The project Software Enabling Early Quantum Advantage (SEEQA, pronounced 'seeker') is a joint effort by Oxford, UCL, and Bristol, supported by multiple UK quantum startup companies and NQCC. The aim is to make the era of "quantum advantage" arrive sooner! "Advantage" means having real working quantum computers that can perform tasks that are either impossible, or prohibitively slow or expensive, by any conventional means. We'll know this era has arrived when we can solve otherwise-infeasible tasks in areas such as chemistry and materials discovery or in solving complicated resource allocation problems with near-zero waste. Although quantum computers have long promised this kind of advantage, it has not yet been realised. There are many reasons -- partly it is just that the prototype hardware needs more time to mature. But progress needs to be made in the practical theory to support quantum computing, to 'lower the bar' that the hardware needs to be able to reach. This is what SEEQA will do, in three main themes: 1. Figuring out how best to use state-of-the-art conventional computing power to help early quantum computers. There are two main ways: First, the conventional computers can actually help run the task that the quantum computer is performing. The task gets broken up into lots of small quantum computations, and the conventional computer gets all the results and puts them together to decide what to do next. The other way a conventional computer can help is by monitoring the quantum processor for errors: there is some detective work to do in order to infer the nature of the errors from the evidence that comes from monitoring, and a conventional computer needs to do this -- it's called decoding. 2. Coming up with new ways in which to handle or suppress errors. As mentioned, quantum computers (especially the early ones) suffer from 'noise' which means little imperfections in everything that is done. If not handled, the resulting errors will lead to useless outputs. There are many ideas for fighting errors, but SEEQA will address new possibilities. In particular, SEEQA will investigate the interface between two major approaches to find new solutions: The approaches are called Quantum Error Mitigation (QEM), which suppresses error damage, and Quantum Error Correction (QEC) which can totally fix errors but is currently very expensive in terms of number of components needed. Also, SEEQA will explore and advance some of the more recent and sophisticated ideas for handling measurement errors -- if you can't trust the output of the quantum computer you are very limited! 3. Finally, SEEQA will focus on the interrelationship between the architecture or protocol we would like to perform, and the available hardware architecture (including noise sources and other imperfections, the 'topology' which means the question of which qubits can directly 'see' other qubits, and so on). Although quite a bit is known about this, there remain a great many questions within the two themes (a) "what algorithms can run well on my architecture?", and (b) "what architectures can my algorithm run on?" Underpinning all this theoretical research, it will be vital to be able to test things out. The SEEQA project will have two kinds of provision: First, very efficient software that runs on conventional computers to 'pretend' to be quantum computers - exactly simulating them using the well-known laws of quantum physics. However it will only ever be possible to work with small emulated quantum computers because the quantum state is so complex. So it is vital that SEEQA also has access to real prototype quantum processors -- and as many as possible because they are various types. Fortunately SEEQA has multiple letters of support, offering resources approaching £500k, from pioneering UK hardware companies that have working quantum prototypes right now. They will make available their experts and their devices to SEEQA in order to help us to succeed.

CCP-QC is a network linking computational scientists with quantum computing scientists and engineers, to develop some of the first useful applications of quantum computers. Quantum computing is promising fundamentally faster computation as part of broader quantum technology development that includes more secure communications, and more sensitive measurements and imaging. Our conventional computers, including those in mobile phones, modern cars, and powering the internet, are based on silicon semicoductor technology. After half a century of growth, silicon semiconductor computer chips have been at the limit of what they can do for the past decade. Faster computing requires more computers, which use more electricity and this growth is thus limited. Quantum computing uses a different logic, enabling much faster computing for some types of problems. The engineering challenges are formidable, and we are still at the stage equivalent to the first semiconductor chips in the early 1960s. Early quantum computers are already available: developing applications to suit the capabilities of this hardware is the next step, to enable us to take advantage of the opportunities they offer to speed up our computations. An important set of computational tasks in materials, chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering is developed by communities supported by collaborative computational projects (CCPs). CCP-QC will network across these CCPs and the quantum computing community, to enable the CCP communities to enhance their computations by using quantum computers. It will do this by organising joint meetings, holding training days to teach computational scientists about quantum computing, supporting small projects to develop proof-of-principle code and demonstrations on early quantum computing hardware, and providing an online information resource on early quantum computing applications. CCP-QC will interface with the new National Quantum Computing Centre, to be launched in April 2020 and based on the STFC Harwell campus in Oxfordshire. CCP-QC will enable quantum computing hardware providers to have their hardware tested with real problems of importance to the computational science communities. The outcomes of such tests can thus influence the development of quantum computing hardware, leading to faster development of useful applications that are adapted to extract the best advantage from the early quantum hardware. The simulations carried out by the CCP communities cover a wide range of important applications, from smart materials (e.g., better solar cells and batteries) to drug design (bio-molecular simulation). CCP-QC will thus contribute to the development of faster computational methods in many important applications with wide-ranging scientific, social and economic benefits.

