Quantum Chemistry Revolution: bp and Zapata's Quantum Computing Collaboration

bp is one of the largest energy companies in the world, constantly seeking to innovate with new and emerging technologies. They are exploring the potential of quantum computing, particularly its application in chemistry and its implications for various business operations. bp is not limiting its exploration to chemistry alone; they are also investigating quantum use cases in finance, logistics, and cybersecurity, which are critical to their business. To accelerate their quantum capabilities, bp is developing a Quantum Center of Expertise, which will train a dedicated quantum team spanning various departments.

bp, one of the world's largest energy companies, is constantly seeking innovative ways to leverage emerging technologies. One such technology is quantum computing, which has the potential to disrupt industries that rely heavily on chemistry. Quantum computing theoretically has the ability to simulate molecules and predict their properties beyond the capabilities of classical computers. It also has implications for various business operations such as logistics, manufacturing, finance, security, and more. However, the extent and timeline of this disruption remain uncertain. To better prepare for the quantum future and gain a competitive edge, bp is exploring the impact of quantum computing on chemistry calculations within and beyond their core business.

bp has been collaborating with Zapata for several years to determine how to make quantum chemistry viable across different time horizons. They have run over a thousand workflows and tens of thousands of hours of computing on Orquestra, Zapata's quantum software platform, to inform bp's quantum roadmap. The focus of their chemistry research is the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE), a crucial algorithm for molecular simulation. Using Orquestra and proprietary Zapata techniques, they have benchmarked the performance of VQE across current quantum hardware, including IBM and IonQ devices, to estimate the resources required for VQE to make an impact. While they have advanced techniques to make VQE more viable with smaller quantum devices, they estimate that a performant, enterprise-scale VQE solution is still years away. However, they have identified a portfolio of nearer-term applications that could go to production much sooner with quantum and quantum-inspired techniques.

• The collaboration between bp and Zapata has led to significant advancements in the application of quantum computing in chemistry. They have been able to benchmark the performance of the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) across current quantum hardware, providing valuable insights into the resources required for VQE to make an impact. While a performant, enterprise-scale VQE solution is still years away, the work has identified a portfolio of nearer-term applications that could go to production much sooner with quantum and quantum-inspired techniques. Furthermore, the collaboration is helping bp build a quantum-capable team, accelerating their Quantum Center of Expertise, and exploring quantum use cases in finance, logistics, and cybersecurity.

• Over a thousand workflows run on Orquestra, Zapata's quantum software platform.

• Tens of thousands of hours of computing performed to inform bp's quantum roadmap.

• Benchmarked the performance of VQE across current quantum hardware, including IBM and IonQ devices.