Airbus seeks to stimulate quantum computing for aircraft design

Europe-based global major aerospace and defence group Airbus launched on Tuesday a global quantum computing development competition. The Airbus Quantum Computing Challenge (AQCC) is intended to stimulate proposals and solutions regarding “complex optimisation and modelisation” (in Airbus’ words) across the complete lifecycle of an aircraft, using the capabilities made available by the latest developments in computing.

The group already employs high performance computing. “With traditional computers approaching their limits, the quantum computer promises to deliver a new level of computational power,” affirms the company. “Airbus is already extending current capacity by integrating and leveraging quantum technologies in field such as route optimisation and satellite imagery.” The aim of the AQCC is to move scientific developments from the laboratory to the factory, through using the recently-developed computing technologies to real-world industrial programmes.

The challenge will run for the whole of this year. It is open to both individuals and teams, academics and start-up enterprises, post-graduate students, researchers, PhDs and professionals in the area of quantum computing. They will compete for access to hardware and for the chance to develop their concepts for industrialisation, in collaboration with industry experts from Airbus.