{"id":933772,"date":"2026-10-15T09:28:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/933772\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T09:28:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:28:47","slug":"new-algorithm-brings-quantum-simulations-to-standard-computers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/933772\/","title":{"rendered":"New algorithm brings quantum simulations to standard computers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and EPCC have developed an algorithm that lets ordinary computers run quantum simulations that previously required some of the world\u2019s most powerful supercomputers.<\/p>\n

The software advance could make these simulations significantly more accessible to researchers working to improve quantum computing technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The algorithm reduces the computing power needed to run the simulations to around 5% of the previous requirement, according to the research team.<\/p>\n

It also enables standard computers to perform Gaussian boson sampling<\/a>, a simulation used to demonstrate the capabilities of photonic quantum computers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The findings could lower the cost of investigating how quantum devices behave in practice, helping scientists identify their limitations and inform the development of larger, more reliable machines.<\/p>\n

Dr Raul Garcia-Patron Sanchez, of the University of Edinburgh\u2019s School of Informatics, explained: \u201cClassical simulation of large-scale quantum computing circuits has been achieved so far via a combination of clever algorithms and the intensive use of supercomputing facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work has contributed significant improvements in memory use, running time and energy costs in the simulation of photonic quantum computing devices, making mainstream what was before only accessible to a handful of facilities in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are quantum computers?<\/p>\n

Quantum computers are devices that use quantum principles to perform calculations<\/a>, potentially tackling problems beyond the capabilities of even the most advanced conventional supercomputers.<\/p>\n

However, existing quantum computers remain relatively small and error-prone, limiting their performance.<\/p>\n

Improving their capabilities requires researchers to understand how these machines operate under real-world conditions, including the challenges that could affect their reliability as they grow in size.<\/p>\n

Quantum simulations provide a way to investigate this behaviour before designing more advanced devices.<\/p>\n

The problem has been the computing resources required to run them, which have traditionally been available at only a small number of facilities worldwide.<\/p>\n

The new algorithm could help overcome that barrier by letting more researchers run complex simulations without relying on specialist supercomputing infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Simulating photonic quantum computers<\/p>\n

The research was led by scientists at the University of Edinburgh and EPCC, the UK\u2019s first National Supercomputing Centre<\/a>, which is part of the University.<\/p>\n

Their work focuses on Gaussian boson sampling, a computational task associated with photonic quantum computers.<\/p>\n

These devices use light to carry out quantum operations and represent one of several approaches being explored by researchers in academia and industry.<\/p>\n

The simulation is designed to demonstrate the superior capabilities of light-powered quantum devices. Running it on standard computers could give scientists a more accessible way to investigate these systems\u2019 performance.<\/p>\n

In tests, conventional computers using the new algorithm matched, and in some cases outperformed, certain existing quantum devices in running the simulations.<\/p>\n

This result highlights the potential of improved software to expand what researchers can do with the computing resources already available to them.<\/p>\n

Scaling up quantum simulations<\/p>\n

The team is now working to scale up the algorithm, aiming to run substantially larger simulations without increasing the required computing power.<\/p>\n

If successful, this could let researchers model photonic quantum computers in unprecedented detail, offering further insight into how these devices might perform.<\/p>\n

The work could therefore support efforts to identify the limitations of current quantum technology and guide the design of improved systems.<\/p>\n

By reducing the resources needed for quantum simulations, the algorithm offers researchers a more practical route to investigating complex quantum devices.<\/p>\n

Its further development could help make detailed modelling more widely accessible as scientists work towards larger and more reliable quantum computers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and EPCC have developed an algorithm that lets ordinary computers run quantum…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":933773,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[49,48,3576,290,2283,61],"class_list":["post-933772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-high-performance-computing","tag-quantum-computing","tag-quantum-technology","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=933772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/933772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/933773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=933772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=933772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=933772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}