Open Compute Project figuring out how to get quantum computers into classical datacenters

The Open Compute Project (OCP) has commenced a workstream to learn how to deploy quantum computers alongside classical high performance computers in the same datacenter.

The org will gather experiences from the few facilities that have already deployed quantum systems and try to boil them down into “open specifications, best practices, and checklists that guide data center operators in preparing their infrastructure to accommodate quantum systems—ranging from cryogenic cooling and environmental controls to hybrid scheduling and orchestration frameworks.”

Examples of such side-by-side installations already exist: IBM deployed a 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) and published a pre-press paper about the job. The document concluded that quantum computers have more stringent yet manageable environmental constraints and will need extra redundant infrastructure because outages can cause ten days of downtime while operators recalibrate quantum machines.

Power, however, is not a problem because quantum machines can require ...