Hyundai/IonQ: More Efficient Batteries with Quantum Computing

The Hyundai Motor Company has announced a partnership with the American company IonQ, which specializes in the research and development of quantum computers. The goal of the partnership is to develop new Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) algorithms to investigate lithium compounds and their chemical reactions in battery chemistry, as specified by the automaker.

"It is expected that the simulation of quantum chemistry will significantly improve the quality of next-generation lithium batteries by optimizing the charge and discharge cycles of the devices, as well as their durability, capacity, and safety," believes the Korean company.

The collaboration combines IonQ's expertise in quantum computing with Hyundai's expertise in the use of lithium batteries. Together, the teams from both companies aim to develop the most advanced battery chemistry model to date for quantum computers, measured by the number of qubits (the smallest computational and informational unit of a quantum computer) and quantum gates (elementary computational operations of a quantum computer). Additionally, the partnership lays the foundation for the development of more efficient batteries by enabling more precise simulation and control of chemical reactions, the manufacturer emphasized further.

"This research has the potential to lead to new types of raw materials that will save time, costs, and effort in the coming years – a critical advancement, as batteries generally represent the most expensive component of an electric vehicle (BEV)," the company argues.

The partnership is seen as part of the company's Strategy 2025, which aims to sell 560,000 electric vehicles worldwide per year and introduce more than twelve pure battery-electric vehicle models (BEV). The cooperation represents the latest effort in IonQ's ongoing efforts in the field of quantum chemistry. Previously, IonQ's computers were used to demonstrate an end-to-end pipeline for simulating large molecules, such as those found in fertilizer production. IonQ's quantum computers were also used for simulations of water molecules, demonstrating the potential of quantum computers for applications in quantum chemistry.