AWS re:Invent 2025 - Building the Quantum Future on AWS (CMP357)

Building the Quantum Future on AWS

Overview of Quantum Computing at AWS

• AWS is heavily invested in quantum computing technologies, with a focus on four key areas:
  1. Amazon Braket: A quantum computing service that provides access to a variety of quantum hardware and simulators.
  2. Advanced Solutions Lab: A professional services team that specializes in quantum algorithms and helps customers explore quantum computing opportunities.
  3. AWS Center for Quantum Computing: An AWS-owned facility that develops quantum hardware, including a focus on superconducting qubit-based quantum computers.
  4. Post-Quantum Cryptography and Quantum Networking: Efforts to prepare for the potential security threats posed by large-scale quantum computers and develop quantum-resistant cryptography.

Amazon Braket: Quantum Computing as a Service

• Amazon Braket is a fully managed quantum computing service that provides access to a range of quantum hardware and simulators.
• Braket offers a consistent experience across different quantum computing technologies, with a common API, SDK, and software development environment.
• Customers can access quantum computers from various providers, including ion trap, superconducting, and neutral atom-based systems.
• Braket also provides classical compute resources, such as CPUs and GPUs, to support the hybrid quantum-classical algorithms required for many quantum computing applications.
• The primary use cases for Braket today are research and experimentation, as customers explore the potential of quantum computing for scientific discovery, algorithm development, and benchmarking.

AWS Center for Quantum Computing

• The AWS Center for Quantum Computing is located on the Caltech campus in Pasadena, California, and is staffed entirely by AWS employees.
• The center focuses on developing superconducting qubit-based quantum computers, with a particular emphasis on integrating error correction technologies directly into the chip design.
• The Ocelot chip, announced earlier this year, is a demonstration of these error correction techniques, which have the potential to significantly reduce the resources required for quantum error correction.
• While no specific timeline was provided, the AWS-built quantum computers will eventually be made available through the Amazon Braket service.

Quantum Computing in the Cloud: A Hybrid Approach

• Quantum computing is positioned as another compute instance type within the broader AWS compute portfolio, which includes CPUs, GPUs, and other specialized accelerators.
• The goal is for quantum computing to augment and complement existing classical computing resources, rather than replace them entirely.
• The current focus is on using quantum computers to study and understand the technology itself, with the next phase targeting scientific applications in areas like high-energy physics and chemistry simulation.
• Eventually, quantum computing will be leveraged to solve industry-relevant problems for AWS's enterprise customers.

Startups and Post-Quantum Cryptography

• AWS works closely with a network of cybersecurity startups, many of which are focused on developing post-quantum cryptography solutions.
• Two examples highlighted were:
  1. Qsecure: Providing end-to-end protection for post-quantum cryptography, with solutions that can be deployed in hybrid on-premises and cloud environments.
  2. Pero: Developing post-quantum cryptography technologies to address the "steal now, decrypt later" risk and enable zero-trust architectures for endpoints.
• These startups are helping AWS enterprise customers become more proactive in preparing for the potential security threats posed by large-scale quantum computers.

Key Takeaways

• AWS is making significant investments in quantum computing, with a focus on developing its own hardware, providing access to a range of quantum technologies through Amazon Braket, and supporting research and development in the field.
• The goal is to enable customers to explore the potential of quantum computing, initially for scientific and research applications, and eventually for solving industry-relevant problems.
• AWS is also actively engaged with cybersecurity startups working on post-quantum cryptography solutions, helping enterprises prepare for the future security challenges posed by quantum computers.
• Quantum computing is positioned as a complementary compute resource within the broader AWS portfolio, rather than a replacement for classical computing.