta now: https://platform.planqk.de/

Multiverse, a Spanish deep-tech company specialising in quantum software development, has joined PlanQK as an associate partner. Multiverse focuses on the development of cutting-edge quantum solutions and serves clients from various industries, including energy, finance, mobility and manufacturing. Multiverse was founded in 2019 by renowned experts in quantum computing and finance and has offices in Spain, Canada, France and Germany.

By partnering with Anaqor, Multiverse brings its powerful quantum solutions to the PlanQK community.

Michael Falkenthal, Chief Technology Officer of Anaqor, the consortium leader of PlanQK, is excited: "Our core principle at Anaqor is to enable companies of all sizes to realise the potential of quantum computing by keeping the barriers to entry as low as possible. With Multiverse, we have a leading European quantum software specialist bringing quantum power to the PlanQK community. This is a huge opportunity that can positively impact the European future of quantum computing."

Since its inception, Multiverse has already built a substantial customer base in industries such as chemicals, defence, cyber security and manufacturing, and works closely with renowned companies in each sector. As an associate partner of PlanQK, Multiverse aims to further advance the exploration of quantum applications within the PlanQK community and benefit from the growing interest in PlanQK as Europe's first open, community-driven platform and ecosystem for quantum applications.

Mehdi Bozzo-Rey, Chief Revenue Officer of Multiverse, said, "Our goal is to provide immediate value to our customers by harnessing the potential of quantum and quantum-inspired methods. The collaboration with PlanQK will play a critical role in strengthening our position in the German market by enabling us to connect with the significant industrial ecosystem within the PlanQK community."

The partnership between Multiverse and PlanQK is an important step in advancing quantum computing capabilities and fostering collaboration between industry expertise and research. As Multiverse continues to innovate and develop quantum solutions, the PlanQK community will gain further valuable insights and advances in the field of quantum computing.

Become a part of the PlanQK community! Go to the PlanQK Open Beta here: https://platform.planqk.de/

PlanQK, platform and ecosystem for quantum applications, is excited to announce a significant step forward in quantum computing accessibility. The PlanQK platform now offers its beta trial users the opportunity to access simulators and quantum computing backends provided by Amazon Braket, including backends from leading quantum hardware providers like IonQ, Oxford Quantum Computers, and Rigetti. This makes PlanQK the only European platform to provide such access, bringing quantum backends closer to quantum development organizations.

Dr. Sebastian Wagner, Head of Quantum Service Integration at Anaqor, the leader of the PlanQK consortium, shared, "This marks a significant achievement for our team and represents a crucial step towards our mission of realizing a future where quantum computing is frictionless. Now, PlanQK users can reap the benefits of various quantum hardware providers. They can build, test, and run algorithms on different backends, all within a convenient pay-as-you-go system.”

With the developer-friendly PlanQK extension of the popular Qiskit Software Development Kit (SDK), users can easily create quantum algorithms using the Qiskit framework. They can run them on a variety of quantum devices, and even effortlessly deploy them as services for their customers. This makes quantum computing accessible for everyone, from seasoned experts to beginners.

Anaqor's development team is working to integrate more hardware providers on the PlanQK platform to help quantum enthusiasts and developers explore quantum computing’s potential.

This feature is currently available to exclusive beta trial users. If you are interested, become an associated PlanQK partner. For more information, please contact community-manager@planqk.de or join the PlanQK open beta at https://platform.planqk.de/.

Click here for the PlanQK Quantum backends:  https://platform.planqk.de/quantum-backends

‍

Q.ANT, a startup emerging from the renowned German high-tech company TRUMPF, has announced its collaboration with PlanQK as an associated partner. The partnership aims to strengthen the quantum computing community by leveraging Q.ANT’s expertise in photonic quantum technology.

‍

Q.ANT, a startup emerging from the renowned German high-tech company TRUMPF, has announced its collaboration with PlanQK as an associated partner. The partnership aims to strengthen the quantum computing community by leveraging Q.ANT’s expertise in photonic quantum technology.  

PlanQK, platform and ecosystem for quantum applications, is a flagship project, supported by public funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate since 2019. With a diverse ecosystem of over 100 companies, scientific institutions, public administration and associations, PlanQK aims to simplify quantum computing for users and developers by providing an easily accessible app store with community-powered quantum applications.

Q.ANT's contribution to the PlanQK community includes sharing their extensive knowledge in photonic quantum computing and making their in-house developed and manufactured quantum computer chips available to the PlanQK ecosystem.  

Dr. Mathias Petri, Co-founder and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of Anaqor, the consortium leader of the PlanQK project, expresses optimism about the partnership: "With Q.ANT we have been able to inspire a strategically very important partner for PlanQK. Our ecosystem can benefit enormously from this partnership, especially with regard to the use of technology that is already available today and ensuring technological sovereignty in Germany and Europe."

Q.ANT specializes in revolutionary photonics solutions, enabling the practical application of quantum technology in sensor and quantum computing. By joining forces with PlanQK, Q.ANT takes a significant step towards advancing the widespread industrial use of quantum computing across industries.

“We at Q.ANT are looking forward to contributing to PlanQK and pushing quantum technology in computing and sensing. Only by close cooperation of experts and companies in the field, like in PlanQK, we can advance and make Germany and Europe a stronghold in these crucial, disruptive technologies.”, Dr. Michael Förtsch, founder and CEO of Q.ANT, is convinced.  

About Q.ANT

Q.ANT is a high-tech start-up in the field of quantum technology and was founded in 2018 as part of the TRUMPF Group. The company works on technologies for data generation and data processing. To this end, Q.ANT develops quantum sensors and quantum computer chips. With its four product lines Photonic Quantum Computing, Particle Metrology, Atomic Gyroscopes and Magnetic Sensing, Q.ANT is a partner for a wide variety of industries and fields of application, ranging from medical technology and autonomous driving to aerospace, mechanical engineering and process technology. Q.ANT employs around 80 people at its Stuttgart site.

‍

TWT GmbH Science & Innovation is specialised in technical-scientific transfer and especially transfers use cases of the automotive industry to quantum computers. At the interface of IT, engineering and mathematics, TWT works directly with customers and partners such as Mercedes Benz, Daimler Truck, BMW, Audi, Porsche, CARIAD, IBM, Bosch, ESA, Airbus and Samsung.

Dr. Dimitris Vartziotis, founder and CEO of TWT, says: "We have defined quantum computing as a strategic topic for our company. Therefore, the partnership with PlanQK is of great importance to us. In creating an ecosystem for the practical use of quantum applications, we see a significant contribution to the faster application of these key technologies in a wide range of industries."

David Niehaus, PlanQK Community Manager comments as follows: "The integration of TWT opens up new opportunities for PlanQK to expand the application areas of quantum computing. The combination of technological know-how, scientific expertise and experience in technology transfer promises groundbreaking innovations for the automotive industry and beyond."

‍

Last week, the international quantum community met in Munich for the World of QUANTUM 2023. In cooperation with PlanQK partner Bayern Innovativ, we organised a two-day stage programme with valuable insights into industrial use cases of quantum computing.

We would like to sincerely thank all the speakers who demonstrated how quantum computing can unleash potential in medicine, energy, finance, logistics and production through practical application examples.

We are incredibly grateful for the great interest in our presentations and the great reception, which shows that PlanQK is a unique project with the potential to connect all stakeholders involved in the quantum value chain in an unprecedented way.

Many thanks in particular to:

Dr Stephanie Strobel, Planerio GmbH
Dr Sigrid Auweter, Smart Reporting GmbH
Dr. Wolfgang Mergenthaler, FCE Frankfurt Consulting
Manfred Rieck, Deutsche Bahn
David Niehaus, Anaqor AG
Dr Thomas Gabor, QAR Lab LMU Munich
Martin Braun, DATEV eG
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Hellstern, Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University
Dr. Giorgio Cortiana, E.ON
Dr Marcel Bornemann, UNIPER
Dr. Thomas Hußlein, OptWare
Dr. Frederik Struckmeier, TRUMPF
Dr. Christian Tutschku, Fraunhofer IAO
Dr. Andreas Böhm, Bayern Innovativ
Christoph Karl, Bayern Innovativ

‍

Quantum computing is a rapidly developing field of technology that has the potential to revolutionize various industries in several ways. For example, quantum computing can optimize supply chain operations including routing, scheduling, and inventory management. By leveraging quantum algorithms, supply chains can be optimized to minimize costs, reduce transportation time, and improve overall efficiency, leading to significant savings for businesses.

At this year’s World of QUANTUM on June 27th – 28th in Munich, Bayern Innovativ together with the German lighthouse project PlanQK will be presenting industry-specific use cases of quantum in the energy, logistics, mobility, finance, and manufacturing industries. Additionally, Anaqor will present a use case how logistic companies can integrate quantum applications easily into their existing software and processes using PlanQK.

The agenda will be moderated by David Niehaus, Anaqor COO and community manager at PlanQK together with Dr. Andreas Böhm, Head of Thinknet Quantentechnologie at Bayern Innovativ and Christoph Karl, project manager of Thinknet Quantentechnologie at Bayern Innovativ.

‍

On 15 and 16 June, the second PlanQK consortium meeting of this year took place, hosted by I/P/B Internet Service Provider based in Berlin.

