Classiq launched its beta version for the quantum software platform
25 October, 2021
The company developed a platform which allows for writing algorithms at the functional level. "Our software translates the algorithm to the quantum circuit level"
Israeli quantum software start-up Classiq launched lately its proprietary platform’s Beta version which allows, for the first time in the industry, to compose functional algorithms for Quantum computers. The company made the new platform available to several customers, among them a Telecom company, Aerospace Company, financial firm, consulting agency and several academic bodies.
In the next few months, the company plans to expand the beta version access to several dozen customers. In addition, the company had filed 9 patent applications to the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) for its IP relating quantum computing software. The applications relate to writing, compiling, debugging and optimizing functional algorithms designed for Quantum machines. Classiq Company was founded in May 2020 by CEO Nir Minerbi, Head of Algorithms Amir Naveh and CTO Yehuda Naveh. The R&D team currently includes 25 people.
In recent years, there has been a significant breakthrough in quantum computing, and many technology giants are building powerful quantum computers that are capable, at the level of hardware, of performing considerable tasks. IBM, a pioneer at this field, has launched last year a 65-qubits quantum computer, and set a goal of developing a 1000-qubits processor by 2023.
Building the first layer of the quantum programming stack
However – implementing the quantum computer’s capabilities depends on the software level as well. In the classics bit-oriented computing world, development tools are highly sophisticated, allowing writing complex application with very high abstraction level. This is the result of evolution going on for many years and building a layer upon layer. This is the stack. Since quantum making is qubits-based, the whole stack has to be build from scratch. In fact, a programmer writing code for a quantum machine, have to tailor an algorithm at the logical gates level.
This process might be viable for simple applications with single amount of qubits, but as the application gets more complex and the number of qubits is growing – this mission becomes almost impossible, due to the astronomic number of possible arrangements of the quantum circuit. Classiq has set itself a target to write the first stack layer in the field of quantum computing, and is one of the first start-up companies to develop solutions that will make it possible to write applications for quantum computers.
One of the co-founders and the Head of Algorithms, Amir Naveh, explained to Techtime that his company’s platform simplifies the method of writing algorithms for quantum software. “Practically, it is impossible to write quantum algorithms at the logical gates level, certainly when the number of qubits is growing. Our platform allows for writing the algorithms at the functional level. The programmer is required to describe the algorithm’s functional logic, and our software translates it to the quantum circuit’s level, at the most optimal manner in terms of resource utilization and memory management”.
From cracking molecules to writing financial options
Quantum computer is not intended to replace the classical one, rather it is planned to solve certain types of problems that regular computer, whatever is its strength, is not capable of solving. Mainly, these are problems require computing an astronomical number of scenarios and combinations, such as simulating molecules behavior during drug development, or rapid pricing of financial options that depend on the correlation between a huge number of other financial assets.
Problems of this kind of are often impossible to solve within a reasonable period, even by the most powerful supercomputers, but they are quite easy solvable with quantum computer, which is capable of performing huge amount of calculations simultaneously. Naveh says: “Main usages of quantum computing are in the financial, chemical and optimization worlds. Almost every area of activity has issues related to optimization. By using our platform, the customers are trying to figure out the way quantum computer may contribute to solve the relevant problems regarding their business”.
Posted in: Computers , News , Software and IT
Posted in tags: Amir Naveh , Classiq , Quantum Computing