Quantum computers and machine learning join forces to spot hidden faults in power grids

German researchers are testing whether quantum computers can help catch faults hidden in the data of power grids and data centers, launching a project that pairs quantum computing with machine learning and conventional supercomputers.

The project, QUANDA (Quantum Anomaly Detection & Analysis), got its funding certificate from the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space on Nov. 9, at Digital Technologies Day. It’s led by the Deggendorf Institute of Technology (DIT).

Who is involved

DIT’s Institute Future Technologies leads a consortium that also includes Leibniz University Hannover, the Göttingen data-processing society GWDG, quantum-hardware company QUDORA, Future Energy Lab Wunsiedel and ZENOB. Together they’re building ways to combine quantum computers, AI and high-performance computing, with the goal of making quantum computing usable for industry while strengthening German and European technological sovereignty.

Finding the needle in the data

The work centers on quantum machine learning, which merges machine learning with quantum computing. Using three practical applications from the energy sector, the team will test how hybrid methods can spot unusual patterns and deviations in complex datasets. This is anomaly detection, a task important for running energy facilities, power grids, and data centers reliably.

DIT’s part is to fit these methods into hybrid high-performance computing setups. That includes handling complex data efficiently on quantum computers and splitting big quantum circuits into smaller pieces, a technique called circuit cutting, to work around limits of today’s quantum hardware. The methods will be integrated into a shared software architecture and evaluated for performance and practical use.

Open source and European independence

Results will be released through the open-source FullStaQD software, which the project hopes will reduce dependence on proprietary solutions from outside Europe. QUANDA is a satellite of FullStaQD, a nationwide flagship project building an open, modular software architecture to make quantum computers easier to access and plug into existing computing environments. QUANDA adds new software components and industry applications to that effort.

It also supports Germany’s High-Tech Agenda, which aims to develop world-leading European quantum computers by 2030, and the federal Quantum Technologies Action Plan. Funding comes through the QC Next technology program.

What the project says

DIT President Waldemar Berg said QUANDA strengthens the institute’s position as a research hub for digital technologies and contributes to German competitiveness. Helena Liebelt, who directs the Institute Future Technologies, said the goal is to systematically study quantum computing’s possibilities and limits through real applications. Wolfgang Dorner, DIT’s vice president for research and knowledge transfer, said the project shows what collaboration between universities and companies can achieve.

It’s early. The release gives no funding amount, timeline, or test results, so the project’s promise remains to be shown in the real-world energy cases it will study.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/science/quanda-quantum-anomaly-detection-power-grids-data-centers-germany