Why We Launched the $25K Classiq Coding Competition
Early this month, Classiq announced the Classiq Coding Competition, rewarding those that create highly-efficient quantum circuits to solve important real-world problems. It is the first competition focused on quantum efficiency. Quantum computers have limited resources, so building compact, optimized solutions that can make maximum use of those resources is critical.
“Creating efficient quantum algorithms is part engineering, part art. The Classiq Coding Competition is a call to the world’s quantum software community to showcase their talents and demonstrate how quantum computing can take humans to new heights,” said Classiq CEO Nir Minerbi. “Efficient circuits enhance the ability of any quantum computer to solve important problems.”
The Classiq Coding Competition consists of four problems: Hamiltonian simulation, Multi-controlled Toffoli gate, constraint satisfaction and log-normal state preparation. It plans to award 17 cash prizes totaling $25,000, including prizes to creators of the best innovative solutions as well as to the most promising youth participants under the age of 18. In addition, first-place winners will be profiled in The Quantum Insider.
The competition’s panel of judges includes:
● Nir Minerbi, co-founder and CEO, Classiq
● Josiah Bjorgaard, HPC and quantum computing at Amazon Web Services (AWS)
● Dr. Sebastian Senge, quantum computing incubation Europe, Accenture
● Bob Sorensen, Chief Analyst for Quantum Computing, Hyperion Research
● Russ Fein, managing director, Corporate Fuel Partners
For some problems, the winning entries will be those that create a working circuit with the fewest two-qubit gates, while others will seek to minimize the circuit depth. Classiq will reveal the Classiq Coding Competition winners in mid-June.
“You would be surprised how much can be achieved with compact, efficient circuits,” said Minerbi. “The onboard computer used in the Apollo 11 space mission got a man to the moon using just 72 kilobytes of ROM. Quantum computing is taking off, and the need to create elegant and efficient quantum algorithms will exist for years to come. Organizations that manage to fit larger problems into available computers will reap their quantum benefits sooner than others. The Classiq Coding Competition will encourage the creativity and ingenuity required to make this happen and highlight the art of the possible in compact, efficient circuits.”
The Classiq Coding Competition is open to all parties worldwide, except Classiq employees and their families. More details are here.
Since we launched the competition, the response has been fantastic. As of late May 2022, over 250 people registered for the competition and about 50 submissions have been received. Here is a map showing where participants come from:
The level of innovation and depth of thought is very impressive. Apparently, many participants worldwide share our view that it is possible to fit interesting problems within limited resources.
Originally published at https://www.classiq.io.
