Nissan has announced that, in what might be a world first, it has used a quantum computer to analyse the aerodynamics of a car. The quantum algorithm used to simulate a car's aero profile was co-developed with Quemix Inc.
What is quantum computing?
It's insanely complex, but the simple version is this - regular computers answer what are essentially billions of yes/no questions every second to achieve their computing power. Quantum computers use the uncertainty inherent in quantum physics for computation, which means that the answer to a question can be both yes and no at the same time. While the details of all of this are head-spinningly confusing, the short answer is that a quantum computer can be many, many times faster than a conventional computer.
So how does that help with aerodynamics?
Nissan and Quemix actually used a combination of both quantum computing and classical computing, a sort of computational hybrid, for this project. In this architecture, the quantum computer is responsible for the core computational processes, while the classical computer handles supporting calculations. This division of roles, says Nissan, improves overall computational efficiency.
For many decades now, in addition to physical wind tunnels, car makers (and racing teams) have been using what's called computational fluid dynamics - CFD - which is basically creating a virtual wind tunnel on a computer.
Using the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), a CFD system can simulate the flow of air over and around a car's bodywork, enabling a much more efficient way to improve an aerodynamic package than day after day spent in a wind tunnel.
So far, using quantum computing to speed up the process of CFD hasn't been possible, but Nissan and Quemix seem to have figured it out.
What kind of improvements did they find?
The primary improvement is speed. Nissan says the quantum computing method allows CFD 'runs' that would normally take a full day to complete in minutes. That would, in theory, allow multiple different aero packages to be evaluated much more quickly, which would not only speed up the process of designing and engineering a new car but would also likely lead to improvements in aero efficiency, which will be critical for future electric models. Nissan and Quemix have jointly applied for a patent for their hybrid quantum CFD system, and Nissan says that it intends to use it in the development of future cars.
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