Tech giant Cisco claims to have found a new way to make distributed quantum computing work for real-world applications, and has launched a prototype for an advanced quantum networking strategy.

Writing in the company’s blog, Cisco’s senior VP Vijoy Pandey said that the software is the industry’s first ‘network-aware’ quantum compiler, allowing quantum algorithms to run across multiple networked processors.

Building on Cisco’s quantum network entanglement chip launched earlier this year, which can instantly transmit quantum states between pairs of entangled photons regardless of distance, the new quantum compiler can reportedly scale the deployment of circuits across multiple processors in a data centre. 

It does this through quantum circuit partitioning, essentially breaking the quantum programme into smaller pieces, and then carefully timing how the networked machines share information, so they can pass quantum data between them.

According to Cisco, what makes this ‘breakthrough’ unique is that it’s the first to handle quantum error correction across a network.

Most compilers today can only work with one machine at a time, but this new model can build quantum programs that run across multiple connected computers, even if they use different types of quantum tech, evenly spreading the workload across an entire data centre.

Cisco said it would make the new tool available for download next week in the hope it could make it easier for firms to build scalable quantum infrastructure, and help developers assign problems to those machines which best suit. 

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For example, pharma companies could use networked quantum computers to run different parts of drug discovery algorithms too large or complex for single machines, while financial firms might use disparate quantum computers for complex simulations and infrastructure planning.   

“You, as the customer, as the quantum algorithm developer, should not worry about the kinds of technology that exist. We will handle that complexity,” Pandey told Reuters.

Cisco’s networking approach is radically different from that of other tech firms. Microsoft, IBM and Google are all building dedicated quantum computers, the first of which are due to come online in just a few years, while all three have also pushed out new quantum chips over the last year.

The stakes in the quantum race are massive. New estimates from Bain & Co show the technology could unlock up to $250 billion in market value across sectors like pharma, finance, logistics, and materials science, but hardware remains a major roadblock – one Cisco believes its approach is built to overcome.