Sandia’s New Open-Access Quantum Testbed Is Ready for the Public

A new open-access quantum computing testbed from the Department of Energy is ready for the public. Scientists from Indiana University were the first team to begin using Sandia National Laboratories’ Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed, or QSCOUT.

QSCOUT is rare because it is a free, open-access testbed made with trapped ion technology. The platform gives users an uncommon amount of control in their research.

Scientists worldwide can use Sandia’s QSCOUT for research that might not be possible at their home institutions, without the cost or restrictions of using a commercial testbed. Their research will be critical to the future of quantum computers.

Sandia started running the testbed’s first user experiment last month for scientists from Indiana University. Other researchers have been selected to begin experiments soon from IBM, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of New Mexico and the University of California, Berkeley.

Researchers interested in using the Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed are invited to sign up for notifications by emailing qscout@sandia.gov. Sandia expects to select the next round of projects in the spring. Anyone can submit a proposal to use QSCOUT, and computing time is free thanks to funding from the DOE Office of Science, Advanced Scientific Computing Research program.