Moody’s & QuEra Computing at ETH Zurich Quantum Hackathon

Solving financial problems with neutral atom quantum computers

The Quantum team at Moody's was back at the ETH Zürich Quantum Hackathon for the second year in a row. This year, we proposed a joint challenge with our friends from QuEra Computing Inc. in which the participants had access to Aquila, QuEra's analog neutral-atom quantum computer!

Analog neutral-atom quantum hardware is well-adapted to solving maximum independent set (MIS) problems, in particular for unit-disk graphs, which are known to have applications in industries such as telecom, chip design or finance. 

A collection of unit circles and the corresponding unit disk graph

The MIS problem involves finding the largest independent set of vertices in a graph, that is, the largest subset of vertices such that no edges connect any pair in the set. The graph of the cube has six different independent sets (two of them are maximum), shown as the red vertices.

A recent work by JP Morgan and AWS systematically studied the hardness of MIS problem on unit-disk graphs and the prospects for quantum speedups. In this work, it was verified that studying unit-disk graphs with higher connectivities is paramount to make the problem hard for classical solvers. The challenge, based in the results of this paper, consisted of 3 parts:

• Theory: Determine whether it is possible to fine-tune parameters of the quantum algorithm to efficiently solve the MIS problem for those higher-connectivity unit-disk graphs.
• Programming: Experimentation on simulators with Bloqade and real hardware with Aquila to verify performance of the algorithms proposed.
• Business: Analize what real-world problems could naturally fit into this category of high-connectivity unit-disk graphs. Students put themselves in the shoes of an applied researcher, helping bridge abstract algorithm development and real-world applications.

Are you interested to read more about the challenge? Have a look here.

5 strong teams worked in Moody’s and QuEra’s challenge. All the groups stayed up all night hacking and came up with very creative ideas. Two groups that particularly stood out earned the laurels of a first-place prize and an honorable mention. We are currently following up with the teams to explore potential next steps.

Thanks to the Quantum Engineering Commission (QEC), ETH Zurich and the amazing participants, for their effort and their great ideas. Moody’s Quantum Computing team collaborates with academia and supports initiatives such as hackathons to help create the next generation of experts in quantum computing and foster talent.

Kick-off hackathon

Group picture with participants, organizers and sponsors

Winning team and honorable mention Moody’s & QuEra Computing challenge

Picture and quote by the winning team Quantum Quants. From left to right: Alexander Jürgens, Grecia Castelazo, Francesco Ruscio, Peter Ivashkov.

“Saturday began with us contemplating a bunch of atoms, and by Sunday we were exploring financial crises. We were impressed by the capability of such a simple and small system, and excited by the opportunity to shape a potentially useful quantum computation starting from the hardware level. The weekend was unforgettable, thanks to the collaborative efforts of a team with complementary skills. Everyone tackled the problem from different perspectives, which were eventually integrated under the passionate supervision that acted as a catalyst.”

Picture and quote by the winning team Quantum Quants. From left to right: Alexander Jürgens, Grecia Castelazo, Francesco Ruscio, Peter Ivashkov.

“The project contained a cool mix between the quantum and quantitative finance worlds. Using a real neutral atom quantum computer made the experience even more exciting and memorable for all of us, especially since our entire team comes from a physics background. This experience bridged the gap between theoretical research and practical implementations, we are very excited about the future of neutral atom quantum computing and its applications across various industries. It was also great to get to know new people with similar interests from all over the world!”

Presentation time

Introduction to Quantum Information Processing by Dr. Philipp Kammerlander