La Trobe University News: Hybrid Quantum AI Cooling Project
La Trobe University News
La Trobe University has initiated a historic national effort to deploy a hybrid quantum artificial intelligence (AI) cooling system in an operational data centre to improve Australia's digital infrastructure and sustainability. An AUD 1.1 million federal grant is funding the initiative to drastically reduce energy use and carbon emissions in the fast-growing data centre business.
Critical Challenge: Cooling Energy
The initiative is crucial as cloud computing and AI workloads increase data centre capacity demand. The project partners say cooling systems utilize 30% of data center energy. As facilities become "AI-focused infrastructure," thermal demands grow harder to control.
Professor Damminda Alahakoon of La Trobe's Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition, the project's lead, noted that moving workloads from inefficient office settings to purpose-built data centres has already had some sustainability benefits, but the next stage of efficiency requires significant technological advancement.
Our solution: a hybrid quantum-AI framework
The program aims to provide a hybrid optimization framework. This system improves HVAC system management by combining three technology pillars:
Quantum-inspired algorithms address complex combinatorial issues.
Pattern identification and cooling demand prediction using quantum machine learning.
Advanced classical optimization ensures real-time stability and hardware compatibility.
This system aims for intelligent “orchestration” rather than reactive or static setpoints in cooling control. According to NextDC CEO Craig Scroggie, these approaches will be used to real-time energy systems in operational settings to enhance power usage at scale.
Moving Beyond Simulation
Moving from theoretical models to practical execution is a key project component. The federal National Critical Technologies Challenge Program-funded project will follow a tight testing schedule:
Digital Twin Testing: A “high-fidelity digital twin,” a virtual data centre, will test the algorithms without affecting hardware.
Live Testbed: NextDC will host the system after validation. It will be isolated.
This tiered technique seeks quantified energy use and emission reductions in uncertain real-world conditions.
A Strong National Consortium
Government, business, and academia collaborate on the project. The collaboration includes:
La Trobe University
Quantum Information, Simulation, and Algorithms Centre, University of Western Australia
NextDC
Fujitsu
Aq Intelligence
The University of Western Australia, led by Professor Jingbo Wang, will investigate whether quantum-inspired optimization may boost operational efficiency in large-scale settings.
Fujitsu Oceania's Digital Annealer technology and quantum simulators are also important. Peter Grassi, Fujitsu Oceania CEO, said these capabilities are part of a global plan to build a 10,000-qubit quantum computer.
Strategic Value and Sovereign Power
Besides saving energy immediately, the project is important for Australia's technological future. By delivering this capability in a live facility, Craig Scroggie said “Australia’s sovereign quantum and digital infrastructure capability is strengthened”. The country leads research in high-performance, sustainable, and next-generation AI computer systems.
The program is linked to several major policy initiatives:
The National Quantum Strategy
The National AI Strategy
The Victorian Sustainable Data Centre Action Plan
Applications Outside the Datacenter
The optimizing framework has broad potential, despite the pilot's focus on data centers. The project team plans to use quantum-AI technologies to:
Manufacturing
Logistics
Smart buildings
Power from renewable sources
Prototype testing should yield performance data that will inform deployment decisions for other critical infrastructure categories in Australia. Australia's quantum-enabled critical infrastructure optimization leadership journey has taken a key turn with this program.
