Amazon is hiring hardware team for its own quantum computer

Amazon.com Inc. has been hiring for a quantum hardware team within its Amazon Web Services Center for Quantum Computing, according to internal job postings and online information. Marc Runyan, a former engineer with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, (lists his job title on LinkedIn as senior quantum research scientist at Amazon) described his role as "helping to design and build a quantum computer for Amazon Web Services."

Amazon's has recently hired research scientists focusing on designing a new superconducting quantum device as well as device fabrication. Developing its own quantum computer would let Amazon more closely mirror the approach taken by its major cloud rivals IBM Corp. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google.

Amazon announced its entry into the arena last year, and in August launched the Braket quantum computing service which helps cloud clients experiment with quantum algorithms run. Clients can run their algorithms on quantum processing systems built by other companies. At the time, Amazon noted its interest in developing hardware, but stopped short of announcing plans to build its own computer.

One person briefed on Amazon's plans said the company has been on a hiring spree to staff its quantum computing group.