Amazon never had its own quantum research (QR) division, even then today, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the preview launch of Braket (named after the common notation for quantum states), its own quantum computing service.
It’s not building its own quantum computer, though. Instead, it’s partnering with D-Wave, IonQ and Rigetti and making their systems available through its cloud.
In addition, it’s also launching the AWS Center for Quantum Computing and AWS Quantum Solutions Lab.
With Braket, developers can get started on building quantum algorithms and basic applications and then test them in simulations on AWS, as well as the quantum hardware from its partners.
That’s a smart move on AWS’s part, as it’s hedging its bets without incurring the cost of trying to build a quantum computer itself. And for its partners, AWS provides them with the kind of reach that would be hard to achieve otherwise.
Developers and researchers, on the other hand, get access to all of these tools through a single interface, making it easier for them to figure out what works best for them.
Braket provides developers with a standard, fully managed Jupyter notebook environment for exploring their algorithms.
The company says it will offer plenty of pre-installed developer tools, sample algorithms and tutorials to help new users get started with both hybrid and classical quantum algorithms.
With its new Solutions Lab, AWS will also provide researchers with a solution for collaborating around this new technology.
Reference- AWS PR, Futurism, TechCrunch, The Verge