Quantum Brilliance, led by Dr. Marcus Doherty, has installed a hybrid quantum-classical system at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. The setup includes three Quantum Development Kits with diamond-based quantum processing units, totaling six room-temperature qubits in a compact design. Integrated with GPUs and CPUs, the platform allows parallel execution of quantum algorithms alongside high-performance computing workloads. Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use the system to test hybrid architectures and advance applications in computational chemistry and machine learning.

Quantum Brilliance and ORNL Deploy First Commercial Quantum Cluster

On September 2, 2025, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Quantum Brilliance unveiled the United States’ first on-site commercial quantum cluster at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. The installation, supported by the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, integrates diamond-based quantum processors into a high-performance computing environment, enabling large-scale testing of hybrid quantum-classical workflows.

Figure 1. ORNL & Quantum Brilliance Launch First Quantum Cluster

The system includes three Quantum Development Kits with six qubits in total, combined with GPUs and CPUs in a compact, rugged platform. Unlike other qubit technologies, Quantum Brilliance’s processors operate at room temperature, avoiding the need for cryogenics, lasers, or vacuum systems. Figure 1 shows ORNL & Quantum Brilliance Launch First Quantum Cluster. Figure 1 shows ORNL & Quantum Brilliance Launch First Quantum Cluster.

Quantum Brilliance’s use of diamond as a host material gives its quantum processors unique stability, suppressing thermal vibrations and reducing noise without the need for cryogenic systems. This allows the QPUs to operate efficiently at room temperature while lowering size, weight, and power requirements.

The collaboration at Oak Ridge has brought together experts focused on advancing hybrid quantum–HPC integration. ORNL leaders highlighted the opportunity to refine scheduling, performance tuning, workflow orchestration, and workforce development, moving beyond pilot projects toward fully embedded capabilities. The system will be used to explore architectures and applications in areas like computational chemistry and machine learning, while also laying the foundation for future large-scale quantum deployments worldwide.

The deployment of Quantum Brilliance’s diamond-based quantum processor at ORNL marks a major step in blending quantum and classical supercomputing. The system—three Quantum Development Kits with six room-temperature qubits—offers a compact, GPU-sized design that avoids cryogenic cooling, lasers, or vacuum chambers. Diamond’s intrinsic stability reduces noise and decoherence, enabling efficient operation with lower size, weight, and power demands.

Hosted at ORNL’s Advanced Computing Ecosystem testbed, the cluster serves as a platform for testing hybrid algorithms, refining performance tuning, and developing workflow orchestration strategies. By integrating with leadership-class supercomputers, it will accelerate workloads such as computational chemistry and machine-learning inference while exploring pathways for scaling to hundreds of parallel quantum processors.

The initiative, supported by a multidisciplinary team from ORNL and Quantum Brilliance, demonstrates how room-temperature quantum hardware can be practically embedded into HPC environments. CTO Marcus Doherty and CEO Mark Luo emphasized that the project not only advances hybrid architectures but also lays the groundwork for large-scale global deployments where quantum and classical systems work together seamlessly.

Testing Hybrid Quantum-Classical Workflows for Chemistry and Machine Learning

On 2 September 2025, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) announced that its Oak Ridge Leadership

Computing Facility (OLCF) is the first U.S. site to host a commercial quantum-classical hybrid cluster, supplied by Quantum Brilliance. The system consists of three Quantum Development Kits (QDKs) containing six qubits, with diamond-based processors that operate at room temperature, removing the need for cryogenics, lasers, or vacuum chambers. Integrated with CPUs and GPU s, the platform supports simultaneous quantum and classical workloads in a compact package.

The cluster is housed in OLCF’s Advanced Computing Ecosystem testbed to advance hybrid coscheduling, workflow orchestration, performance tuning, and workforce training. ORNL’s Ashley Barker emphasized that the installation moves HPC-quantum integration closer to becoming a fully embedded capability [1]. Quantum Brilliance CTO Dr. Marcus Doherty highlighted research into parallel hybrid computing, with applications in computational chemistry and machine learning, particularly when paired with ORNL’s exascale Frontier supercomputer.

The choice of diamond as the qubit host provides intrinsic stability and low power consumption, with Andreas Sawadsky noting it “changes the equation entirely” by eliminating common sources of decoherence. CEO Mark Luo described the deployment as a step toward global large-scale rollouts involving millions of systems. Backed by the DOE’s Office of Science and its Quantum Science Center, the initiative builds on a decade of collaboration. A multidisciplinary ORNL–Quantum Brilliance team will now work on hybrid workflows to accelerate simulations and machine-learning research, paving the way for next-generation leadership computing.

References:

1. https://quantumzeitgeist.com/ornl-and-quantum-brilliance-deploy-first-commercial-cluster-at-oak-ridge/

Cite this article:

Janani R (2025), ORNL and Quantum Brilliance Install First Commercial Quantum Cluster at Oak Ridge, AnaTechMaz, pp.132