Andretti team adds quantum computing partner

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emailBy Marshall Pruett | February 22, 2022 11:03 AM ET

Andretti Autosport is adding more computing horsepower to its NTT IndyCar Series program.

Through a new multi-year agreement with Zapata Computing, the two companies have struck an arrangement where Andretti’s four-car Honda-powered team receives “brand sponsorship and a multi-million-dollar agreement to deploy and leverage Zapata’s platform, Orquestra, in search of race day success with advanced analytics and quantum techniques.” So what the heck does that mean? Somebody is putting up some money and nobody can tell you any reason why?

The agreement will also add a new presence to the IndyCar paddock in the form of the Zapata Performance Innovation and Technology (P.I.T.) Center tractor-trailer “where accelerated analytic capabilities are powered by Orquestra, bringing real-time performance edges to Andretti’s team at NTT IndyCar Series events. The Zapata P.I.T. Center is built to provide Andretti’s engineering team enhanced efficiencies over their current infrastructure and analytics solutions — beginning with advanced ML and optimization work, and increasingly using quantum techniques as the technology matures during the course of the partnership.” So what the heck does that mean? Somebody is putting up some money and nobody can tell you any reason why?

Michael Andretti added, “We’re excited to be working with a true leader in quantum computing through our partnership with Zapata. IndyCar racing is all about finding every possible edge and then maximizing it. Zapata’s expertise gives us that advantage through their Orquestra quantum software platform and expert scientists and engineers. The partnership is going to propel both organizations to great things this year and beyond.”