Columbia Engineering Researchers Develop Cloud-Style Virtualization for Quantum Computing
Researchers at Columbia Engineering have unveiled HyperQ, a system that brings cloud-style virtualization to quantum computing, allowing multiple users to share a single quantum processor simultaneously. It’s a milestone that could reshape how quantum resources are accessed, scheduled, and scaled.
Unlike classical computers, which process bits as 0s or 1s, quantum computers use qubits — units that can exist in multiple states at once thanks to quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement. This allows quantum machines to explore vast solution spaces in parallel, making them uniquely suited for problems that are computationally intractable for traditional systems.
[Click on image for larger view.] HyperQ (source: Columbia Engineering).
The potential applications are staggering: simulating molecular interactions for drug development, optimizing logistics and supply chains, modeling financial systems, and even cracking encryption protocols. But quantum hardware is expensive, fragile, and notoriously difficult to scale. That’s why breakthroughs like HyperQ matter — not just for speeding up research, but for making quantum computing more accessible, efficient, and ready for real-world deployment.
Breaking the Quantum Bottleneck
Quantum computers have traditionally operated under a severe constraint: they could only run one program at a time. This exclusivity meant that even minor tasks monopolized million-dollar machines, leaving researchers stuck in long queues while much of the hardware sat idle. Columbia Engineering’s HyperQ system changes that paradigm by introducing virtualization to quantum computing — a concept long proven in classical cloud infrastructure.
What Is HyperQ?
HyperQ is a software hypervisor that enables multiple users to share a single quantum computer simultaneously. It does this by creating isolated quantum virtual machines (qVMs), each capable of running its own quantum program independently. As Jason Nieh, professor of computer science at Columbia Engineering, put it: HyperQ brings cloud-style virtualization to quantum computing. It lets a single machine run multiple programs at once — no interference, no waiting in line.
How It Works
The system dynamically allocates quantum resources and schedules jobs based on each program’s needs. A central scheduler — described by researchers as operating like a master Tetris player — packs multiple qVMs onto different regions of the quantum chip, ensuring optimal performance without cross-interference.
Component
Function
Hypervisor
Divides quantum hardware into isolated qVMs
Scheduler
Allocates chip regions and balances workloads
qVMs
Run independent quantum programs simultaneously
Real-World Testing and Results
HyperQ was tested on IBM’s largest quantum computers via the IBM Quantum cloud. Specifically, it was validated on IBM’s Brisbane quantum computer, a 127-qubit system based on the Eagle chipset. Unlike earlier multiplexing efforts that required specialized compilers and pre-coordinated workloads, HyperQ works dynamically with existing quantum programming tools. As lead author Runzhou Tao explained, Our approach works dynamically with existing quantum programming tools, which is far more flexible and practical for real-world use.