Special thanks go to Steffen David, the head of I/P/B, not only for providing an excellent location for our two-day meeting, but also for actively participating in discussions with the PlanQK community. Key takeaways from the meet included the use of Quantinuum QPUs, the integration of Quantagonia's QUBO solver on PlanQK and the introduction of new platform features such as GPU and QPU integration, streamlined sign-up processes and pricing plans.

The next and third PlanQK Meet Up will take place at the end of September in Berlin, we are really looking forward to the exchange!

‍

AXOVISION partners with PlanQK to explore the potential of quantum computing applications and advance technological progress in the finance industry.

As PlanQK associated partner, AXOVISION brings its extensive knowledge of use cases in the financial industry and years of consulting experience to the PlanQK community. Being part of the first open European platform and ecosystem for quantum applications, AXOVISION leverages the technological possibilities offered by PlanQK to test and explore quantum-based solutions for clients in the finance industry. 

Thomas Kutschera, CEO at AXOVISION, expresses his excitement about the collaboration, “We are excited about the partnership with Anaqor and to be working with their brilliant team. With our combined expertise, we aim to revolutionize the way financial technology operates and provide customers with cutting-edge solutions.”

David Niehaus, Chief Operations Officer at Anaqor and PlanQK community manager, spoke about the importance of this collaboration stating that the finance industry can greatly benefit from adopting quantum computing applications, transforming areas like risk assessment, portfolio optimization, fraud detection, and algorithmic trading, “This partnership with AXOVISION enables us to lead the way in driving advancements within the finance industry using the strong technological foundation we have built with PlanQK over the last three years.”

‍

The quantum startup based in Bad Homburg is best known for its innovative solutions that work both on classical and quantum hardware. By partnering with Anaqor , Quantagonia makes their product, the HybridSolver, available within the PlanQK Community.

The HybridSolver is a mathematical optimization solver using a cutting edge classical and quantum approach to tackle complex optimization problems. It delivers a great performance on today’s computers and an on-ramp to incredible performance with quantum computers.

Anaqor Chief Technological Officer and PlanQK Platform Architect Michael Falkenthal says about the partnership: “Our collaboration with Quantagonia showcases how a vibrant, healthy quantum ecosystem made in Europe can look like. We are extremely proud to collaborate with successful players to make the latest quantum technology accessible for businesses of all sizes.”

CEO of Quantagonia Dirk Zechiel comments: “We are excited to join forces with Anaqor and combine the power of our innovative HybridSolver with the dynamic PlanQK platform and thriving community that they have built up as a lighthouse project in Germany. This partnership will open up new opportunities and provide an unparalleled problem-solving experience for our partners and users.”

‍

On December 7th and 8th, the PlanQK consortium met again in Berlin. In addition to an intensive exchange within the framework of the consortium meeting, the PlanQK annual meeting was held for the first time, to which representatives from politics, research and industry were invited to receive a presentation of the current development status of PlanQK and to discuss cooperation potentials.

As host, DB Systel once again provided optimal premises for the consortium meeting, so that the approximately 70 participants were able to participate well both on site and online. The first day was initially about marketing and communication. PlanQK Community Manager David Niehaus gave an overview of the activities in 2022 as well as the planning for 2023. 2022 highlights included the appearance at the Days of Digital Technologies, as well as the various PlanQK Industry Days. Numerous events are also already on track for 2023. For example, PlanQK will present itself at the World of Quantum and plans to be present again at the Hannover Messe. The discussion also generated ideas for new formats, such as participation in meetings of industry consortia to make PlanQK known beyond the circle of consortium partners and associated partners. In the future, PlanQK will also be regularly on the agenda for events at the Digital Technologies Forum in Berlin, which was created by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). In addition, a permanently installed exhibit of the platform will illustrate the enormous potential of quantum applications for Germany, but also international companies and organizations, based on use cases.

In addition to marketing and communication, the focus was of course on the status of the development of the platform and use cases. Michael Falkenthal from the platform developer StoneOne/Anaqor reported on progress and initial experiences with the open beta version, which is already being tested by around 300 users. Above all, the knowledge platform is already at a good usable level and must now be continuously expanded with further associated partners or knowledge artifacts. An important point was the access to the hardware, here are still a few cliffs to take.

On the first day, the consortium meeting moved almost seamlessly to the annual meeting in the impressive premises of the Academy of Sciences in the heart of Berlin. The goal of the event was to present the current development status of PlanQK to guests from politics, industry, research institutions and other interested organizations and, above all, to discuss further concrete cooperations. At the beginning, Axel Voss, head of department at the BMWK, emphasized in his welcome speech the high importance of PlanQK from the point of view of the Federal Government for the development of Germany as a business location and signaled further support for this QC lighthouse project. The increasing anchoring of PlanQK in the European context is also gratifying. The PlanQK platform was included in the Strategic Industry Roadmap SIR of the European Quantum Industry Consortium QuIC in 2022. From the practical side, Marie Salm from the University of Stuttgart told the guests how PlanQK can be used to provide research prototypes such as the NISQ analyzer and what benefits arise from this for developers and users. Manfred Rieck from DB Systel, Daniel Herr from d-fine and Daniel Jaroszewski from Frankfurt Consulting Engineers reported on the status of their respective use cases, representing the more than 30 use cases worked on by all consortium partners.

The auditing and consulting firm Deloitte has recently become an associated partner of PlanQK with its specialized offering Quantum.Link.

Dr. Barbara Wellmann, Lead Quantum.Link, says: "We are very pleased about the partnership with PlanQK. The interdisciplinary know-how of the experts allows us to jointly drive the development of Quantum applications." This enthusiasm is shared by the wider PlanQK Communtiy. David Niehaus, PlanQK Community Manager, comments on the addition of Deloitte as follows: "With Deloitte, PlanQK gains another great associated partner. The Quantum.Link team's understanding of the future use of quantum computing is an important multiplier for the entire PlanQK community."

Since 2020, the PlanQK research project has been setting standards in establishing a community around the industrial use of quantum software in Germany and beyond. More than 30 use cases from the fields of quantum-based machine learning, simulation and optimization are the basis for its success - this claim is now also reinforced by the updated name: Platform and Ecosystem for Quantum Applications.

Over 100 partners, including 19 consortium partners, are already part of the PlanQK community. The beginnings of this community were laid in 2019 through funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the AI Innovation Competition, of which PlanQK is a lighthouse project. Use cases for the application of quantum computers to quantum machine learning were identified and explored, but also in the areas of quantum simulation and quantum-based optimization. During the consortium's research work, the demand for supporting all types of quantum applications became increasingly clearer and was ultimately satisfied with a knowledge platform for researchers and developers as well as a service platform for distribution, operation, and utilization of quantum applications. Due to the increased funding of the federal government for quantum software and technologies, this ambition was then also formally supported from 2021 onwards with further funding from the Corona aid package for the PlanQK consortium - both on the level of the use cases and on the level of the underlying PlanQK platform. With the name change now decided and published, PlanQK stands for an open collaboration with further research projects and industrial partners to enable the use of quantum applications for organizations of all sizes - also beyond Germany.

David Niehaus, PlanQK Community Manager, says: "PlanQK has become a fixture in the German and European vernacular for the use of quantum software. We are grateful for the support of our ambitious goals by the funding of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, as well as all partners from the PlanQK community. With the new name, we carry our claim of broad-based collaboration, already practiced for over a year, even better into the broader community of research projects, startups, SMEs, large companies and industry associations around the development and use of quantum software."‍

At this year's Digital Technology Days, the PlanQK research project presented how users, developers, researchers and hardware providers can use and distribute quantum computing resources in the future.

After a long hiatus, many research projects of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) came together again in Berlin as part of the digital technology days that take place every two years. At the instigation of the accompanying research, the opportunity was taken to bring together all the assembled funding projects of the new funding call "Quantum Computing: Applications for the Economy" at the PlanQK stand for a personal meeting. PlanQK will provide its platform for many of these projects to enable the dissemination and exploitation of knowledge artefacts and quantum implementations. For this purpose, the consortium leader StoneOne, with its newly founded brand Anaqor, will ensure the continued operation and development of the platform beyond the originally planned duration at the end of 2023.

In addition to the many exciting discussions with research projects and other visitors, the PlanQK projects were given further opportunities to present the results they had developed: In addition to the visit of a delegation of the BMWK at the stand to discuss questions in person, the Digital Technology Days were enhanced this year by a joint presentation of PlanQK Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Frank Leymann from the University of Stuttgart and PlanQK Community Manager David Niehaus from Anaqor. After a basic introduction to the potentials, current possibilities and challenges of quantum computing by Prof. Leymann, the PlanQK platform was demonstrated by Mr Niehaus using a concrete example from logistics. This demonstration, which included the complete value chain from developers to use by companies to the actual execution of code at the quantum computing manufacturer D-Wave in Canada, marked the start of an intensive discussion with the audience.

‍

‍

Based on its work, the PlanQK consortium has developed a quantum computing expert study to gain further input from the broader community. The study is open to all experts in quantum software development and the results are expected to be published later this year.

in cooperation of the Institute of Computer Science of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and the research project PlanQK, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, the above mentioned quantum computing expert study has been developed. The aim of the study is to identify competencies, tools and processes in the development of quantum computing algorithms in order to create a fundamental understanding of this novel technology on the one hand, and to introduce both industry and education to quantum computing in the best possible way on the other hand. In doing so, the assessments of quantum computing experts are extremely valuable for the project - we therefore appreciate any support.