The primary objective of the QC2 CDT is to train the upcoming generation of pioneering researchers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders who will contribute to positioning the UK as a global leader in the quantum-enabled economy by 2033. The UK government and industry have demonstrated their commitment by investing £1 billion in the National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP) since 2014. In its March 2023 National Quantum Strategy document, the UK government reaffirmed its dedication to quantum technologies, pledging £2.5 billion in funding over the next decade. This commitment includes the establishment of the UKRI National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC). The fields of quantum computation and quantum communications are at a pivotal juncture, as the next decade will determine whether the long-anticipated technological advancements can be realized in practical, commercially-viable applications. With a wide-ranging spectrum of research group activities at UCL, the QC2 CDT is uniquely situated to offer comprehensive training across all levels of the quantum computation and quantum communications system stacks. This encompasses advanced algorithms and quantum error-correcting codes, the full range of qubit hardware platforms, quantum communications, quantum network architectures, and quantum simulation. The QC2 CDT has been co-developed through a partnership between UCL and a network of UK and international partners. This network encompasses major global technology giants such as IBM, Amazon Web Services and Toshiba, as well as leading suppliers of quantum engineering systems like Keysight, Bluefors, Oxford Instruments and Zurich Instruments. We also have end-users of quantum technologies, including BT, Thales, NPL, and NQCC, in addition to a diverse group of UK and international SMEs operating in both quantum hardware (IQM, NuQuantum, Quantum Motion, SeeQC, Pasqal, Oxford Ionics, Universal Quantum, Oxford Quantum Circuits and Quandela) and quantum software (Quantinuum, Phase Craft and River Lane). Our partners will deliver key components of the training programme. Notably, BT will deliver training in quantum comms theory and experiments, IBM will teach quantum programming, and Quantum Motion will lead a training experiment on semiconductor qubits. Furthermore, 17 of our partners will co-sponsor and co-supervise PhD projects in collaboration with UCL academics, ensuring a strong alignment between the research outcomes of the CDT and the critical research objectives of the UK quantum economy. In total the cash and in-kind contributions from our partners exceed £9.1 million, including £2.944 million cash contribution to support 46 co-sponsored PhD studentships. QC2 will provide an extensive cohort-based training programme. Our students will specialize in advanced research topics while maintaining awareness of the overarching system requirements for these technologies. Central to this programme is its commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, which is evident in the composition of the leadership and supervisory team. This team draws expertise from various UCL departments, including Chemistry, Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics, as well as the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN). QC2 will deliver transferable skills training to its students, including written and oral presentation skills, fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, and imparting techniques to maximize the impact of research outcomes. Additionally, the programme is committed to taking into consideration the broader societal implications of the research. This is achieved by promoting best practices in responsible innovation, diversity and inclusion, and environmental impact.

