Quantum software company Classiq and engineering giant Rolls-Royce have published findings from a joint study exploring how quantum computing could transform the way companies simulate complex physical systems — and the results suggest a meaningful efficiency breakthrough may be within reach.
The two companies investigated a hybrid classical-quantum workflow applied to computational fluid dynamics, or CFD — the mathematical modeling used to simulate how air and gases flow around and through engines. According to Quantum Zeitgeist, a technique called the Cheb-LCU algorithm reduced the quantum computing resources required for these simulations by a factor of ten.
The CFD application used in the study was made publicly available by Rolls-Royce, according to Scientific Computing World, meaning other researchers can examine and build on the work.
The collaboration is notable because CFD is one of the most computationally demanding tasks in aerospace and industrial engineering. Running high-fidelity simulations currently requires enormous classical supercomputer time, making it expensive and slow. Quantum computing has long been touted as a potential solution, but practical demonstrations in real engineering contexts have remained rare.
A hybrid classical-quantum approach — where quantum hardware handles specific parts of a calculation while classical computers manage the rest — is increasingly seen as the most realistic near-term path, given that today's quantum machines are still limited in scale and reliability.
If a 10x reduction in quantum resource requirements holds up under further scrutiny, it could meaningfully accelerate the timeline for quantum computing to become useful in industrial design — not just in a lab, but in the actual development of jet engines and other complex machinery.