SBIR Phase I: Computational Fluid Dynamics Software for Quantum Computers

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛的商业影响将是利用量子计算来执行计算流体动力学(CFD)模拟，最初是为了解决航空航天和汽车行业的问题。这项技术还可能在国防中发挥重要作用，因为CFD在飞机、导弹、装甲车和海军系统的设计中至关重要。随后，该产品将发现许多其他工业应用，包括医疗应用，如模拟器官中的血液流动或肺部的气流。该产品将帮助公司减少开发先进技术的成本和时间，例如消耗更少燃料的更安全的飞机，排放更少二氧化碳(CO2)的能源工厂，以及更有效地输送药物的设备。该项目包括学术和工业研究人员之间的合作。通过让实习生参与并让他们接触到新兴的量子计算领域，该项目旨在为科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)劳动力的发展做出贡献。最终，该项目旨在创造基于量子计算的新一代CFD技术，推动CFD领域的发展，并帮助美国在量子计算领域处于领先地位。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将为量子计算机开发一种新的CFD技术。CFD是工程师预测流体流动和设计各种系统(如飞机、汽车和化学反应器)或进行故障排除的宝贵工具。然而，一些CFD模拟太昂贵或不可能运行，尽管这样的知识可以节省数亿美元来认证每一种新的飞机型号。高分辨率会降低CFD模拟速度，因为必须在计算机内存中存储、读取和写入大量数据。这一限制可以通过利用随着量子计算机的引入而变得可用的巨大量子状态空间来克服。一个算法将在软件原型中实现，并将在量子计算机上模拟固定平板和移动平板之间的流动。根据模拟结果估计的性能指标将评估实现量子优势的潜力。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be to utilize quantum computing to perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, initially to solve problems in the aerospace and automotive industries. The technology may also play a vital role in national defense, as CFD is critical in designing aircraft, missiles, armored vehicles, and naval systems. Subsequently, the product will find many other industrial applications, including healthcare applications, such as simulating blood flow in organs or airflow in the lungs. The product will help companies to reduce the cost and time in developing superior technologies, such as safer aircraft that consume less fuel, energy plants that emit less carbon dioxide (CO2), and devices that deliver drugs more effectively. The project includes a partnership between academic and industrial researchers. By involving student interns and exposing them to the emerging field of quantum computing, this project aims to contribute to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce development. Ultimately, this project aims to create a new generation of CFD technology based on quantum computing, advancing the CFD field, and aiding U.S. leadership in quantum computing.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a new CFD technology for quantum computers. CFD is a valuable tool for engineers to predict fluid flow and design or troubleshoot various systems such as airplanes, automobiles, and chemical reactors. However, some CFD simulations are too expensive or impossible to run, even though such knowledge could save hundreds of millions of dollars in certifying each new aircraft type. High resolution slows CFD simulations because large amounts of data must be stored in, read from, and written to the computer memory. This limitation can be overcome by utilizing the vast quantum state spaces that have become available with the introduction of quantum computers. An algorithm will be implemented in a software prototype and the flow between fixed and moving plates will be simulated on quantum computers. A performance metric estimated from the simulation results will assess the potential for achieving a quantum advantage.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.