Transforming noisy quantum hardware into tools for real scientific progress

The challenge

Quantum computing has long been regarded as a technology with the potential to revolutionise scientific and industrial problem-solving. It offers new methods for discovering advanced materials, designing cleaner, more efficient energy systems, simulating biochemistry processes fundamental to drug discovery, and speeding up difficult optimisation problems. 

However, the machines available today remain error-prone and highly sensitive to what physicists call external “noise”: small, naturally occurring disturbances that disrupt the delicate quantum states used for computation. These errors restrict the length and complexity of calculations that can be performed. 

Due to these limitations, many of the most advanced quantum algorithms developed in theory cannot yet be implemented in practice. Organisations interested in quantum techniques often depend on classical computing for problems that quantum devices might solve more effectively in the future.  

The main challenge is therefore how to achieve effective computational gains from existing machines now, without waiting for the arrival of very large-scale, error-corrected, fully fault-tolerant hardware, which could still be years or even decades away. 

The breakthrough

Phasecraft, co-founded by UCL Computer Science Professor Toby Cubitt, Professor John Morton of the London Centre for Nanotechnology, together with Professor Ashley Montanaro of the University of Bristol, was established to address this challenge directly.  

The company focuses on redesigning or inventing new quantum algorithms so they can run effectively on today’s devices. Instead of relying on idealised models of how quantum computers should behave, Phasecraft studies how real hardware performs in practice and adapts its methods accordingly. This approach enables the team to draw significantly more useful computation from machines that are still affected by noise and restricted qubit counts. 

The company’s research team brings together expertise from quantum physics, mathematics and computer science, materials science, and chemistry. An important part of its work focuses on quantum simulation, which is widely expected to be one of the first areas where quantum computers can offer benefits beyond classical methods.  

Phasecraft has developed techniques that significantly reduce the number of quantum operations needed to simulate the complex quantum mechanical systems found in materials and molecules. By lowering this computational overhead, the company brings previously unreachable problems within range of near-term hardware. 

Phasecraft collaborates closely with all of the world’s leading quantum computing hardware providers. This means its algorithms are developed with a practical understanding of how devices behave, rather than relying solely on theoretical models.  

Through this approach, the company has shown that clever algorithm design and carefully optimised implementation can bring useful quantum computation closer than many predicted, opening the possibility of meaningful applications even while hardware continues to evolve. 

Real-world impact

More efficient simulations could revolutionise research in materials science. Predicting the properties of new materials at the atomic level is highly demanding for classical computers.  

Quantum computers, when paired with Phasecraft’s highly efficient algorithms, offer a way to model a far wider range of candidate materials more accurately and at lower cost. This is already being explored in work on next-generation cathode materials used in battery technology, and photovoltaic materials - the substances used in solar cells to turn sunlight into electricity. Better modelling could help researchers identify more efficient materials for these technologies much more quickly. 

In pharmaceuticals, drug discovery depends on understanding the biochemistry governing how molecules interact. As molecules grow larger, classical simulation becomes impractical. Quantum simulation offers a promising alternative.  

By improving algorithmic efficiency and reducing computational demands, Phasecraft’s methods could enable quantum simulation of biochemical processes, allowing researchers to explore potential drug candidates more effectively and at earlier stages of development.

The energy sector could also benefit from a different application of quantum computing. Modern energy networks need to handle variable generation, shifting demand, and increasingly complex infrastructure. These challenges involve large optimisation problems with many interconnected factors.  

Quantum optimisation tools adapted for near-term devices could eventually help planners explore more scenarios, resulting in improved system performance and increased resilience.

Phasecraft has secured significant investment to expand its work and speed up the development of practical quantum applications. Since its software is hardware-informed but can be deployed across all quantum hardware platforms, its algorithms can be used across multiple quantum platforms and will naturally scale as devices improve.  

This approach allows organisations to begin experimenting with quantum methods today while remaining ready to take advantage of future advances. 

Why this matters

Quantum computing has often been portrayed as a technology of the distant future. Phasecraft challenges this perception by demonstrating that carefully designed algorithms can deliver real value long before ideal hardware becomes available. 

For industry and research, this means earlier access to powerful tools that could reshape processes in drug discovery, materials, and energy. For society more broadly, it may ultimately contribute to faster scientific progress, cleaner technologies and more efficient resource use. 

Phasecraft shows that software innovation can drive significant impact even when hardware is still developing, helping turn quantum computing into a practical tool rather than a distant possibility. 

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