AMD deepens PsiQuantum partnership to build fault-tolerant quantum computers, plans equity stake

US chipmaker AMD and quantum computing company PsiQuantum on Thursday (November 12) announced an expanded strategic partnership to co-design the computing infrastructure required to operate utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers, along with hybrid applications that combine quantum, high-performance and AI computing. AMD also plans to make an equity investment in PsiQuantum, for an amount that was not disclosed.

From FPGAs to GPUs, CPUs and the full software stack

The collaboration builds on the companies' existing work around AMD Versal FPGA technology, which PsiQuantum selected to develop its fault-tolerant quantum computing platform. The expanded deal adds AMD Instinct GPUs, EPYC CPUs and the ROCm software stack, combined with PsiQuantum's silicon photonics platform. PsiQuantum chief executive Victor Peng said the work would focus on three priorities: advancing the infrastructure needed for large-scale quantum systems, developing silicon photonics networking, and laying the groundwork for next-generation AI applications.

First commercial target: drug discovery

The companies said the first commercial targets are pharmaceutical research and drug discovery. PsiQuantum's computational chemistry methods already run on AMD hardware and are reported to have delivered initial breakthroughs in simulating covalent inhibitors — a class of molecules relevant to cancer drug discovery — with more accurate results than existing methods. The companies will share more about the partnership at the SC26 conference in Chicago from November 15 to 20.

Quantum momentum builds as Washington invests too

The deal comes as quantum computing draws growing investor and government interest. In May, the US Commerce Department announced plans to take minority equity stakes in nine quantum computing companies under the CHIPS Act, worth a total of $2 billion, including a $100 million investment in PsiQuantum. The two companies are also discussing a footprint at Chicago's Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, though those talks have not been finalised. (Sources: Business Wire, PsiQuantum, Reuters)