The online questionnaire can be found here: https://www.soscisurvey.de/quantencomputing/ (your participation is anonymous).

If you work in the field of quantum computing, we would appreciate it if you would kindly take a few minutes to participate in the survey and/or forward it to your colleagues.

‍

The Hannover Messe is one of the most important industrial trade fairs in the world. This year, the results of PlanQK were presented to an international audience at the stand of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.

Divided into the 3 large areas "Start", "Move" and "Follow", PlanQK was an important part of the "Start" area together with Gaia-X and other forward-looking approaches. Over 4 days, PlanQK's approaches were discussed in many talks with representatives from politics, industry and research and the work in the field of quantum computing in Germany was highlighted. In addition to looking after our own stand, the focus was of course also on networking with the many actors represented on site, so that regular excursions to other stands were undertaken.

The PlanQK community continues to grow - at the joint meeting with representatives of the AutoQML, ProvideQ, QUASIM and QuasT projects in Berlin, the use of the PlanQK platform for further research results and implementations from the field of quantum computing was discussed.

At the meeting, organized by the accompanying research, the goals and technological orientation of the new projects as well as possible integrations of the project results with PlanQK were discussed over 2 days. It pays off that PlanQK was designed as an open ecosystem from the beginning - the underlying platform now offers researchers, developers and user organizations the possibility not only to use their results themselves in the form of research findings or usable implementations for quantum computers, but also to make them available to third parties.

The PlanQK ecosystem is also open for further collaborations - in the future, not only the collaboration with further research projects from the BMWK's funding call "Quantum Computing - Applications for Industry" will be evaluated, but also the collaboration with funding projects from other areas will be strengthened.

Information about the new research projects

AutoQML

Quantum computers enable machine learning (ML) approaches to be accelerated and new solution approaches to be developed. However, the implementation of such quantum algorithms is highly application case specific and therefore requires characteristic development by interdisciplinary quantum software engineers. The AutoQML project aims to simplify these processes. The goal is to extend approaches for the automation of machine learning by quantum computing, among other things in order to be able to solve problems in the production and automotive area more simply and faster.

More information at:  www.autoqml.ai

QuaST

Quantum computing can lead to disruptive changes in many areas of industry, for example by solving complex optimization problems in logistics or semiconductor manufacturing more efficiently. However, in order for industry and society to fully benefit from future quantum computers, a low-threshold access is needed, which in particular does not require the user to have a deep knowledge of the underlying physics. QuaST will make this possible by developing software and tools in a unique holistic approach.

ProvideQ

In the ProvideQ project, leading global service providers in the field of logistics are cooperating with experts in software and algorithm engineering, optimization theory and quantum information. Together they develop new concepts and methods for bridging the gap between industrial applications and requirements on the one hand and the practical use of innovative quantum computers on the other. In doing so, the project involves providers of algorithmic services to make them ready for the quantum era. The goal is to enable larger sectors of the German economy to benefit from the advantages of quantum computing (QC) through their multiplier effect.

QUASIM

The goal of the "QC-Enhanced Service Ecosystem for Simulation in Manufacturing" (QUASIM) project is to develop and test quantum computing (QC) algorithms and technologies for critical simulation issues in manufacturing, methodically embed them in Industrie 4.0 frameworks as "Quantum-as-a-Service" (QaaS), and provide practice-oriented knowledge transfer for production-oriented simulation based on QC. With the help of different QC algorithms and technologies, QUASIM will investigate whether and how simulations of manufacturing processes can be optimized and accelerated.

More information at: https://www.quasim-project.de/

‍

The March issue of Funkschau magazine reports on the resilience of public systems and the work of the PlanQK consortium.

The head of the accompanying research of the AI innovation competition, Steffen Wischmann, reported on the different objectives of research projects and how achieving these objectives supports more resilient supply chains and reliable predictions. In this context, PlanQK was mentioned as a lighthouse project researching the use of quantum computers for future applications and making them accessible via a platform.

The article is available in German under the following link (pages 24/25):

‍

With its expertise in platform and use case development, the PlanQK consortium supported the team of authors as part of the accompanying research for the AI innovation competition organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.

As part of the accompanying research for the AI innovation competition, a major study was conducted on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection to present the current possibilities and future potential of quantum computing applications. In addition to a basic introduction to the modes of action and concepts, the focus was on the presentation of individual use cases. The partners of the PlanQK consortium provided support with their broad knowledge of the development of applications for current use cases, as well as the possibilities of integrating these applications via the PlanQK platform.

The study is available at this link.

‍

Berkeley, CA and Berlin, Germany, December 9, 2021 -- Rigetti Computing, a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing, today announced its partnership with PlanQK (Platform and Ecosystem for Quantum-Assisted Artificial Intelligence), a German consortium that joins end users with quantum hardware to advance quantum computing research and identify real-world artificial intelligence use cases.

PlanQK members will have access to Rigetti’s latest quantum processors to develop and test a variety of industrial use cases for quantum computing. PlanQK consortium members D-Fine, Deutsche Bahn, QAR-Lab of Ludwig Maximilian University Munich (LMU), University of Stuttgart and StoneOne AG will collaborate with Rigetti to evaluate the optimal use of Rigetti hardware, with a focus on quantum machine learning and optimization applications. By joining hardware and use case expertise, and a large network of end users across industries, Rigetti and PlanQK plan for this partnership to strengthen the quantum computing ecosystem and accelerate application development.

“Our partnership with PlanQK is an exciting opportunity to expand access to our latest generation of quantum processors, and to drive the industry towards commercialization with critical use case development. With the industry expertise of our PlankQK collaborators we’ll be able continue developing our hardware to create functionality that’s applicable to a broad user base,” says Mandy Birch, Rigetti SVP, Partnerships.

Andreas Liebing, CEO StoneOne AG and consortium lead PlanQK says: “We are very excited to have Rigetti join us as a hardware partner for the PlanQK platform. We have had insightful discussions during the setup phase; both on a use case as well as a platform integration level and are now looking forward to taking the next step in enabling the quantum ecosystem together with Rigetti.”

Prof. Frank Leymann, scientific director of PlanQK, adds: “One of the goals of PlanQK is to strengthen the application competence of industry in the field of quantum computing. This naturally includes the use of as many different quantum computers as possible. Therefore, I am pleased that PlanQK partners can now use Rigetti's platform.”

About Rigetti Computing

Rigetti Computing is a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing. The company has operated quantum computers over the cloud since 2017 and serves global enterprise, government, and research clients through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. The company’s proprietary quantum-classical infrastructure provides ultra-low latency integration with public and private clouds for high-performance practical quantum computing. Rigetti has developed the industry’s first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. The company designs and manufactures its chips in-house at Fab-1, the industry’s first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility. Rigetti was founded in 2013 by Chad Rigetti and today employs more than 140 people with offices in the United States, U.K., and Australia. Learn more at rigetti.com.

Already for the 6th time, more than 300 participants met at the Digicon on 17.11.2021 to exchange ideas together under the motto: "Quantum Applications - How a quantum advantage is created". PlanQK was of course there as well. Several partners of our consortium shared their insights.

The discussions were characterized by the experiences made by the PlanQK consortium partners within the framework of the research partnership, which has already lasted almost 2 years. In addition to fundamental insights into quantum algorithms from the PlanQK partners University of Stuttgart and Ludwig Maximilian University, company-specific experiences on the part of Deutsche Bahn and Accenture and the future use of the platform by StoneOne AG were also discussed. In addition, several associated partners of PlanQK were represented, a strong proof of the weight of the PlanQK network in Germany and Europe.

You can re-watch the contributions in full length at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWzV0N39cRLsbEiaSmqpJHk5A01iEVhuE  

‍

On November 8, 2021, the House of Logistics and Mobitity (HOLM) in Frankfurt am Main hosted the kick-off event for a transport sector-specific event series around quantum computing, titled "Quantum-Computing in Aviation, Logistics and Mobility".

The focus of the event was to discuss the potential use of quantum computing in the transportation sector with the aim of protecting the climate and resources as well as increasing efficiency, supply and service. Several PlanQK partners, including the scientific director of the consortium Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.. Frank Leymann, as well as the companies Frankfurt Consulting Engineers and DB Systel were sought-after speakers and reported on their experiences within the framework of PlanQK.

‍

StoneOne AG has now joined the European GAIA-X initiative for a trusted data infrastructure on behalf of the PlanQK consortium. In GAIA-X, initial activities for the future use of quantum computers have already been set up. PlanQK, as the German lighthouse project for quantum-assisted artificial intelligence, will focus primarily on the secure use of the new quantum technology by medium-sized companies.

GAIA-X is intended to ensure a secure and networked European data infrastructure for more digital sovereignty and innovation. Representatives from business, science and administration from Germany and France are involved in numerous projects and working groups across all sectors, such as agriculture, energy, industry, mobility and health, together with other, predominantly European partners. Through GAIA-X, various elements are to be interconnected via open interfaces, standards and certificates in order to link data in a customer- or industry-specific manner. In addition to large industrial companies, small and medium-sized enterprises should also benefit from market transparency, broad access to customized offers and the resulting options for action.  

