Through a white paper entitled “Applicability of Quantum Computing to Oxygen Reduction Reaction Simulations,” Airbus, BMW Group and Quantinuum announced a significant technological breakthrough in the race to massify sustainable mobility.
The companies accurately modeled the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on the surface of a platinum-based catalyst. The ORR is the chemical reaction in the process that converts hydrogen and oxygen to water and electricity in a fuel cell and limits the efficiency of the process.
In that sense, they developed a hybrid quantum-classical workflow to accelerate future research using quantum computers to simulate quantum systems, focusing on the chemical reactions of the catalysts in the fuel.
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High-tech
Using Quantinuum‘s H-Series quantum computer, the collaborative team demonstrated the applicability of quantum computing in an industrial workflow.
Peter Lehnert, BMW Group VP of Research Technologies, explained that circularity and sustainable mobility urges the search for new materials to create more efficient products and shape the future premium user experience.
“Being able to simulate material properties with relevant chemical precision with the benefits of accelerated quantum computing hardware gives us the right tools for greater speed in innovation for this decisive domain,” he added.
As a pioneer in the global automotive market, BMW Group recognizes the transformative potential of quantum computing and its importance in new materials research, where it can enable faster and more efficient processes while reducing laboratory prototypes.
In the same vein, Isabell Gradert, Airbus VP Central Research and Technology, said they can clearly visualize the benefits of the study in the search for sustainable, hydrogen-powered alternatives, such as the ZEROe aircraft, which can operate on fuel cell engines.
“The study confirms that quantum computing is maturing to the scale we need for aviation,” she said.
For his part, Ilyas Khan, Quantinuum‘s Chief Product Officer, expressed motivation to work with BMW Group and Airbus, noting that quantum computing could play a key role in advancing future sustainable mobility.
