Exploring supercomputers and quantum computers: MQV Girls'Day at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre

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What is it like to work as a computer scientist, physicist or mathematician in a computer center and to research supercomputers and quantum computers? On 3 April 2025, eight students aged 14 to 17 took the opportunity on Girls'Day to gain an insight into this career field and took part in the Munich Quantum Valley program, which this year took place in cooperation with and at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre.

Several girls are taking apart old PCs.

How hot is the water used to cool the SuperMUC-NG supercomputer at the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ)? How much faster is the SuperMUC-NG than the iPhone 8? And in which tasks can a quantum computer beat LRZ's supercomputer? The girls start their day at the LRZ with a short quiz and then they get hands-on.

“Dissecting” PC hardware

To see with their own eyes what actually belongs to the hardware of an ordinary computer, the students take apart old PCs. Rebecca, a computer scientist at the LRZ, leads them through the "dissection lesson": "Who can find the brain?" One girl correctly guesses that the "brain", the processor, is hidden behind the large fan. But first, all kinds of cable clamps and plugs are pulled out and numerous screws are unscrewed in order to fiddle the mainboard, the “nervous system”, out of the case. The RAM – the "short-term memory", as Rebecca explains it – the hard disk and the power supply are also removed one by one. The DVD drive shows the age of the devices. The tasks of each component are always discussed together and if something gets stuck and parts just won't come loose, the girls help each other.

From the ordinary PC, the program moves on to the supercomputer. But before the girls get to see it in its entirety on the tour of the computer building, they get to see a single element of the supercomputer, several of which are stacked on top of each other in a server rack. Here, too, the girls can see the processor, RAM, etc., but instead of a mechanical fan, they can see connections and pipes for water cooling.

Walking through aisles of server racks and past a real quantum computer – a guided tour of the computer building

A girl is looking at a superconducting quantum chip.
A girl looks at one of the exhibits, a chip with 17 superconducting qubits.

Then, Sabrina from LRZ guides the girls through the institute building, through the ID check, and over a small bridge into the computer building. The security precautions taken here impress the students. The elevator and stairs take them to the various floors of the computer building: past humming ventilation systems and whirring server racks, they first see the world's largest chip – used at the LRZ for AI applications – and then the quantum computer, which has already been successfully connected to the classical supercomputer SuperMUC-NG. The letter is what the students see next. After a short introduction to the complex calculations that SuperMUC-NG actually performs and what parallel computing is all about, the girls are allowed to walk “through” the supercomputer – it's not every day that you get to see the long rows of server racks with their many flashing LEDs. The tour ends on the roof of the computer building. After all the impressions, it's good to get some fresh air, enjoy the warm rays of the sun and let the eyes wander over the Garching research campus and as far as Munich.

Back in the classroom, the girls are given an introduction to the basics of quantum physics and quantum computing. Finally – because they were already eagerly asking questions about this topic during the tour. In a short lecture, the students learn what quanta actually are, how researchers want to exploit their extraordinary properties for computing and how quantum computers ultimately differ from classical computers. During the lecture, the girls raise their hands because they want to know more and ask a lot of questions. Afterwards, they take a closer look at exhibits, which give them an idea of how different the hardware of a quantum computer can look and what the similarities and differences are compared to the PC they were allowed to take apart at the beginning.
 

Exploring the inner workings of a cryostat virtually

Two girls are standing in an LED cave that shows the inside of a cryostat for superconducting quantum computing in virtual reality.
Two girls in the LED cave, taking a "3D ride" through the inside of a cryostat for superconducting quantum computing.

After a short lunch break, the last stop of the day is the Centre for Virtual Reality and Visualization. There, one by one, the students are allowed into the LED Cave, a cube lined with LED panels that allows the visitor to move through virtual landscapes and objects. Equipped with 3D glasses and joysticks, the girls explore the inside of a cryostat for superconducting quantum computing – of which they could only see the outside during the tour – and can “zoom in” on the cryostat. As they were paying close attention beforehand, it is easy for them to discover the superconducting processor, which is located at the very bottom of the cryostat, or to recognize the microwave conductors that connect the processor to the outside world. Since they first have to get used to the joystick, the “ride” through the cryostat is sometimes very fast – and so the Girls'Day at the LRZ ends not only with a lot of newly acquired knowledge, but also with a lot of laughter.

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