People Behind PASQuanS: Magdalena Hauser & Wolfgang Lechner

Could you briefly describe your institutional and personal role within the PASQuanS project: Which specific project activities are you involved in?

ParityQC, a spin-off from the University of Innsbruck, will be responsible for delivering the operating system for the efficient encoding in PASQuanS’ Rydberg atom experiments. We specifically focus on solving hard optimization problems and within the project we will map the identified problems of interest on quantum processors in the most efficient way.

Which results have already been achieved on your end and what will be the next milestones?

ParityQC had developed a novel encoding of the four-colouring problem in Rydberg atoms which was published together with the groups in Paris and EDF in EPJ Quantum Technology. We were able to show that in a two-layer system, the architecture by ParityQC allows for a more efficient encoding compared to standard encodings. This is directly relevant for “smart charging”. This is the optimization problem of efficiently charging autonomous cars. We hope that we are able to contribute with this use-case to a wider recognition of the PASQuanS experimental efforts.

For you personally, what has been most fascinating about the project so far and how do you think PASQuanS will impact future research and developments in this field?

Clearly the enormous control that experiments have over their individual qubits. For example, placing individual atoms in the form of an Eiffel Tower would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

You are the founders of the start-up ParityQC which has already won several prizes. What is the company’s vision and what makes it unique?

ParityQC is a quantum architecture company which focuses on solving hard industry-relevant problems on quantum computers. With our architecture we influence the whole quantum stack and therefore are able to unify the developments on the hardware and software side. Our philosophy is that the simultaneous development of both sides is essential to achieve a perfectly aligned quantum computer and achieve value creation in the short-term. We are working closely together with hardware developers around the world to develop scalable and fully programmable quantum systems.

ParityQC is not the first company you founded. Which role did the PASQuanS project play here and how was this different from other foundations you have been part of?

Participating in PASQuanS is a great opportunity of ParityQC. The main difference of PASQuanS compared to other collaborations is the concentration of distinguished experts in the field. The partners of PASQuanS are all world-wide leaders in quantum computing and quantum simulation. This is an ideal situation for a start-up company to gain international recognition in atom-based quantum technologies.

Looking at it the other way around, how will ParityQC contribute to the work of PASQuanS?

ParityQC builds upon years of research by Wolfgang Lechner and his research group at the University of Innsbruck where he was previously a Postdoc in Peter Zollers group. Our main goal is to develop blueprints for quantum computers to solve useful problems as early as possible. With our ParityOS operating system we are able to efficiently encode optimization problems with large connectivity, constraints and higher-order interactions to a simple geometry of Rydberg atoms. The PASQuanS consortium consists of Europe’s most advanced research groups and companies in this field and we are very glad to contribute our part in this project.

What would you recommend to other founders and young entrepreneurs regarding participating in EU-funded research projects like PASQuanS?

If you get the chance to work with renowned experts in your field, EU-funded research projects are a perfect way to collaborate. They allow you to participate in more research focused fields, which need a longer time to market. Especially in the quantum computing field, research collaborations are essential, which is why projects like PASQuanS are very valuable not only for young entrepreneurs and spin-off founders, but for the quantum computing ecosystem as a whole.

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