Bridges-2 Webinar Series

Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) Utilizing CUDA-Q on Bridges-2

March 30, 2026

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Eastern time

Speaker: Niraj Nepal, Senior Computational Scientist, PSC

In this webinar, we discuss the theoretical framework of the standard Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) and its implementation using CUDA-Q, NVIDIA’s hybrid quantum computing platform. Using a simple Max-Cut problem as an example, we demonstrate how Bridges-2 GPU resources combined with CUDA-Q enable efficient prototyping and benchmarking of variational quantum algorithms.

About the speaker

Niraj Nepal received his Ph.D. in Physics from Temple University in 2020, specializing in ab initio electronic structure methods. He held postdoctoral positions at Temple University and Ames National Laboratory before joining the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) in January 2025. His primary role is to support users and conduct research in ab initio methods, quantum computing, and AI.