Zapata, L3Harris, DARPA Team on Quantum Testing

Quantum algorithm company Zapata Computing and defense contractor L3Harris have led a group of companies to provide 30 quantum computing challenge scenarios for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

The hardware-agnostic scenarios are designed to determine if quantum computing can deliver benefits for applications including defense, chemistry, finance and machine learning.

The scenarios aim to act as benchmarks to guide how quantum computing will be used to support practical business applications. The $7.3 million program intends to measure how quantum computing performs on use cases such as creating new materials, simulating fluid dynamics, real-time machine learning and engineering design optimization.

The other organizations supporting the project are BBVA Corporation, BP, Copernic Catalysts, Mitsubishi Chemical and academic partners at the University of Toronto.

“For Zapata, this program is an opportunity to apply our quantum expertise to gain genuine insights about the practical utility of quantum computing in any time horizon,” Zapata Computing chief technology officer and co-founder Yudong Cao said.

“Another asset that we are leveraging at Zapata is our experience in working with enterprise clients in the past years to discover and develop quantum use cases that are catered to the unique demands of each industry.”

Related:DARPA Seeks Expert Input on Quantum-Classical Hybrid Computing

The Department of Defense intends to use the way quantum computers perform against these real-world challenges to develop a roadmap for how quantum technology can be used.

“Our quantum technology portfolio provides an exponential leap in innovation and performance over existing defense technologies,” added L3Harris head of quantum technology, space and airborne systems, Chris Dorny.