IBM announces BP has joined the IBM Quantum Network to advance the use of quantum computing in the energy industry. BP plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. It is one of the world's seven oil and gas ‘supermajors’.

In the aftermath of joining the IBM Quantum Network, as an Industry Partner, BP will have access to IBM's quantum expertise and software and cloud-based access to the most advanced quantum computers available via the cloud. This implies access to a premium 65-qubit quantum computer, the largest universal quantum system available to industry today, and an important milestone on the IBM Quantum roadmap to a 1,000-plus qubit system, targeted for the end of 2023.

In a statement issued IBM, Morag Watson, senior vice president, digital science and engineering for BP, "BPs ambition is to become a net zero company by 2050 or sooner and help the world get to net zero. Next-generation computing capabilities such as quantum computing will assist in solving the science and engineering challenges we will face, enabling us to reimagine energy and design new lower carbon products."

Needless to say, Quantum computing has the potential to be applied in areas such as: modelling the chemistry and build-up of various types of clay in hydrocarbon wells – a crucial factor in efficient hydrocarbon production; analyzing and managing the fluid dynamics of wind farms; optimizing autonomous robotic facility inspection; and helping create opportunities not yet imagined to deliver the clean energy the world wants and needs.

In 2020, BP had announced its net zero ambition and its new strategy. By the end of this decade, it aims to have developed around 50 gigawatts of net renewable-generating capacity (a 20-fold increase), increased annual low carbon investment 10-fold to around $5 billion and cut its oil and gas production by 40 percent.

"BP joins a rapidly growing number of clients working with IBM to explore quantum computing to help accelerate the discovery of solutions to some of today's biggest challenges," added Dario Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research. "The energy industry is ripe with opportunities to see value from the use of quantum computing through the discovery of new materials designed to improve the generation, transfer, and storage of energy."

Currently, IBM has 130 members in the IBM Quantum Network, a global community of Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, academic institutions and research labs working to advance quantum computing and explore practical applications. Together, members of the Network and IBM Quantum teams are researching and exploring how quantum computing will help a variety of industries and disciplines, including finance, energy, chemistry, materials science, optimization and machine learning, among many others.