A sovereign cloud infrastructure, which will also play a decisive role for the future use of quantum computers, plays an essential role here; think "quantum computing as a service". In the next few years, very expensive quantum computers will only be economically viable for small and medium-sized enterprises via cloud offerings. And when it comes to sensitive data and data exchange, both reliable standards and security play a decisive role. Who wants to venture into potentially insecure territory when developing new products or using them in business-critical processes? In the GAIA-X ecosystem, on the other hand, users can rely on binding framework conditions and trustworthy providers and operators.

Against this background, the PlanQK consortium has also decided to further develop the platform and its own ecosystem in the GAIA-X context and to bring it in line with the relevant criteria, such as openness, transparency and standardization. PlanQK is all about making it as easy as possible for companies and public institutions to access the very cost-intensive and complex QC hardware, including algorithms and applications, without losing sight of the security aspects. The advantages are obvious; otherwise, medium-sized companies would not be able to make the connection to the ground-breaking quantum technology at all.

In the 30 or so use cases deployed at PlanQK, many application areas are predestined for GAIA-X.  The diverse scenarios involve, for example, data analysis with the help of AI and simulations for the representation of climate or traffic models, scenarios with high complexity and high data volumes, such as in the financial sector for the detection of fraud scenarios, or even in the particularly sensitive healthcare sector. The deployment of such use cases therefore strongly benefits from GAIA-X compliant conditions. And already in the next few years, when quantum computers can actually be used productively, hundreds of applications are expected to be added.

‍

For the first time since the beginning of the project, a hybrid consortium meeting of the PlanQK consortium could take place in September. Taking into account appropriate hygiene regulations, the meeting covered a general meeting of all working complexes as well as an in-depth discussion of using quantum algorithms as well as the PlanQK platform.  

The consortium partners met at the House of Logistics and Mobility (HOLM) in Frankfurt am Main on 30.9.2021 and 1.10.2021. In addition to the on-site participants, there were of course a larger number of virtual participants who were able to seamlessly follow the sessions and working meetings through the support of appropriate technology. In particular, the representation of the accompanying research should also be mentioned at this point.

Thursday morning was used to highlight and discuss the work of the individual working groups in the large forum. The work of the consortium is running according to plan, however, the consortium meetings always provide a special opportunity to discuss cross-complex topics. After lunch, two different work streams were followed: In the first work stream, led by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and Freie Universität Berlin, the use of quantum algorithms in various use cases was discussed; lively discussion led to further thought-provoking ideas in various use cases. In the other work stream, led by StoneOne, the current design of the platform and its use by developers was discussed conceptually and important feedback was collected.

The event concluded on Friday morning with an intensive discussion of the implications of quantum algorithms on encryption methods and ways of safeguarding against these risks of using quantum computers. Under the leadership of T-Labs, current experiments were presented and discussed.

Pictures by David Niehaus (StoneOne AG)

‍

In August 2021, the first PlanQK Hackathon took place. On the premises of the consortium partner Frankfurt Consulting Engineers (FCE) and in compliance with pandemic regulations, team members of different consortium partners were able to solve challenging quantum computing tasks in mixed teams.

A total of 4 topics were available for participants to choose from:

1. adiabatic quantum solutions in the field of routing

2. gate-based quantum algorithms in the area of risk analysis

3. QUBO with QAOA on IBM QISKIT

4. QML Anomaly Detection

By bringing together interdisciplinary teams, all participants were able to discuss current understandings and assumptions about how to deal with quantum computing. In addition, exchange formats were created in which the teams also had the opportunity to draw on the knowledge of the other teams.

In addition to the work on the specific tasks, the PlanQK platform was also brought into focus: Based on the experiences of developers, StoneOne demonstrated ways in which quantum applications can be published on the PlanQK platform. This test was very successful, so that the feature will soon be made available to the entire consortium.

The program was rounded off by a visit to a typical Frankfurt apple wine tavern and the presentation of participation certificates by the host FCE. Strengthened by the knowledge exchange, the participants will now continue to work intensively on the individual use cases and are looking forward to the next joint appointment at the consortium meeting in September.

^{Pictures by Felix Schiessl (Accenture) & David Niehaus (StoneOne)}

‍

For the second time, members of PlanQK consortium partners were among the winners of the Quantum Future Award: Johannes Jakob Meyer was awarded first place for his master's thesis. The thesis, entitled "Applications of Parametrized Quantum Circuits on Near-Term Quantum Devices," was written under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Jens Eisert of PlanQK consortium partner Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems at Freie Universität Berlin.

In his work, Mr. Meyer dealt with the optimization of quantum sensors. These use quantum effects to achieve higher measurement precision. However, the design of quantum sensors is difficult under noise effects and limitations of the hardware platform used. Mr. Meyer's work proposes to use currently available quantum computers in the context of a variational quantum algorithm to solve the optimization problem for quantum sensors - and in this way to perform a "quantum-aided design" of quantum sensors.

The Quantum Future Award of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is part of the Quantum Future program and has been awarded since 2018 for outstanding theses related to quantum technologies. In this process, the proposed theses are once again concisely summarized, judged by a panel from science, industry, and politics, and then presented live by the students themselves. You can view this pitch of the work in person at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCce6uLeRk6vOuHAXOn6AJlg

‍

Bayern Innovativ GmbH is a new associated partner of PlanQK since July 2021. As a thinknet, the company pushes the topic of quantum computing with the aim of initiating application-oriented research and industrial applications and thus making it accessible to over 32,000 member companies in Bavaria.

"We are pleased to have the Thinknet Quantum Technology of Bayern Innovativ as an associated partner in PlanQK. Through Bayern Innovativ's networks, we reach numerous SMEs to identify suitable problems for computation on quantum computers, find new algorithms and generate competitive advantages," explains Andreas Liebing, CEO StoneOne AG and consortium leader PlanQK.

Dr. Rainer Seßner, CEO of Bayern Innovativ GmbH, adds: "With our industry and technology networks that have grown over the years with more than 32,000 institutions and over 75,000 contacts, this is another important step for us to address the topic of quantum computing for our industry, so that we continue to play at the top of the world in the future. We are very pleased to be able to use the PlanQK platform as a multiplier to bring further use cases to the industry and thus to promote the topic. Winning over companies open to innovation as users of quantum computing and triggering awareness to build up competence are strong accompanying measures to give the topic more publicity. This is technology transfer as it fits into our portfolio!"

The press release from Bayern Innovativ can be found here:

https://www.bayern-innovativ.de/netzwerke-und-thinknet/uebersicht-digitalisierung/quantentechnologie/seite/bayern-innovativ-ist-neuer-assoziierter-partner-von-planqk

‍

Following T-Labs, T-Systems is now also an associated partner of PlanQK. Based on the findings of the research project, the aim is to explore ways of combining the cloud infrastructure with the requirements of the PlanQK platform.

"T-Systems as a cloud service provider is a great asset for the PlanQK ecosystem to further advance the aspects of access to quantum computing systems. We are looking forward to the collaboration and mutual exchange," says Andreas Liebing, CEO StoneOne AG and consortium leader PlanQK.

T-Systems' blog entry can be found here: https://www.telekom.com/en/blog/group/article/t-systems-researches-cloud-based-quantum-technologies-629542

‍

The Bundesverband deutscher Banken e.V. is a new associated partner of PlanQK. The explicit goal is to improve processes in the financial industry by using quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

"We are pleased to have the Bundesverband deutscher Banken as an associated partner of PlanQK. Quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence in combination can be applied to many areas in the financial industry and we look forward to working together to evaluate the benefits depending on the area," said Andreas Liebing, CEO StoneOne AG and consortium leader PlanQK.

The text of the press release from the Association of German Banks can be found here .

‍

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), PlanQK's sponsor, is expanding its support for PlanQK as part of the economic stimulus and future package to enable additional use cases.  

To address the Corona crisis, the German government has developed an economic stimulus and future package that includes two billion euros to support quantum technologies and quantum computing. This budget is distributed across several agencies, of which the BMWi is responsible for 878 million euros. In its press release, the ministry highlights further funding of projects, interacting with PlanQK: "50 million euros will be added to the already ongoing funding measure PlanQK - Platform and Ecosystem for Quantum-Based Artificial Intelligence. The funds will be used to open up further application potentials of quantum computing in industry and to create easy access to expertise and algorithms, especially for SMEs."

The PlanQK consortium is excited about this additional funding for the application of quantum computing in Germany. Prof. Dr. Frank Leymann, Scientific Director of PlanQK, and Andreas Liebing, PlanQK Consortium Leader, agree: "The idea of PlanQK was to create an open ecosystem where further activities can be established. We are happy to have achieved this first step and, in addition to our own developments, look forward to collaborating with exciting other players and use cases."

The complete press release of the BMWi can be found here: https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Pressemitteilungen/2021/05/20210511-BMWi-foerdert-Quantentechnologien-mit-878-Millionen-Euro.html

The Berlin-based company Quantum on Demand (QoD Technologies GmbH) has become a new associated partner of PlanQK since April 2021. By combining its expertise in the field of quantum-based chemistry simulation and the potential of the PlanQK platform, the company aims to provide new companies with access to corresponding services.

"With Quantum on Demand, we gain another exciting partner and user of the PlanQK platform. The field of quantum chemistry simulation is considered one of the fields with the first industrial usability of quantum computers, so we are particularly pleased to accompany this advance together with Quantum on Demand and our platform" says Andreas Liebing, CEO StoneOne AG and consortium leader PlanQK.

