Quantum computers, Federico II upgrades Partenope: 64 qubits at the service of companies and researchers

New power for Partenope: Italy's first public quantum computer based on superconducting technology can now count on a 64-qubit processor. A decisive leap from the initial 25 qubits for the machine inaugurated in 2024 at the Federico II University's 'Ettore Pancini' Department of Physics. A machine capable of calculating the incalculable, which has already ended up in the sights of companies and research centres interested in testing the frontiers of quantum computing.

Upon completion of the installation of the new processor, conducted in February, the measurement campaign to verify the proper functioning of the 64 qubits of the new system will begin. At that point, the Partenope quantum computer, realised by the Superconducting Quantum Technologies group of the University of Naples Federico II and financed by the ICSC - National Research Centre in HPC, Big Data and Quantum Computing - will be ready to provide researchers and companies with a platform for the development, implementation and enablement of increasingly high-performance algorithms and applications, and for the training of qualified skills.

Activities and collaborations have already been initiated with research organisations and universities. Major industries such as Leonardo, Ferrovie dello Stato and Unipol have expressed interest in Partenope. Not only that. Researchers from Banca d'Italia and Intesa Sanpaolo have already arrived at the university campus in Monte Sant'Angelo to test the potential of quantum computing on complex financial problems. In the case of Intesa Sanpaolo, an algorithm for quantum finance has also been successfully tested.

"The upgrading of Partenope represents a new stage in the journey that is strengthening Italia's research ecosystem, making it increasingly competitive. It is a concrete demonstration that the PNRR investments envisaged by the MUR are producing tangible results: we are equipping the country system with skills, infrastructure and strategic resources to support innovation and accelerate the development and dissemination of quantum technologies," emphasises University and Research Minister Anna Maria Bernini.

Thanks to the increase in the number of qubits, Partenope will not only enhance the capabilities of the laboratory in which it is housed, the Quantum Computing Centre of the Federico II University of Naples, making it one of the most competitive centres in Europe and the world, but will also enable frontier research, exploring integration with alternative hardware platforms for both classical and quantum computing and innovative solutions capable of making quantum computing fault-tolerant (Fault-tolerant quantum Computing), an essential aspect for the scalability and large-scale dissemination of this technology.