EPFL Integrates Quantinuum Trapped-Ion Cloud Access into SCITAS HPC Platform

The EPFL Center for Quantum Science and Engineering (QSE), in collaboration with EPFL’s SCITAS high-performance computing (HPC) platform, has partnered with Quantinuum to provide cloud-based access to Quantinuum’s trapped-ion quantum computers. The agreement establishes EPFL as the first Swiss academic institution to natively integrate commercial QPU access directly into its institutional supercomputing infrastructure.

[ EPFL SCITAS Hybrid Quantum-HPC Platform ] │ ┌─────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────┐ ▼ ▼ SCITAS HPC Infrastructure Interface Quantinuum Cloud QPU Hardware • Unified Academic Queue & Auth Workflow. • High-Fidelity Trapped-Ion Processors. • Integrated Digital Quantum Simulations. • Low Decoherence & High Gate Fidelity. • Native Integration for EPFL Researchers. • Digital Quantum & Many-Body Simulations.

The partnership allows EPFL research groups to execute quantum algorithms, digital quantum simulations, and many-body physics calculations without navigating separate external management workflows:

• Research Applications: EPFL groups led by Prof. Giuseppe Carleo (Computational Quantum Science Laboratory) and Prof. Zoë Holmes (Quantum Information and Computing Group) are deploying the hardware to explore complex many-body quantum simulations and evaluate practical quantum algorithmic limits.

• SCITAS Integration: Developed alongside SCITAS Operational Director Gilles Fourestey, the integration allows researchers to submit hybrid classical-quantum jobs directly through familiar HPC batch job interfaces.

• Workforce & Academic Curriculum: Led by QSE Academic Director Prof. Vincenzo Savona and Master's Program Co-Director Prof. Nicolas Macris, EPFL plans to extend hardware access to students enrolled in its Master’s program in Quantum Science and Engineering for hands-on circuit design and QPU execution.

Review the official announcement on EPFL News here.

August 14, 2026