The text of Quantum on Demand's press release can be found here: https://www.quantum-on-demand.com/qod-is-a-new-associate-partner-of-planqk/

"Through our software solution, research and development in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry can be significantly accelerated. In addition, our qod.cloud platform makes it possible to significantly reduce the costs of laboratory experiments through simulations," explains Dr. Marcel Quennet, CEO and one of the three founders of QoD Technologies GmbH (Quantum on Demand). "We are extremely pleased to have found another strong partner for our company in PlanQK, with whom we can develop and publish new use cases in the field of quantum computing and quantum-based chemistry simulations."

In March, the PlanQK consortium met again for a virtual consortium meeting. In addition to an overview of current work, the focus was on the orchestration of quantum-classical applications.

Highlight of the event was the official introduction and welcome of the four new consortium partners Deutsche Bahn AG, Komm.One AöR, Smart Reporting GmbH and Virality GmbH. Collaboration with these new partners on the additional use cases and platform components was made possible by the PlanQK extension and naturally began even before the consortium meeting at the level of the working complexes. With the successful start of the beta phase for the platform use within the consortium relevant findings are also continuously being collected - both in the development team for adaptation to the needs of the users, as well as from the users themselves. At the same time, the processing of the use cases is also making great progress, so that the first applications can likely be made available on the marketplace in the second half of the year.

Based on the plans made by the PlanQK management team in January, consortium meetings and partner events have already been scheduled for the year. Taking into account the current situation, these are all planned virtually at least until the beginning of the second half of the year. This overview of activities was also accompanied and appreciated by representatives of the accompanying research and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

One of the new platform components was discussed in detail in the forum at the end of the meeting. Under the leadership of the University of Stuttgart, PlanQK will develop a workflow orchestration of hybrid quantum-classical applications. This will enable developers to incorporate software elements into their applications without necessarily having to program them in detail themselves. This support will greatly simplify access to the actual development of programs for current and future quantum computers, which must be tightly integrated with classical computers.

Exciting keynotes and breakout sessions on the progress of PlanQK and the possibilities of quantum-assisted artificial intelligence.

‍

More than 130 associated partners and interested parties took the opportunity to learn about PlanQK and quantum-assisted artificial intelligence last Friday. They were welcomed by the consortium leader and scientific director, Andreas Liebing and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Frank Leymann, who presented the vision and progress of PlanQK. Afterwards, Dr. Matthias Rosenkranz from PlanQK's associated partner Cambridge Quantum Computing gave a keynote on the fundamentals of Quantum Machine Learning.

During the fair, participants had the opportunity to attend one of four breakout sessions to engage in direct discussions with PlanQK partners on the application of quantum-assisted artificial intelligence. To this end, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft offered "Providers of Quantum Computing Solutions," an exciting roundtable talk by various hardware providers who presented their individual perspectives on the state of development and the resources that will soon be available. In parallel, self-help was offered in the breakout session "Discovering QKI potential yourself" in which Accenture conveyed methods based on PlanQK results on how problems in companies can be examined for their QKI potential. The third breakout session, "Quantum Boost for Optimization - Current and Future Feasibility", led by Deutsche Bahn, covered application examples that already demonstrate the use of quantum computing in the field of optimization, while d-fine and Frankfurt Consulting Engineers highlighted the longer-term potential of quantum computing in "What Does the Quantum Future Look Like?".

Finally, the most important issues of each session were discussed by a large panel of experts in the forum. In addition to Andreas Liebing and Frank Leymann, the PlanQK partners Prof. Dr. Claudia Linnhoff-Popien, Prof. Dr. Adrian Paschke, Manfred Rieck, Tim Leonhardt and Daniel Herr contributed to a successful conclusion with their experiences.

‍

The company ControlExpert is now an associated partner of PlanQK. As an expert in the field of automotive claims management, the goal is to find ways in which quantum-assisted artificial intelligence can support these activities.

"We are pleased to have ControlExpert on board as a new associated partner of the PlanQK project. We are excited to see how quantum-assisted AI can support ControlExpert's expertise around the automotive claims handling processes" says Andreas Liebing, CEO StoneOne AG and consortium leader PlanQK

The text of ControlExpert's press release can be found here.

‍

The PlanQK project (Platform and Ecosystem for Quantum-Assisted Artificial Intelligence) will receive a significantly higher funding volume from 2021 onwards and gains four additional consortium partners. As a result of these innovations, nearly 30 quantum applications from a wide range of industries will now be brought to the platform, for which additional components will also be developed.

The PlanQK consortium, which was launched in 2020, will receive additional funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy - a total of around 35 million euros will be invested in the lighthouse project of the AI innovation competition. Under the leadership of the Berlin-based software company StoneOne AG and the University of Stuttgart, this provides the  opportunity to work on even more use cases through new consortium partners and to provide new development tools for applications in the field of quantum-assisted artificial intelligence. To this end, four additional partners with new use cases are added to the PlanQK consortium: With Deutsche Bahn AG, the municipal IT service provider Komm.ONE (AöR), the medical diagnostics company Smart Reporting GmbH and the software agency Virality GmbH, experts from different industries and with new approaches will enrich the work of the consortium.

To demonstrate the practical applicability of PlanQK and quantum applications in the industrial sector, the consortium will use the additional funding to significantly increase the number of research fields. Not only the new partners bring exciting ideas, but also existing partners expand the spectrum. In total, almost 30 application areas are being researched, ranging from chemistry, public administration, health and education to energy, finance, manufacturing, transport, telecommunications and customer service, thus also underlining the diversity of the consortium.

During the past year, PlanQK has helped increase understanding and readiness for quantum computing and artificial intelligence in the business community by providing webinars and other knowledge-sharing formats. To further support this growing community, which is now over 60 institutions strong, the expansion will explore additional insights into quantum algorithms, the required knowledge profiles and dedicated development tools to enable the usability of this technology for all beneficiaries - in the public, academic and industrial sector.

‍

In the "Quantum Landscape Outlook 2021", PlanQK is listed as a lighthouse project of the German research and development landscape in the field of quantum computing. Particular emphasis is placed on the focus of the applicability of quantum computing. The Quantum Landscape Outlook 2021 is a summary of developments in 2020 to educate economic actors in particular about global trends.

The complete report can be viewed at the following link: https://www.factbasedinsight.com/quantum-landscape-outlook-2021/

PlanQK is proud to have earned a place on this list with its work. As one of the winners of the AI Innovation Competition of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, we are developing both the foundation and the platform for building a community around quantum-assisted artificial intelligence. The aim is to create easy access to expertise, algorithms and implementations/apps; especially for SMEs, which can hardly cope with the high investment effort for establishing quantum-assisted artificial intelligence in their business models. The platform is particularly easy to integrate into customer systems due to the simple executability of apps on all common quantum computing providers and the use of standardized connections. The results of our work are regularly shared beyond the consortium and have led to over 40 additional associated partners.

‍

The British company Cambridge Quantum Computing (CQC) is a new associated partner of PlanQK. With its approach of an open platform, PlanQK intends to support the international exchange of specialists in the area of quantum-assisted artificial intelligence.

“We are excited to be joined by CQC as an associated partner of the PlanQK project. CQC is a pioneer in leveraging quantum applications for its customers and as such a great partner in the further development of our quantum ecosystem. We are looking forward to the application of the PlanQK platform to help CQC in serving its diverse customer base and to collaborate on the development of further features.” commented Andreas Liebing, CEO of StoneOne AG and Consortium Lead of PlanQK.

You can find the full text of the press release here: https://cambridgequantum.com/cambridge-quantum-partners-with-planqk-to-develop-a-platform-and-ecosystem-for-quantum-assisted-artificial-intelligence/

At the end of 2020, the entire PlanQK consortium team met in December for the fourth and final overall meeting - again virtually, of course. In addition to the 15 partners, representatives of the DLR project management agency and the accompanying research also took part. This enabled a lively exchange not only about the progress made during the year, but also solved queries about administrative aspects of the consortium work at short notice.

In the morning, the time in the plenum was used to look at the progress according to the project plan in the different work complexes. In addition to the already completed work complex 1, the work of all partners in the areas of quantum algorithms, use cases, platform, access to quantum computers, and community were presented by the respective work complex responsible. In all cases, the work complexes are right on schedule, allowing us an optimistic outlook into 2021.

In addition to the general information in the morning, the afternoon was again used to present and discuss individual topics in detail. After the successful demo during the last consortium meeting, the team of the University of Stuttgart and StoneOne could now release the first prototypes of the platform for beta use within the consortium. In addition to a demo of the features available to beta tester, the rollout plan was also discussed and finalized. In a second presentation, the team of the Ludwig-Maximilian-University presented the processes for the use of quantum computing resources that were decided in the PlanQK Management Team Meeting. Due to the partnership work within the consortium, partners can now use 5 different backends to further develop their use cases and research projects before they then run completely on the PlanQK platform in 2021.

‍

Karlsruhe – 11.July 2024 – Kipu Quantum, the worldwide leading quantum software company, announced today the strategic acquisition of PlanQK, the German quantum computing platform successfully built and commercialized by Anaqor AG. Along with its platform, key members of its team of experts joined Kipu Quantum to lead the way in making useful quantum computing accessible to organizations of all sizes, including industrial, academic, and governmental ones. This shrewd move follows Kipu Quantum’s successful €11.4 million second closing of the seed funding round led by HV Capital and DTCF in late 2023.

