"With this algorithm, we'll be able to see something no one has ever seen before" – Hungarian success in an international quantum competition – this was the title of a Telex article about András Gilyén and his team becoming one of the seven finalists in the XPRIZE Quantum Applications competition. Participants in this three-year, Google-sponsored competition with five million USD in total prizes are all working on new or improved algorithms that bring tangible applications closer to realization, writes journalist Máté Világi, who interviews András Gilyén about what makes the algorithm novel. The mathematician from Budapest's Rényi Institute explains that this algorithm combines the clever exploratory movement of random walks with the possibilities offered by quantum computers. Their goal is to create an algorithm for materials scientists to use in materials modeling. This would allow them to study theoretical but realistic superconductor models, whose understanding could greatly help in developing real superconductors and other exotic materials. As an analogy, the quantum computing researcher gave the example of race car development: before design engineers put even two screws together, they first numerically simulate how their designs are expected to perform, and only then build a prototype to test, say, in a wind tunnel. This saves many costly tests before arriving at the ideal model. The article also covers the competition timeline: reaching the finals doesn't mean the winner will be announced soon. Teams now receive a set of recommendations from a global jury panel of experts on what to focus on, with final submissions due by November 2026. Results are expected to be announced in spring 2027.
The full Telex article can be read HERE
The Hungarian members of the Gibbs Samplers team: József Mák, João Doriguello, András Gilyén, Csaba Czabán, and Balázs Kabella (other members of the team: Chi-Fang (Anthony) Chen, Michael J. Kastoryano, Zoltán Zimborás) – Photo: Gibbs Samplers