Open Compute Project figuring out how to get quantum computers into classical datacenters
It’s an ethereal and weighty problem, not a powerful conundrum
The Open Compute Project (OCP) has commenced a workstream to learn how to deploy quantum computers alongside classical high performance computers in the same datacenter.
The org will gather experiences from the few facilities that have already deployed quantum systems and try to boil them down into “open specifications, best practices, and checklists that guide data center operators in preparing their infrastructure to accommodate quantum systems—ranging from cryogenic cooling and environmental controls to hybrid scheduling and orchestration frameworks.”
Examples of such side-by-side installations already exist: IBM deployed a 20-qubit superconducting quantum computer at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ) and published a pre-press paper about the job. The document concluded that quantum computers have more stringent yet manageable environmental constraints and will need extra redundant infrastructure because outages can cause ten days of downtime while operators recalibrate quantum machines.
Power, however, is not a problem because quantum machines can require less energy than other HPC rigs.
But one does not just walk into a classical datacenter with a quantum computer, because the cryostat that keeps the machines cool weighs 750 kilograms. Designers must therefore ensure datacenters are ready to support 1000 kg/m².
Datacenter operators will also need to chill out, because liquid cooling for a cryostat assumes the availability of water at between 15°C and 25°C, rather higher than the 45°C current HPC racks can tolerate. But they can’t get steamed up, because humidity needs to stay between 25 and 60 percent “to prevent condensation on chilled components.”
The finicky nature of quantum computers requires a few other considerations, among them placing fluorescent lighting at least two meters from the system and ensuring DC magnetic fields are below 100 µT and AC magnetic fields are below 1 µT.
Cellular base stations, trams, or trains, within 100 meters of a quantum computer may also prove problematic.
OCP also notes that installing a quantum computer takes at least four weeks and will require plumbers and electricians.
The project plans to deliver a white paper on best practices for side-by-side HPC and quantum rigs, and share more info in a series of blogs. The Register will keep an eye on those for any interesting bits. ®