The well-established and industry-recognized PlanQK platform with a constantly growing quantum ecosystem of more than 100 organizations enhances accessibility to quantum computing across various sectors, serving a broad range of users from leading companies such as BASF, DB Systel GmbH, T-LABS and TRUMPF.  

The acquisition will drastically accelerate the commercialization of Kipu application- and hardware-specific algorithms, as services through the PlanQK platform, enabling frictionless access for organizations to integrate quantum solutions into their existing processes.

Combining their strengths, Kipu Quantum and the PlanQK team are set to greatly enhance quantum computing accessibility across various industries, including pharmaceuticals, chemicals, logistics, and finance, accelerating these sectors towards achieving quantum advantage.

Strategic Integration for Accelerated Growth

Kipu Quantum's CEO, Daniel Volz, stated, “Kipu Quantum's massively compressed algorithms enable the use of today's quantum processors across multiple industries to solve industrially sized problems, without waiting a decade for massive quantum computers. Our work with customers such as BASF, DLR, and MasOrange has demonstrated that this is feasible. Making our world-leading algorithm services accessible through the PlanQK platform will make our capabilities available to a much wider audience.”

Michael Falkenthal, lead architect of PlanQK platform stated, “By merging our deep technical expertise and strengths with Kipu Quantum, we aim to deliver unparalleled value and accelerate access to quantum computing capabilities sooner than anticipated.PlanQK will remain an open, community-driven platform, enhanced by our partnerships and research initiatives to support all quantum innovators.Together, we will facilitate seamless integration of quantum solutions into existing organizational processes, significantly broadening the reach and application of advanced quantum technologies."

Enrique Solano, co-founder and Chief VisionaryOfficer of Kipu Quantum emphasized, ”We are delighted to welcome the elite team of PlanQK, bolstering our capabilities. We share the mission to achieve a first demonstration of quantum advantage. We appreciate the unique qualities and talents our new colleagues bring to achieve this mission by 2026. Together, we are here to make history and make useful quantum computing as soon as possible.”

Era of Useful Quantum Computing

Alexandra Beckstein, CEO and co-founder of QAI Ventures, whose Swiss-based accelerator program KIPU graduated in 2023, commented, “We highly appreciate the strategic move in acquiring the PlanQK platform. This confirms Kipu’s commitment to the era of useful quantum computing and positions the company as a frontrunner.Their innovative methods will enhance the ability to deliver high-impact quantum solutions and drive significant advancements in complex real-life computational processes. We will continue to support their journey towards business-relevant quantum computing.”

About Kipu

Kipu Quantum is a German company that operates at the intersection of quantum computer hardware and application software layers, developing disruptive application-and hardware-specific quantum algorithms for a wide range of industries. These algorithms are based on a one-of-a-kind compression technology that requires orders of magnitude less quantum processor resources to solve a given problem than comparable approaches. Kipu Quantum’s technology has the potential to solve industry- relevant problems in the order of 1,000 physical qubits and is compatible with any leading quantum hardware. The company is currently testing its technology with customers in the pharmaceutical, chemical, logistics and financial industries.

About PlanQK

PlanQK is thef irst open community-powered platform and ecosystem for quantum applications, connecting developers, industrial users, researchers, and quantum hardware providers with a platform for the integration, deployment, development, and monetization of quantum services. With over 30 successfully tested use cases and more than 100 partners, PlanQK, is a pioneer in the field of quantum platforms. Initiated in 2019 and supported through a research grant by theGerman Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Affairs it has been continuously developed in collaboration with leading universities and companies.

Presscontact:
Joanna Folberth
joanna.folberth@kipu-quantum.com

www.kipu-quantum.com

www.planqk.de

‍

Also in this quarter the 15 PlanQK consortium partners used virtual conference rooms to hold the regular consortium meeting. After the positive experience in May, the number of breakout sessions was increased again to allow for detailed discussions.

In line with the overall project planning, the requirements analysis was completed in June 2020, thus creating a detailed catalog of requirements that defines the needs of the different user groups for the PlanQK platform. These requirements were presented and are now the basis for further development work on the platform and use cases. As a further insight from the completed requirements analysis, the different use cases were uniformly summarized in order to discuss the versatility of the applicability of quantum-supported artificial intelligence with third parties. In addition to this excellent progress, the work in the other working complexes was also discussed together. Here, too, progress was made according to plan; in particular, first demonstrations of use case applications were particularly well received by the entire consortium.

The first two breakout sessions took place in the afternoon: In one breakout session, the team from the University of Stuttgart and StoneOne presented a first version of the platform to demonstrate important aspects such as functionality, customer journey and user experience. Furthermore, the goal of this session went beyond the mere presentation, but also aimed at soliciting feedback for improvement from the consortium to further enhance data models and design. The extensive feedback once again proved the advantage of the different backgrounds of the many consortium partners. In the other breakout session the consortium-internal use of quantum computer simulators was discussed.

On Friday morning the morning was used for additional parallel breakout sessions. Techniques were discussed to account for the inherent instability of today's quantum computers (‘NISQ era’) in the development of applications for quantum-assisted artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the current state of research of quantum algorithms was discussed in detail to enable their use in use cases.

‍

There are a number of development environments (or SDKs - Software Development Kits [1]) for quantum software (see [2], [3]): IBM offers QisKit, Rigetti provides Forest, DWave provides Ocean, etc. The development environments of these manufacturers of quantum computers generally only support their own hardware. In order to avoid being committed to a single hardware, such manufacturers, who do not have their own quantum hardware in their portfolio, offer development environments that can be used to develop programs that can run on several quantum computers: Microsoft provides the Quantum Development Kit QDK, Zapata offers Orchestra, etc. There are also open source SDKs such as ProjectQ. Relatively late (since August 2020) Amazon has now also offered a quantum SDK called Braket, which supports hardware from Rigetti, DWave and IonQ.

PlanQK follows a completely different path. First of all, PlanQK is not a development environment for quantum software. On the contrary, it is absolutely SDK neutral: The quantum software provided in PlanQK can be created with any such quantum SDK: In the adjacent figure these SDKs are shown in the red dotted area in the bottom center.  This neutrality is achieved by PlanQK's emphasis on the concept of patterns, i.e. proven solutions to recurring problems in the domain of quantum computing. By definition, the solutions provided in such patterns are implementation and vendor neutral. A pattern then refers to possibly different implementations created by "any" quantum SDK.

Also, realizations of applications in the field of quantum computing generally require the solution of several problems. In PlanQK, however, the patterns are networked into a pattern language and complex problems are solved by passing through these networked patterns and obtaining individual solutions to the sub-problems. Furthermore, today's solutions of quantum computing problems are hybrid software, consisting of several "modules" of classical software as well as possibly several "modules" of quantum circuits. In PlanQK all these modules can run in different environments of several manufacturers and are even deployed by PlanQK.

Furthermore, PlanQK focuses on relevant use cases of the industrial partners: this way, knowledge is built up for which (sub)problems quantum computers can realistically be used today or in a few years, and especially how this use is done [4]. The single steps of this utilization are directly supported by PlanQK. At the same time there are components in PlanQK that evaluate quantum algorithms by assessing which quantum computers are likely to be successful.

[1]  https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Development_Kit

[2]  Frank Leymann, Johanna Barzen, Michael Falkenthal, Daniel Vietz, Benjamin Weder, et al. 2020. Quantum in the Cloud: Application Potentials and Research Opportunities. In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Cloud Computing and Service Science (CLOSER 2020). SciTePress, 9–24.

[3]  LaRose, M., 2019. Overview and Comparison of Gate Level Quantum Software Platforms. arXiv:1807.02500v2.

[4]  Frank Leymann, Johanna Barzen (2020): The bitter truth about gate-based quantum algorithms in the NISQ era. In: Quantum Sci. Technol. 2020.

‍

The Association of the Software, Information and Communications Industry in Berlin and Brandenburg e.V. (SIBB) is a new associated partner of the PlanQK project. As the association of the digital economy in Berlin and Brandenburg, the SIBB represents more than 250 companies and academic institutions of all sizes. PlanQK thus gains a strong regional partner for interaction with economic and political decision makers.

The SIBB offers various expert forums, further education programs and event series. In the future, these interaction formats will enable members to discuss and evaluate PlanQK results in the field of quantum-assisted artificial intelligence.

‍

Two of the manufacturers of large quantum computer systems, IBM and Google, have published ambitious roadmaps in quick succession for the availability of systems with significantly more qubits than today. In mid-September, IBM presented its current development strategy in its Reasearch Blog, which envisages a continuous increase in the number of Qubits in the next quantum chips up to 1121 Qubits in the Condor model by 2023. In addition, these developments are intended to lay the foundation for the perspective development of systems with more than 1 million qubits by the end of the 2020s. Google has committed itself to a similar goal: In this year's summer symposium, the goal was announced to develop a system with 1 million qubits by 2029. In contrast, quantum computer systems available today range from 50 to 80 qubits.

The PlanQK project expressly welcomes these developments and wishes both the two manufacturers mentioned above as well as all other developers of quantum computer systems every success in opening up new possibilities. The availability of large quantum computer systems ensures that applications such as quantum-assisted artificial intelligence will soon be available for widespread use. In addition, the competition represents an advantage for all future users, enabling them to use the corresponding applications cost-effectively. PlanQK supports the development of the currently evolving ecosystem by connecting users, solution partners, experts and hardware providers on one platform to enable the efficient use of quantum computer systems by running both user-specific and generally available applications.

