By Troy Turner
HUNTSVILLE – Final preparations are under way for Alabama’s first quantum computer, touted as the most advanced in the world, to become fully operational and available for a wide range of research and crucial tasks such as missile defense, biomedical research and streamlined supply chain management, to name a few.
Once the calibrations and startup procedures are completed, the quantum computer in place will be able to perform in seconds what today’s most common computers take years, decades or longer, officials said.
That will open the door to immediate partnerships such as those already being established with the Department of Defense, which is interested in the system for applications such as massive control-response missile defense capabilities and for fast computing of complex Top Secret and battlefield data.
Longtime innovative Huntsville company Davidson Technologies, Inc. , in partnership with D-Wave Quantum Inc. of California, hosted a VIP invite-only audience Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the installation of the D-Wave Advantage2 system at Davidson’s headquarters building outside Redstone Arsenal.
Davidson was founded in 1996 with its roots in Huntsville, having since expanded to include facilities in Colorado Springs. It provides a wide range of technical services, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, systems engineering, and work in the fields of missile defense, space and with commercial entities.
D-Wave is based in Palo Alto, California, and is a leader in quantum computing systems, software and services. It is the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers, including an earlier version previously placed into operation in Germany.
‘Golden Dome is here’
“Quantum has arrived in Huntsville,” Davidson’s president and CEO Dale Moore told the small group of invited dignitaries. “Think about that for a minute:
“There isn’t a better place to have this type of technology driving unique applications across the warfighter community that I can think of, and we’re excited to be a part of it. Huntsville’s legacy as a technology city, and really as an innovator across a large variety of programs,” which include military, space and commercial, “make this a unique ecosystem.”
“This will be a revolutionary leap in technology,” Moore said. “It will be real, it will be used, it will be effective in driving rapid-decision processes across a very complex problem set.”
Challenges today in defending the nation and allies are much more complex than in the past, requiring a faster response. “Huntsville has always been at the forefront of that,” he said. “This is the beginning of how quantum gets applied to solve those problems.”
Development of technologies for space-based assets and missile defense are immediate needs, and “Golden Dome is here,” Moore said, referring to the much-discussed strategy of protecting the American mainland with a complex, high-tech and far-reaching missile and space defense system. “Quantum can provide a unique solution to some of those challenging problem sets.
“We’re going to be a part of it, and I’m excited for what’s to come.”
From a million years, to minutes
Davidson’s application of new quantum technology developed by D-Wave is a partnership that has grown over the past several years, said D-Wave CEO Alan Baratz.
“Not only is this the first Advantage2 system and quantum computer in Huntsville, it’s the first Advantage2 system in the U.S., and in fact, it’s the first Advantage2 quantum computer anywhere in the world outside of our research labs,” Baratz said. “And the reason is, this system is not yet generally available. But it is the most powerful quantum computer in the world.
“In fact, we were recently able to show that we can perform, for the first time ever, an important, useful computation on this quantum computer that could not be performed on classical computers — full stop,” Baratz said. “Now, this is what everybody in the quantum industry has been aspiring to for years. And this is the system that was first able to achieve it. And likely, no other quantum system will be able to achieve it for many years to come.”
He explained various variables regarding the exercise, then adding: “The point is, this quantum computer was able to perform those computations in minutes, and it would have taken well over a million years to perform the computations on the fastest supercomputer in the world today.
“So, this is, the largest and most powerful quantum computer in the world, and it’s here at Davidson, it’s here in Huntsville, and you won’t see quantum computers at this level of power for many years to come.”
Now that the installation is complete and final preparations are being made, “We’re finally at the point where we can start working on U.S. government and security applications,” Baratz said.
Beyond DOD, NASA and FBI…
AlaDefense.com was invited to Wednesday’s ceremony for an exclusive sneak-peak into the inner workings of Davidson’s operation and setup of the Advantage2 system. Special guests such as Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle were among the few allowed to see the highly coveted computer that is carefully guarded for its proprietary secrets.
“There is a broad range of capabilities here,” he said, regarding the computer’s integration with various other high-tech programs located in Huntsville. “The AI world that we’re working with right now — I mean, it’s huge on the AI world and the cyber world.
“And the biotech world” in needs such as fast-tracked data analysis that could save lives.
“We’ve got a lot of applications here beyond defense and NASA; and even going to the FBI,” Battle said in a timely comment, as during the same day of the ribbon-cutting at Davidson, FBI Director Kash Patel was touring bureau assets located just down the parkway from Davidson on Redstone Arsenal.
Alabama congressional members are pushing the Trump administration and FBI to locate more of the agency’s infrastructure and services to Huntsville. U.S. Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville hosted Patel during his visit.
Additionally, Alabama’s Rep. Mike Rogers, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, and local Rep. Dale Strong both remain vocal advocates calling on Trump and his administration to locate the Space Command headquarters in Huntsville.
Having the world’s most advanced quantum computer would help in those efforts and in a wide spectrum of interested researchers including academia, Battle said, as it “gives us another tool in our toolbox to be able to bring people to Huntsville to find some things here that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Davidson officials estimated that final preparations for the computer will take around two months or less, but they emphasized that partnership-building and consideration of initial applications already have begun and will continue, especially with the Department of Defense.
Troy Turner is the editor-in-chief and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be contacted at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
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