Novo Nordisk Foundation launches major investment to develop the first quantum computer dedicated to life sciences research and the green transition

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded a grant of US$ 200 million (DKK 1.5 billion) to establish the first full-scale quantum computer for the development of new medicines and provide new insights into climate change and the green transition, which is not possible with classical computers today. The ambitious Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme launched in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen includes world-leading researchers in quantum computing from Denmark, Canada, The Netherlands and the USA. 

By applying next-generation quantum computing to the life sciences, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and its partners have the ambition to deliver revolutionary and applicable new insights which will transform the understanding of crucial scientific problems that pose a huge unmet medical and environmental need. Quantum technologies will be key in the advent of personalised medicine by allowing the analysis of immense genomic data sets, as well as adding clarity to the complex interactions of the human microbiome, or by accelerating drug discovery and development of new medicines. The ambition is that a quantum computer will also be a fundamental tool in designing new sustainable materials, delivering new energy-saving solutions or assisting with new approaches to decarbonisation.

Quantum computing offers enormous potential but challenges persist in developing a fully scaled, fault-tolerant, generally applicable quantum computer. The Programme will focus on developing quantum hardware and quantum materials as well as algorithms to deliver a quantum computer that can solve tasks which today are insolvable by current computers.

"We want to create an international powerhouse in quantum research, a field with tremendous potential. We want to create, mature and develop technology that can solve major and current challenges within health, sustainability and other areas," says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Henrik C. Wegener, Rector of the University of Copenhagen, says: "Everyone will eventually benefit from the new opportunities this Programme is creating. This includes areas such as the green transition, cybersecurity and the development of new medicines. The grant ensures that the University of Copenhagen will continue to be among the global leaders in quantum research. With its size, ambition and interdisciplinary collaboration in Denmark and internationally, the Quantum Computing Programme will provide researchers with the opportunity to boost the development of quantum technology. Many thanks to the Novo Nordisk Foundation for contributing wholeheartedly to this research field."

Huge potential in the life sciences

A fully functional quantum computer can very rapidly perform complicated calculations that classical computers either cannot or would optimally require several years to perform. A quantum computer therefore creates opportunities for developing new solutions in several areas.

Quantum computers have particularly revolutionary potential in the life sciences. Quantum computers can especially make a difference here because nature has many quantum mechanical systems that cannot currently be classified and properly understood. A quantum computer has an inherent capability to solve such tasks.

"Within the life sciences, for example, we can accelerate development in personalised medicine by letting quantum computers process the enormous quantity of data available about the human genome and diseases. This will make it easier to tailor optimal treatment. In the Quantum Computing Programme, physicists and engineers will work closely with researchers from the life sciences on a daily basis. The development of the technology will be guided by concrete biological experiments and problems, and this close interdisciplinarity is a crucial parameter for success," says Lene Oddershede, Senior Vice President, Natural & Technical Sciences, Novo Nordisk Foundation.

One of the world's most ambitious quantum initiatives

Part of the grant for the Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme is earmarked for establishing Quantum Foundry P/S, a partner company. This company is a fabrication facility that will supply materials and hardware to the researchers in the Programme and work very closely with the rest of the Programme.

During the first seven years of the twelve-year collaboration, the researchers and engineers will develop the materials and hardware for the quantum computer. The researchers will establish capabilities to co-engineer three of the most promising quantum computing platforms which will set a basis for determining which platform or parts thereof are most suitable to expand further.

The second half of the project will be spent scaling the selected platform up to a size so that it becomes usable for university and industry researchers in addition to using it to solve relevant problems within the life sciences.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Programme differs significantly from other major, known quantum computing programmes in the world, according to Professor Peter Krogstrup Jeppesen who describes it as one of the most ambitious programmes ever.

"The other major initiatives globally have already chosen their platforms and are trying to optimise them. But we predict that many will run into a dead end at a time when there will be fundamental limitations either in the quality of qubits or in terms of scaling up. We will spend seven years identifying the platform that offers the greatest opportunity to build a usable quantum computer," explains Peter Krogstrup Jeppesen, Professor, Nils Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, who is leading the Quantum Computing Programme.

About The Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme is a collaboration between the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, which will run for the next 12 years.

The mission is to develop and build quantum hardware and algorithms for a quantum computer that can solve important problems in the life sciences.

The Programme will involve a large ecosystem of universities and industries. Among the anticipated participants in the Programme are researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States), Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands), Technical University of Denmark, Aarhus University (Denmark), and University of Toronto (Canada).

For the first seven years, the project will focus on developing materials and hardware to build qubits. In parallel, various quantum platforms will be explored and the most suitable quantum platform determined. The Programme will collaborate with researchers from the life sciences, who will guide the development of the technology.

In the last five years, the technology has to be scaled up so that ultimately a quantum computer is developed that can solve relevant problems within the life sciences that current computers cannot.

About Quantum Computers

Quantum computers' huge computational power will strongly influence the green transition and the development of new medicine. The Quantum Computing Programme aims to produce a fault-tolerant and generally applicable quantum computer. The fact that a quantum computer is fault tolerant means that it will not be plagued by noise, which makes the calculations imprecise. Such a quantum computer does not exist today and is incredibly demanding to fabricate.

People will not initially be able to use a quantum computer while sitting on a sofa or at a desk. The computer could be located in a data centre, where it can be accessed through the cloud to solve specific and very complex tasks.

Quantum computers do not work in the same way as the computers available today. They are instead based on the principles of quantum mechanics.

In a classical computer, the central processing unit is where the computing power is located. In a quantum computer, the corresponding unit is called a quantum processing unit (QPU), which consists of quantum bits (qubits).

A classical computer is digital, which means it computes using two states: 0 and 1. A quantum computer is different because it uses qubits. A qubit can be 0, 1 or a combination of the two states, and this provides significant new possibilities for the computing unit.

About the Novo Nordisk Foundation

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is an independent Danish foundation with corporate interests. It has two objectives: 1) to provide a stable basis for the commercial and research activities of the companies in the Novo Group; and 2) to support scientific, humanitarian and social causes.

The vision of the Foundation is to contribute significantly to research and development that improves the lives of people and the sustainability of society. Since 2010, the Foundation has donated more than DKK 30 billion (€4 billion), primarily for research at public institutions and hospitals in Denmark and the other Nordic countries as well as research-based treatment and prevention of diabetes. Read more at www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en.