Quantum-enhanced supercomputers are starting to do chemistry

A quantum computer and conventional supercomputer that work together could become an invaluable tool for understanding chemicals. A collaboration between IBM and the Japanese scientific institute RIKEN has now established one path to getting there. Predicting what a molecule will do within a reaction – for instance, as part of a medical treatment or an industrial catalyst – often hinges on understanding its electrons' quantum states. Quantum computers could accelerate the process of computing these states, but in their current form, they are still prone to errors. Conventional supercomputers can catch those mistakes before they become a problem. In a joint statement to New Scientist, Seiji Yunoki and Mitsuhisa Sato at RIKEN said quantum computers can push traditional computers to new capabilities.