Quantinuum, Rolls-Royce, Riverlane and EPCC Sign Multi-Year Agreement to Explore Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing for Gas Turbine Fluid Dynamics Simulations

On July 14, 2026, Quantinuum, Rolls-Royce, Riverlane and EPCC, the UK National Supercomputing Centre at the University of Edinburgh, announced an agreement to explore the quantum computing capabilities required for future industrial workflows.

The multi-year collaboration focuses on complex fluid dynamics simulations used in gas turbine design. Quantinuum will provide access to its systems and software environment. Rolls-Royce will contribute industrial design use cases and domain expertise. Riverlane will supply quantum error correction and fault-tolerant algorithm expertise. EPCC will deliver supercomputing expertise and hybrid workflow integration.

The project aims to determine how fault-tolerant quantum computers can operate alongside supercomputers to overcome computational bottlenecks in high-fidelity fluid dynamics modeling.

Hybrid Quantum Supercomputing Integration

Complex fluid dynamics simulations form a core element of gas turbine design. They demand substantial classical computing resources as model resolution increases.

The partners will test key computational building blocks of industrially relevant quantum algorithms on Quantinuum’s Helios platform—the company’s most accurate commercial quantum computer, featuring 98 fully connected physical qubits. They will also evaluate how these components could scale on planned future systems such as Sol and Apollo.

Riverlane’s quantum error correction and fault-tolerant algorithmic methods will combine with EPCC’s high-performance computing capabilities. This will explore compilation, emulation and execution of hybrid quantum-classical workflows, including pre- and post-processing steps.

The effort builds directly on prior multi-year collaborations between Rolls-Royce, Riverlane and EPCC that used classical emulators to establish foundational algorithmic, error-correction and data-handling requirements for fluid-dynamics applications.

Industrial Design and Ecosystem Advancement

The collaboration positions hybrid quantum-HPC approaches as a practical route to accelerating industrial design cycles once teraQuOp-scale fault-tolerant systems become available.

By co-developing algorithms, hardware interfaces and software stacks from the outset, the partners aim to ensure readiness for commercial quantum benefit rather than waiting for hardware maturity.

The project aligns with the UK Government’s quantum computing mission, which targets accessible UK-based systems capable of one trillion error-free operations. It also reflects the maturity of the UK quantum and advanced-computing ecosystem in transitioning from foundational research to industrially relevant hybrid applications.

Statements from Quantinuum President and CEO Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, Rolls-Royce Fellow Leigh Lapworth, Riverlane CEO Steve Brierley and EPCC Quantum Group lead Oliver Thomson Brown underscore the shared emphasis on multi-year co-development of the algorithms, error-correction layers and hybrid orchestration needed for real-world gas-turbine workflows.

Bottom Line

The multi-year partnership advances hybrid quantum-classical methods to tackle fluid-dynamics bottlenecks in industrial gas turbine design.

Find out more here.

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