By Peter Witten, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Colourbox

Quantum computers hold enormous potential to revolutionize drug development, but today this potential is limited because the technology is difficult to use in practice.

With a new Grand Solutions grant from the Innovation Fund Denmark, researchers from Aalborg University and Aarhus University, together with the Danish quantum technology company Kvantify, will now develop a software stack that makes quantum computers easier to use - and brings the technology closer to practical application in the healthcare sector.

The project ODAQS - Optimal Design Automation towards a Performant Quantum Software Stack - is led by Professor Jaco van de Pol from the Department of Computer Science at Aarhus University.

Simpler and more reliable

The project will develop new methods and tools that enable researchers and companies to work with quantum computers in a simpler and more reliable way, without needing to account for the technical limitations of each individual machine.

A central part of the project focuses on using advanced learning methods to automate and optimize the development of quantum software.

"One of the biggest challenges in quantum software is finding good solutions without using vast amounts of computing power. In ODAQS, we will use reinforcement learning to teach software to create more efficient quantum programs. This makes it possible to use quantum computers better - even with the hardware available today," says Professor Kim Guldstrand Larsen from the Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University.

In ODAQS, there is a focus on establishing a software stack for quantum programs.

"A key challenge here is to develop efficient techniques for translating high‑level quantum algorithms into equivalent quantum programs targeted at a specific quantum computer," says Associate Professor Christian Schilling from the Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University.

Project leader and Professor Jaco van de Pol from the Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, points out that quantum computers have enormous potential but are very difficult to use in practice today:

"Our goal is to develop software that makes quantum technology far more accessible and usable, so it can be applied to concrete societal challenges such as the development of new medicines," he explains.

Can save time and costs

A large share of drug‑development costs lies in the early phases, where researchers test and screen potential drug candidates. In the long term, quantum computers may provide much more precise calculations of chemical processes than classical computers.

ODAQS combines research in programming languages, algorithms, optimized compilation, simulation, and software verification to automate the path from idea and computation to finished quantum programs.

The project has a particular focus on quantum chemistry and drug development, where improved computational methods can reduce both time and costs in the early stages of developing new medicines.

Kvantify will use the project’s results to demonstrate how improved software building blocks can be applied and transformed into reliable and practically usable technologies for quantum-based computation.

"If we can use quantum computers more effectively, we can reduce both time and costs in the early stages of drug development. ODAQS gives us an important technological foundation for bringing quantum computers closer to industrial application," says Allan Grønlund, co‑founder and CTO of Kvantify.

Strong danish collaboration

The project brings together research environments from Aalborg University and Aarhus University as well as the company Kvantify. Together, they will develop key software building blocks and tools that can be used in research, education, and industry - and that may, in the long term, strengthen Denmark’s position within quantum technology.

ODAQS runs from 2026 to 2029 and has received funding under the Innovation Fund Denmark’s Grand Solutions program, which invests in ambitious projects with great potential for society and industry.