‍

For two days the 15 PlanQK consortium partners met in virtual conference rooms in May 2020 to discuss progress on the consortium level and breakout sessions were used to work in smaller groups on detailed topics. With the help of virtual coffee breaks the informal exchange could be facilitated.

At the beginning the PlanQK management team gave an overview of the current status of the consortium work. In particular, the ongoing negotiations with several suppliers of quantum computers were reported, this topic will continue to be vigorously pursued by the management team. In addition, the accompanying research had invited to several workshops on the topic of business model development in April. Due to the corona-related relocation of these workshops to virtual space, the number of participants had to be reduced in order to ensure a high degree of interactivity. Thus the consortium meeting was used to discuss the results within the whole consortium.

Subsequently, the status of the individual working complexes was presented. These work complexes form the organisational structure of the project and each of them represents certain sub-goals. Examples are the analysis of quantum algorithms, the processing of the use cases, the architecture of the platform or the exploitation on the market. In normal consortium work, each consortium partner contributes according to its own expertise in the relevant work complexes. Therefore, the opportunity was taken enthusiastically to present and discuss the state of the developments to all.

In the afternoon and the next day, the remaining time was used for intensive work in small groups in breakout sessions. In the first forum, the development status of the platform and especially the underlying data model was discussed. In the meantime, the requirements were refined and important decisions for the design of the platform were made. In further small groups the use cases were discussed in detail to incorporate the knowledge of all consortium partners. A special focus was the transformation of the problem definition into a mathematical formulation. This is necessary to enable the creation of code suitable for quantum computers.

Several exciting webinars await you in the next quarter. You will receive the invitations about 2 weeks before the date through our Community Manager David Niehaus. Please also visit our meeting point regularly to make sure not to miss any updates.

02.07.2020 | 11:00 - 12:30 | Webinar

Prof. Dr. Frank Leymann: "Fundamental Quantum Algorithms 1: Quantum Fourier Transformation and Phase Determination

In this first of two parts, Prof. Dr. Frank Leymann from the University of Stuttgart presents fundamental quantum algorithms. During the webinar, quantum Fourier transformations as well as phase determination are mathematically derived and their fields of application are discussed.

Recommended previous knowledge: Advanced

23.07.2020 | 11:00 - 12:30 | Webinar

Prof. Dr. Frank Leymann: "Fundamental quantum algorithms 2: HHL, VQE and QAOA".

In this second part of Prof. Dr. Frank Leymann's webinar series, further fundamental quantum algorithms are presented. HHL, VQE and QAOA are of special NISQ relevance and will be mathematically derived and discussed with respect to their fields of application.

Recommended previous knowledge: Advanced

20.08.2020 | 11:00 - 12:00 | Webinar

Jan Wender: "The Atos Quantum Program and the Quantum Learning Machine

At the end of 2015, the "Atos Quantum R&D" programme was launched by the then CEO Thierry Breton at Atos. The program consists of a Quantum Computing (QC) development department and a Scientific Council, where renowned scientists steer the direction of the program and evaluate the results. This presentation will introduce the Atos Quantum R&D program and in particular the first product that emerged from it, the Quantum Learning Machine (QLM). Based on the observation that it is not yet clear how a practical quantum computer can actually be implemented, but at the same time there is a need for a device to develop QC programs, the most powerful simulator for QC has been developed. The lecture will conclude with a demonstration of the use of QLM.

Recommended previous knowledge: Beginners

17.09.2020 | 11:00 - 12:30 | Webinar

Dr. Jan Reiner: "Simulation of quantum mechanical systems using quantum computers".

This webinar will explain the issues and problems of simulating quantum mechanical systems on conventional computers, how to map these simulations to a quantum computer and what the benefits are. The concrete algorithmic implementations on the quantum computer will also be compared with other discussed applications for the quantum computer, such as solving optimization problems, with a special focus on feasibility in the NISQ era. This is followed by a short overview and outlook on the work and ideas of HQS Quantum Simulations on the topic of quantum mechanical simulation.

Recommended previous knowledge: Advanced

‍

Not only is the sheer volume of data stored and processed worldwide constantly increasing. The complexity of the tasks to be solved is increasing to the same extent. Portfolio optimization, risk management and fraud detection in the financial sector, the evaluation of network capacities in the energy industry or the development of new vaccines and drugs in the pharmaceutical sector are just a few examples. The race for even more powerful hardware with the aim of developing new applications or optimizing existing ones is becoming increasingly intense. Now it is entering a new dimension: quantum computing.

Until now, all further developments in the hardware sector have been based on classic digital technology. Technically, interfaces changed and power requirements varied, but basic parameters such as cooling to 20-25 degrees Celsius, power connections with 230/400V or infrastructure with fiber optic or copper cables remained the same. NTT colocation data centres are ideally prepared for these requirements: The companies are given space in a secure, highly available environment. Their own hardware can be quickly and easily connected to the infrastructures of carriers or public cloud providers. In Europe, NTT Global Data Centers EMEA offers highly available data centers at seventeen locations. In the Rhine-Main region alone - with Europe's largest Internet hub in Frankfurt - more than 65,000 m2 of space is available. All NTT data centers guarantee an uninterruptible power and emergency power supply, redundant cooling and air conditioning systems, a central security management system and comprehensive fire-fighting and fire protection systems. But do they also meet the requirements of quantum computers?

The use of quantum computers requires a general rethink. The qubits used can assume more states than "0" and "1", generating them requires a completely new technology and the resulting infrastructure requirements still have to be defined. There are no reliable standards yet, many questions are still open. Will quantum computers be adapted to existing standards or will separate standards be set which then have to be implemented?

In order to pave the way for a standardized use of space for quantum computers, NTT initiated a project in the Technology Experience Lab that brings together experts in classical data center infrastructure and specialists in quantum technology. The project uses the example of quantum applications, e.g. in the financial sector, to determine and research the framework conditions that a computer centre must offer in the future for the use of quantum computers and how these can be efficiently implemented:

• Size of the parking space or rack and its access
• Maximum distance between rack units during operation
• Cooling temperature and coolant
• Electromagnetic shielding
• Flexibility in mixed operation with traditional hardware
• Connection types and transmission speeds

The Technology Experience Lab provides a secure infrastructure for testing and validating innovative technologies and processes. More than 140 partners offer their technologies and applications in the Technology Experience Lab in this easy and quickly usable environment. Pre-built use cases allow you to experiment without making long-term commitments or jeopardizing a production environment. This platform is ideal for building and testing new options in quantum technology.

Companies that would like to get involved in this topic at an early stage are invited to contact the Technology Experience Lab project team.

‍

Not only against the background of the current corona crisis we want to keep the community online up to date and report on new trends and developments.

The first webinar on 14.4. at 11:00 a.m. is specifically aimed at associated partners and interested parties, whom we would like to inform in particular about community building. In addition, we have further webinars that will introduce the topic of quantum-supported artificial intelligence to interested parties and address dedicated current problems for already advanced interested parties. For example, the webinar Quantum Platforms and Programming Languages on 16.4. at 11:00 a.m. will provide an overview of quantum platforms currently on the market. The webinar on May 7th at 11:00 a.m. will give an introduction to the topic of optimization using quantum computers based on the approaches of quantum annealing. An introduction to variable quantum algorithms will follow on 22.5. at 11:00 am. For those who are already advanced, the webinar Quantum Computing in the NISQ Era on June 4 at 11:00 a.m. is dedicated to a classification of the speedup of quantum algorithms on NISQ computers.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Frank Leymann, University of Stuttgart: Quantum platforms and programming languages (16.04.2020 at 11 am, target group: beginners, duration: 60 min)

This lecture gives an overview of the quantum platforms and programming languages currently available on the market. The platforms and their core functionalities are presented. Furthermore, the supported programming languages and libraries will be discussed.

Christoph Roch, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich: Introduction to Quantum Annealing and Annealer-based optimization (07.05.2020 at 11 am, target group: beginners, duration: 60 min.)

In a lecture of about 60 minutes, the basics of Quantum Annealing are presented. A consistent scenario is used to explain how optimization problems can be solved by a quantum annealer. In particular, the coding of the problem into a binary quadratic model is explained and a demo shows how this model has to be prepared for processing on the D-Wave Quantum Annealer in order to be executed.

Johannes Meyer, Freie Universität Berlin: Introduction to Variational Quantum Algorithms (29.05.2020 at 11 am, target group: beginners, duration: 60 min.)

In this lecture, an intuitive understanding of qubits and quantum gates is given first. Building on this, the differences to classical computing are explained and the special properties of a quantum computer such as superposition, entanglement and decoherence are discussed. These are mirrored to limitations of current quantum hardware. Derived from this, the approach of variable quantum algorithms is explained and the applicability on current quantum hardware is demonstrated with an example.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Frank Leymann, University of Stuttgart: The bitter truth about quantum algorithms in the NISQ era (04.06.2020 at 11 am, target group: advanced students, duration: 90 min)

Many quantum algorithms promise a significant speedup over classical approaches. However, we are currently still in the NISQ era of quantum computing, i.e. current quantum computers are still error-prone and do not have any error correction capabilities. Therefore, this talk deals with the limitations of NISQ computers and highlights factors that have an essential influence on the (successful) execution of quantum algorithms in the NISQ era. One of these aspects is, for example, the state preparation of data in the quantum computer, or in other words: How do you get the data to be processed into the quantum computer?

