Zapata Partners on Research Quantum Computing for Pharma

Quantum AI specialist Zapata Computing has agreed with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) to investigate how quantum computing can create near-term value for pharmaceutical manufacturers.

The initiative will begin in late 2023 and explore real-world commercial applications and use cases in life sciences. The research will help lay the groundwork for addressing more significant pharmaceutical manufacturing challenges with quantum technology.

The collaboration will be led by DTU's chemical and biochemical engineering department, which will assign a Ph.D. student to conduct use case research and pilot application.

The research team will use Zapata’s Orquestra platform, which includes open-source libraries and the company's proprietary methods. It aims to create hybrid quantum-classical computing techniques and algorithms for applications in biotechnology, (bio)pharma, renewable materials/chemicals, and other fields. The team will experimentally validate its methods to create a new, more affordable solution.  

The research will rely on Zapata's proprietary technology and involve stakeholders from the Danish and Nordic biotech and biopharma sectors to demonstrate proof of concept for quantum technologies. The project team aims to identify potential use cases that it can validate and benchmark at a pilot scale for bio-manufacturing processes at DTU Chemical Engineering.

Related:Zapata, L3Harris, DARPA Team on Quantum Testing

“This collaboration presents us with an opportunity to dig deeper into specific pharmaceutical manufacturing challenges and pinpoint ways that generative AI and quantum technology can have an impact, both near term and in the future. We’re excited about the potential of this collaboration and what it could mean for the pharma industry,” said Zapata Computing CEO and Co-Founder Christopher Savoie.