What if quantum computing could help us protect cities and infrastructures from natural hazards?

This is the vision behind a pioneering research project coordinated by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research – CERN (Switzerland) and the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering of the University of Trento (Italy). The project explores how the power of quantum computing can be harnessed to assess and mitigate, with unprecedented fidelity, the effects of earthquakes on strategic infrastructures at the territorial scale.

Led by Dr. Davide Noè Gorini (University of Trento) and Dr. Marco Andreini (CERN), the project brings together engineers and physicists in an international alliance, which also includes experts from the University of Los Andes (Chile), coordinated by Prof. José Abell. Their ambitious goal is to develop a quantum-based numerical platform that integrates quantum algorithms and hardware, thereby overcoming the persistent bottlenecks of classical High-Performance Computing in mega-scale civil engineering applications. This platform aims to enhance the design, assessment and resilience of complex infrastructural networks subjected to earthquakes.

The quantum-based platform will be released worldwide and, as a flagship application, will enable the creation, assessment and enhancement of a cutting-edge digital twin of CERN’s strategic underground infrastructure – a network comprising more than 65 kilometres of tunnels, particle colliders, detectors, and injectors. This virtual model will reproduce, with exceptional detail and realism, the complex multi-physics interactions between the infrastructure and the soil during seismic events.

This alliance, which leverages international scientific excellence and collaboration, represents a decisive advancement in our ability to conceive and enhance seismic hazard-resilient built environments, where modern physics and engineering approaches come together to protect the urban fabric from the growing impact of natural hazards.