September 22 2025 -- In a global first, Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre is offering a fully integrated, streamlined platform that adds quantum computing to the capacity of Australia’s most advanced research supercomputer.

This free access, provided through the peer-reviewed National Computational Merit Allocation Scheme (NCMAS) and supported by the Australian Government via National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) funding, positions Australia at the leading edge of advanced computing.

Mark Stickells, CEO at Pawsey, said access to quantum computing has always been the challenge for researchers.

“This new portal gives Australian researchers a chance to combine the advanced silicon-based computing of our CPU- and GPU-based Setonix supercomputer with an array of emerging quantum computing platforms,” Stickells said.

“This is a world-first platform, supporting Australian researchers at the leading edge of advanced computing,” he said.

“It is an important milestone in Pawsey’s ongoing efforts as an advanced national computing facility, providing Australian researchers with tools to accelerate their scientific discoveries, and address some of the important challenges of our time.

“This is part of our ongoing commitment under NCRIS to build a capable, connected research ecosystem for Australia.”

By lowering traditional barriers, Setonix-Q pilot, available via the Quantum Hub Portal, enables researchers to pursue new discoveries and accelerate breakthroughs across a wide range of scientific domains.

Simplified Access, Smarter Science

Setonix-Q pilot opens new opportunities for Australian researchers by making quantum computing more practical and accessible. Researchers can evaluate their quantum computing algorithms on quantum simulators, and further investigate their stability and usability on real quantum hardware via managed access to Amazon Braket, the quantum computing service by Amazon Web Services (AWS), through Pawsey’s portal.

Pascal Elahi, Quantum Supercomputing Researcher Lead at Pawsey, said with quantum computing rapidly advancing, few researchers are able to access real-world quantum computers.

“Imagine how much faster we could develop this technology and apply it to real-world problems if more researchers had access?” Dr Elahi said.

“The Setonix-Q pilot aims to do just that. Researchers from all over Australia will be able to experiment and trial new algorithms and develop hybrid quantum-classical workflows using a simple interface with clear budgets and controls,” he said.

“With this kind of democratised open access for researchers, imagine what we might achieve.”

Unique Allocation Model

Setonix-Q Pilot introduces a unique dual allocation system:

• Access to quantum simulators running on hardware powered by NVIDIA GraceHopper GH200 superchips and CUDA-Q architecture
• Access to quantum hardware, simulators, and a broad set of software tools on Amazon Braket through Pawsey’s new quantum access portal.

Resources span silicon-based and quantum computing environments, empowering hybrid application research and innovation. Researchers will be able to demonstrate their project’s quantum readiness on simulators running on modern computing hardware first. Storage will also be included as part of this allocation model.

Quantum devices currently available include:

• IonQ Aria & Forte (ion-trap QPUs)
• IQM Garnet & Emerald (superconducting QPUs)
• QuEra Aquila (neutral atom-based QPU)
• Rigetti Ankaa-3 (superconducting QPU)

Call for Projects Opens October 2025

Researchers across Australia are invited to apply for Setonix-Q Pilot access through the upcoming NCMAS call in October. This is a rare opportunity to be part of a pioneering initiative that is reshaping the future of computational science.

Online Information Sessions

NCMAS are running online Zoom information sessions every Tuesday at 01:00 pm (AEST/AEDT) from 23 September 2025 until the end of the application period (new NCMAS applicants are recommended to attend one of these sesssions).