March 27, 2023 — On March 15, 2023, the project QC4EO study was launched with the participation of the ESA Technical Officer as the representative of the European Space Agency, which is funding this study. The project consortium is led by Forschungszentrum Jülich, a joint effort of Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) and the Institute for Quantum Computing Analytics (PGI-12), and it includes Thales Alenia Space (France and Italy), the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), and IQM Quantum Computers.

The primary objective of this study is to investigate whether quantum computing (QC) can provide a quantum advantage to Earth observation (EO) applications within a medium to long timeframe, i.e. between the next 3–5 to 15 years.

Specifically, the study aims to answer the following questions:

• How can QC enhance EO applications?
• What software and hardware developments are required to achieve this quantum advantage?

The study is scheduled to last 5 months and will involve multiple activities that will be carried out by its multidisciplinary consortium, comprising partners with different competencies, each a leader in their respective areas. A broad view will be obtained, ranging from state-of-the-art quantum technologies (with related bottlenecks) and commercial needs to pure research and the development of innovative solutions with the potential to be breakthroughs in EO and beyond.

Contact: Prof. Gabriele Cavallaro

About Jülich

The Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) has about 300 staff members. It provides leading-edge supercomputer resources, IT tools, methods, and know-how for researchers at FZJ and for researchers participating in more than 200 German and European projects through the John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS) and the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE). To ensure optimal mapping of methods, models and algorithms needed by users of high-end supercomputing, JSC on the one hand provides – in addition to basic user support – expert advice via its Algorithms, Tools and Methods Labs (ATMLs) in mathematical methods and algorithms, performance analysis or visualization and, on the other hand, in community oriented high-level research and support, the Simulation and Data Laboratories (SDLs). They support applications in different fields of natural sciences ranging from biology to physics, materials science as well as climate research and terrestrial systems. At the same time, the SDLs conduct their own research on topics in their specific domains.

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Source: JSC