From bit to qubit: Germany's second fastest high-performance computer in Garching is to be expanded to include a quantum computer.
A big step.
Munich - Even in Bavaria's heart chamber of digitization, some things are still completely analogue.
Before Dieter Kranzlmüller enters the sacred halls of supercomputers, he presses a magnet with his name on it on a board in front of the entrance.
"So that the fire brigade knows who is still in the building in the event of a power failure," says the head of the Leibniz data center (LRZ) in Garching in the Munich district *.
Security is a top priority in the Garching data center.
A Faraday cage shields the building from cell phone signals and lightning strikes.
And if you want to take a look at one of the fastest high-performance computers in Europe, you also have to be able to identify yourself.
No fingerprint or eye scan like in a science fiction film, but the good old identity card.
No exceptions, not even for boss Kranzlmüller - or the prime minister, who was recently a guest here.
300 million for the quantum computer: Markus Söder enthuses "Warp drive for the research of the future"
Of course, Markus Söder came for a reason.
Because the so-called SuperMUC-NG is not just a supercomputer in Garching, which can boast about the processing power of two million iPhones.
In the future, this is to be linked to a quantum computer.
We look forward to being an integral part of the new #quantum Computing plans and looking forward to our future endeavors.
# Government declaration #Future technologies #SuperTech #WeAreLRZ https://t.co/g4BBHgGzCJ
- LRZ (@LRZ_DE) October 10, 2019
And the LRZ with its “Quantum Integration Center” should become the linchpin in the question of how quantum computers could be made usable for research in the future, for example.
The Free State of Bavaria is investing 300 million euros in funding for the development of quantum technology.
Or as Star Trek fan Söder puts it: "This is the warp drive for future research."
Garching: A quantum computer for Munich - this is where "pioneering work is being done."
But what can such a quantum computer actually do?
Kranzlmüller likes to compare the different approaches compared to a conventional computer with a combination lock.
“With a four-digit lock, there are 10,000 combinations.” A classic computer like the SuperMUC tries out each combination one after the other until it has found the right one.
The better the computing power, the faster it goes. And a quantum computer?
“He can try out all the combinations at once,” says Kranzlmüller.
A quantum leap in computer technology.
This is not a gimmick here.
With the help of our computers, pioneering work is being done.
Dieter Kranzlmüller, head of the Leibniz data center in Garching
Kranzlmüller stands inside the so-called computing cube in Garching in one of the long aisles, to the left and right of it meter-high cabinets, so-called racks, in which the technology of the SuperMUC-NG is installed.
Around 2800 scientists around the world now use its computing power with a processing speed of almost 27 petaflops for complex calculation tasks.
For example, to simulate models of our galaxy.
To calculate the formation of tsunamis.
Or to read out genome data in medicine.
“It's not a gimmick here,” says Kranzlmüller.
"With the help of our computers, pioneering work is being done."
Garching: Quantum computers for Munich - help with drug development and AI
The quantum computer should also help with this in the future.
And then when there are so many possible solutions to a problem that the supercomputer is overwhelmed.
Combination lock principle.
That could help with drug development * or artificial intelligence.
But there are still a few hurdles to overcome.
Because the quantum computer for the LRZ has yet to be developed.
Others are working on it.
The task of Kranzlmüller and his team will be to link the technology, as soon as it is available, with the supercomputer and make it accessible to researchers around the world.
This is why so-called quantum simulators are already being used on the SuperMuc.
Freely programmable, universal quantum computers are not expected until 2030.
“Supermuc” in the LRZ in Munich is growing: Challenges during installation
And then there is also the cooling problem to be solved. Because a quantum computer has to be cooled down to minus 273 degrees so that it can provide its computing power. The LRZ therefore needs a cryostat, a cooling device with which very low temperatures can be reached. The LRZ already broke new ground in cooling with the SuperMuc. The computer is cooled with hot water at a temperature of 45 degrees. The advantage: This water does not have to be cooled down again afterwards, which is an energy-intensive process. It simply comes into the basin on the roof - and thanks to the lower outside temperature *, it cools down again by itself before it gets back into the cycle.
So now the quantum physicists are asked to take the next development steps from the bit to the qubit, with which quantum computers calculate.
“It is incredibly exciting to accompany this development,” says Kranzlmüller.
With a quote from the physicist of the century and Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman: "Anyone who thinks they have understood the quantum theory has not understood it."
(Dominik Göttler) * tz.de / muenchen is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
Our Munich newsletter informs you about all developments and results from the Isar metropolis about the upcoming federal election - and of course about all other important stories from Munich.