‍

On March 9 and 10, the first working meetings of the working complexes "Use Cases" and "Platform Architecture" took place at Freie Universität Berlin. The addressed use cases were further analyzed and elaborated and comprehensive, but also complementary approaches were identified.

Methodologically, a business model canvas was prepared for each use case, which is to serve as an essential control instrument for further design. In order to ensure that the use cases developed in PlanQK and implemented later on reflect the current need for innovation in the economy, potential customers were identified, placed in the focus and a concrete and measurable benefit and value per use case was derived. In addition to economic aspects, the underlying technical issues were also discussed and projected onto the applicability of various QKI procedures (Quantum Supported Artificial Intelligence = QKI). The focus of this consideration was also the assessment of the processability of the application-specific data, especially with regard to legal issues such as conformity with the DSGVO. Here, the PlanQK consortium ensures at an early stage that no legal hurdles arise in the project for the implementation of the intended use cases.

PlanQK's main goal is to reduce the barriers to entry into the complex field of quantum-assisted artificial intelligence, especially for SMEs and thus for many innovative German small and medium-sized enterprises. Therefore the interaction of the core components of the PlanQK platform has been defined and thus forms the conceptual foundation for the future implementation of the PlanQK platform. In addition to a marketplace for QKI applications, services and consulting, the platform will also be a community-driven knowledge and discussion platform on the topic of quantum-supported artificial intelligence.

This working meeting was accompanied and supported by technical lectures on associated topics such as modelling and coding of problems for execution and solution on quantum annealers as well as on the expressivity of quantum circuits and the superiority of quantum computers compared to classical computers in general.

The PlanQK Consortium aims to establish a community on quantum-assisted artificial intelligence in Germany in addition to the PlanQK platform. Therefore, we are currently planning activities and events to make this complex topic tangible and understandable for interested parties, including an introduction to quantum computing by Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Frank Leymann, Director of the Institute for Architecture of Application Systems at the University of Stuttgart. Starting in April, the topic of community building and networking will be given even more emphasis in PlanQK.

Further information about these and other events will be available on our PlanQK homepage Link Meeting Point.

‍

With main incubator GmbH, another associated partner could be inspired for PlanQK. The main incubator GmbH is the R&D unit of the Commerzbank Group and currently focuses on applications from the financial sector, which are to be supported and implemented by approaches of quantum-supported artificial intelligence.

Since 2013, main incubator has been researching future technologies and developing prototypes that create added value for the bank and its customers. In addition, main incubator is active as one of the world's leading VC investors in the financial services sector.

main incubator is the strategic early-stage investor and the research and development unit of Commerzbank Group. It examines future technologies relevant to the economy and society and develops sustainable solutions on the basis of these. The future technologies which are currently being examined more closely by the main incubator are Additive printing processes, cross reality, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, networks, robotics and quantum computing. Alone or in cooperation with cross-industry partners, prototypes are being developed, which in the further course of time could result in marketable products, services or infrastructures for Commerzbank and its customers.

In 2019, main incubator successfully completed a proof of concept in the area of liquidity management together with Fujitsu and its quantum computer-inspired Digital Annealer. The aim of this project was to create a more optimized selection and bundling of receivables from leasing contracts for motor vehicles.

The selection of suitable individual receivables is problematic when securitizing such a portfolio. From an enormous number of receivables, a certain number must be selected, which is also subject to additional regulations.

With this PoC it was shown that it is possible to find an optimum of a selected portfolio. In addition to a higher quality of the selection process, companies can also save an enormous amount of time in the calculation of this portfolio.

In addition, research is being conducted on further solutions to optimization problems as well as on machine learning algorithms, including on D-Wave's Quantum Annealer and IBM's and Rigettis Quantum Computer.

‍

More about Main Incubato can be found here under the link.

‍

At the end of January, the representatives of all 15 consortium partners of the new funding project PlanQK (Platform and Ecosystem for Quantum-Assisted Artificial Intelligence) met for the first time for a 2-day kick-off at the University of Stuttgart. About 50 participants took part in the lively discussion, presented their strategies and use cases and decided on first concrete activities and the further roadmap for the coming months.

The PlanQK (Platform and Ecosystem for Quantum-Assisted Artificial Intelligence) project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, started on 1 January 2020 and is designed for a funding period of 36 months. In addition to StoneOne as consortium leader and the University of Stuttgart, which is responsible for the scientific management, other scientific institutions and companies are participating in this forward-looking project. In addition to large companies, such as Accenture or Deutsche Telekom, medium-sized companies, such as the machine tool manufacturer TRUMPF or Bundesdruckerei, and also small companies (SME) are represented. For example, the engineering company FCE Frankfurt Consulting Engineers or the specialists from the start-up company HQS Quantum Simulations are represented.

First, the eight participating Use Case Partners presented their concrete scenarios. In the case of (sheet metal) production, for example, when an order is received it must be decided how parts are to be distributed on raw material sheets and when which of these raw material sheets are to be processed on which machine. Of course, the restrictions of the problems must be observed, e.g. a machine can only process one sheet at a time, the number of machines is given and an order must be completed within the scheduled time. This use case can be treated as a decision making problem using Quantum-enhanced Reinforcement Learning or as a linear equation system using HHL. Another Use Case deals with water anomaly detection in public buildings, specifically

Detection of pipe bursts and other faulty operating conditions via noises on the main water supply line. The early detection of pipe bursts, for example in sports halls and schools, is of great importance for administrations and insurance companies because of the potentially high damage amounts. A Quantum Support Vector Machine, for example, can be used here as an application in the area of predictive maintenance.

Afterwards StoneOne and the research partners presented the marketplace and their main focus. Finally, the third part of the round of presentations was given by the consulting firms with their focus on PlanQK-based services. The day ended with a matchmaking of users and implementers.

On the second day, various organizational issues were discussed, especially the timing and the future community management. Especially the establishment of a PlanQK community and the involvement of many stakeholders, especially beyond the consortium, is an essential part of this lighthouse project. The accompanying research by the VDI/VDE, which plays an important role when it comes to the communication or development of new business models, was also presented here.

The University of Stuttgart then gave a first insight into the planned platform architecture. In various breakout sessions, the focus was on the implementation and realisation of the individual use cases, algorithms and the refinement of the architecture.

On March 9th and 10th the first meeting in the circle of associated partners followed at the consortium partner Fraunhofer FOKUS in Berlin. Here, too, we expect representatives of about 30 other small, medium and large companies as well as parties interested in PlanQK. In addition to the presentation of the project, the main focus will be on use cases, problems, expectations and solutions of the future community. On the second day, quantum platforms will be presented in general, followed by a discussion of potential business models.

Those interested in the kick-off can still apply for a place at info@stoneone.de.

StoneOne and the University of Stuttgart presented the new project PlanQK (Platform and Ecosystem for Quantum-Assisted Artificial Intelligence) to a broad public for the first time at the Digital Summit in Dortmund on October 28 and 29. A physical quantum system from IBM attracted the interest of the visitors at the stand. IBM is an associated partner of PlanQK and contributes appropriate hardware.

The Digital Summit (formerly the National IT Summit) and its infra-annual process is seen as the central platform for cooperation between politics, business, science and society in shaping digital change. The summit process was organized into ten platforms that took up important fields of action in the course of digitization and developed concrete projects.

Under the motto "PlattFORM DIE ZUKUNFT", this year's summit focused on digital platforms.

> More information on the Digital Summit 2019

‍

15 companies and scientific institutions will implement the project "PlanQK: Platform and Ecosystem for Quantum-Assisted Artificial Intelligence" under the guidance of the University of Stuttgart and StoneOne. The aim of the project is to combine artificial intelligence and quantum computing in order to open up innovative applications, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy will support the project with an investment volume of 19 million euros within the framework of the "AI Innovation Competition".

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only revolutionizing the economy, but has far-reaching effects on all areas of our lives. However, current computer technologies quickly reach their limits in very complex tasks. Quantum computing is clearly superior to classical computers in this respect: Quantum computers are not only faster, but can also solve problems that are practically unsolvable for traditional computers.

However, the barriers to entry are very high for both AI and quantum computing, especially if both technologies are to be used together: This requires both extensive and well-founded expertise in the respective fields and experience in handling both technologies in combination. Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular are only able to build up this know-how themselves to a very limited extent, especially in view of the shortage of skilled workers, which is even greater in the fields of AI and quantum computing than in conventional technologies.

PlanQK will create a platform for quantum-supported artificial intelligence (QKI) and the development of a corresponding community. The project is intended to make an early contribution to providing companies with easy access to expertise, algorithms and implementations for the use of quantum computing. The PlanQK platform provides the technical basis for building a community and will include QKI algorithms, applications and data pools as well as the integration of different quantum computers. To this end, StoneOne will significantly expand its digital platform and integrate the various QKI services and orchestrate processes.

More than 130 consortia from science and industry submitted concept ideas for the innovation competition "Artificial Intelligence as a Driver for Economically Relevant Ecosystems" of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi). 16 consortia were ultimately selected, including the PlanQK project, an interdisciplinary cooperation of experts from the fields of computer science and quantum physics. In addition to four research partners, eleven well-known small, medium-sized and large companies as well as numerous associated partners from research and industry are participating.

‍