Quantum information science and technologies (QIST) are uniquely placed to disrupt and transform sectors across the board. Quantum technologies, by exploiting the distinctive phenomena of quantum physics, can perform functions fundamentally unachievable by technologies based solely upon classical physics. For example, when applied to computing, calculations and operations that would take the best supercomputers hundreds of years to complete could be resolved within seconds using quantum computers; as another example, QIST can also be used in sensing and imaging to obtain enhanced precision in a variety of measurements ranging from gas concentrations to gravitational waves, supporting established industries in sectors like manufacturing, energy and healthcare. Furthermore, the application of quantum technologies will have significant implications within communications and security given their ability to break traditional encryption methods used to protect data within financial transactions or military communications while at the same time offering a range of novel, secure solutions largely compatible with the existing infrastructures. The potential of quantum technologies is well demonstrated through its significant financial and strategic backing globally. Restricted to academic environments up until the start of the last decade, the worldwide investment into quantum initiatives has now reached $33 billion, with significant contributions made across China, the US, and Europe. In the UK, the strategic importance of quantum technologies is clear: with a strategic commitment of £2.5 billion over the next decade, EPSRC has listed Quantum Technologies a mission-inspired research priority and the Department for Science Innovation and Technology have named quantum technologies as one of their seven technology families within the UK's Innovation Strategy. It is clear that, around the world, quantum technologies are flourishing. While the technological potential and national importance of QIST to the UK is undeniable, a key challenge to realising our ambitions in this area is the ability to develop a quantum workforce of capable physicists, engineers, computer scientists, and mathematicians with both the requisite expertise in quantum information science and expertise in the technologies that will realise it. In addition, the leaders of the UK's quantum future must possess critical professional skills: they must be excellent communicators, leaders, entrepreneurs, and project managers. To meet this key ambition and its resultant needs, the programme offered by the Quantum Information Science and Technologies Centre for Doctoral Training (QIST CDT) is uniquely positioned to deliver the diversity of skills and experience needed to supply the UK with internationally renowned QIST leaders across policy, innovation, research, entrepreneurship, and science communication. QIST CDT students will receive academic training delivered by world-recognised top educators and researchers; undertake industrially-relevant training modules co-delivered with industry partners; gain hands-on experience within world-leading quantum research laboratories; receive one-to-one entrepreneurial mentorship; undergo intellectual property and science policy training; undertake on-site industry placements; and complete multi-faceted cohort projects designed to develop multidisciplinary teamwork. This combination of world-class academic research training, which can be undertaken in a vast array of quantum-technology-relevant sectors, with bespoke instruction in professional skills driven by the needs of current and future quantum industry, will produce graduates with a drive to make a difference in Quantum Technologies and the skills to make that happen.

Over the next few decades, quantum computing (QC) will transform the way we design new materials, plan complex logistics and solve a wide range of problems that conventional computers cannot address. The Hub for Quantum Computing via Integrated and Interconnected Implementations (QCI3) brings together >50 investigators across 20 universities to address key challenges, and deliver applications across diverse areas of engineering and science. We will work with 27 industrial partners, the National Quantum Computing Centre, the National Physical Laboratory, academia, regulators, Government and the wider community to achieve our goals. The Hub will focus on where collaborative academic research can make transformative progress across three interconnected themes: (T1) developing integrated quantum computers, (T2) connecting quantum computers, and (T3) developing applications for them. Objectives for each are outlined below. (T1) Developing integrated quantum computing systems, with a goal of creating quantum processors that will show real utility for specific problem examples. Objectives: OB1.1: Demonstrate quantum advantage in analogue platforms with neutral atoms and photons OB1.2: Make neutral atom quantum simulation platforms available in the cloud OB1.3: Develop new applications for these and other near-term systems (T2) A key challenge of building the million qubit machines of the future is that of 'wiring' together the quantum processors that will create such a machine. The Hub will develop technologies that help achieve this and develop models to understand how such machines will scale. Objectives : OB2.1: Develop interconnect technologies for quantum processors OB2.2: Demonstrate blind computing and multi-component networks with trapped ion quantum computers OB2.3: Demonstrate transduction and networking of superconducting processors (T3) Developing applications in science and engineering, including materials design, chemistry and fluid dynamics. Objectives: OB3.1: Develop new methods for materials and chemical system modelling and design, fluid dynamics, and quantum machine learning OB3.2: Identify the nearest routes to quantum advantage for these application areas OB3.3: Develop implementations of these algorithms on T1 and T2 Hardware These will be supported by work in overarching tools (T4) that can be used across the themes of the Hub, including error correction, digital twins, verification and software stack optimisation. Skills and training Hub partners will work with end-users, our students and researchers, and partners across the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme (UKNQTP) to ensure members of the Hub have the skills they need. Specific objectives include: Provide training in innovation, commercialisation and IP, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) to Hub partners Provide reports and training to end-users, working in partnership with the NQCC and others Continue to provide advocacy and advice to policy makers, through work in such areas as RRI Exploitation and Engagement: The Hub will build on the strong engagement activities of the UK programme, further developing the technology pipeline. We will play a key role in strengthening and expanding the UK ecosystem through events, networking and education. Specific goals are to: Broaden the partnership of the Hub, bringing new academic, government and industrial partners into the Hub network Contribute to regulation and governance through programmes of work in standards and RRI, and close collaboration with UKNQTP partners Support the generation and protection of intellectual property within the Hub, and its exploitation Develop Hub and cross-Hub outreach initiatives, working with the RRI team, to help ensure the potential of quantum computing for societal benefit can be realised