Category Archives: Quantum Computing

Though years from potential fruition, quantum computing and its control has emerged as an issue among technology ethicists. But if a YouTube video released last week voicing the concerns of six quantum experts is any indication, the level of discourse is at an early and amorphous stage, with only vague notions of solutions.

This is not to belittle the good work of Matt Swayne, an editor at Quantum Daily who co-produced the video with publisher Evan Kubes. To be fair, the video is intended for a general, not technical, audience, and Swayne and Kubes raise critical issues that individual technologists, their companies, their countries and governing bodies will need to come to grips with. Its just to say that quantum ethics, like the technology itself, is at an early stage, and that the thinking, talking and actions taken on quantum ethics will have to progress far and fast if it is to be effective.

The thought of what quantum may someday be able to do, that it could dust todays HPC and supercomputing, is staggering. Altering the human genome, designing super (and super-expensive) drugs, developing new military weapons, along with espionage and law enforcement techniques all of these and more have major implications not only for the technology but for the existing gaps between rich and poor people and countries, between normally intelligent and the abnormally intelligent technological elite, gaps that quantum could widen.

As Faye Wattleton, co-founder , EeroQ Quantum Hardware, said in the video, I think its in a moment for us to pause, and cause us to take a step back to say, Wait a minute, if we can do in a few minutes what it would take 10,000 years to do with our current technology, well, that really requires some careful consideration.

If we think about what it can do for good, of course, (many) industries farmer, molecular simulation, creating new materials thats wonderful, said Dr. Ilana Wisby, CEO, Oxford Quantum Circuits. But of course, it could also be used to create new materials for purposes that arent so wonderful. We start to see and understand why governments, for example, are interested from even a material science perspective. And, of course, the infamous one is Shors Algorithm and the understanding that quantum computing could one day, likely, break encryption What we have to understand and address now is: Is it worth the risk? Just because we can do something doesnt mean we should.

The point regarding the gap in quantum comprehension is not raised in the video, but there already is a major divide between those doing quantum R&D over against the vast majority of technologists, never mind the public at large, for whom quantum will remain an utter blank, a non-starter, beginning with the head splitting concept that a qubit can be a 0 and a 1 at the same time (though, we admit, the more often we hear it repeated the less intimidating it becomes, even if its no more comprehendible). As Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman said, If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you dont understand quantum mechanics. (It may have been Feynman who also said, You dont understand quantum mechanics, you just go with it.)

Dr. Ilana Wisby, CEO, Oxford Quantum Circuits

The comprehension gap only adds to the complexities of quantum ethics when we consider that those who will apply the ethics in the form of legislation i.e., politicians wont understand the technology at all. Collision of the tech-political worlds was put on display last summer during Congressional hearings on Big Tech in which members of Congress asked elementary and transparently uninformed questions that the Big Tech company executives struggled mightily to answer without condescension and that was about social media, a technology every politician uses (one media wag said the hearings at times seemed more like an extended Facebook help session).

Theres a truism that when it comes to business, politicians first do too little, then too much. This could pose a problem for FAANG and other companies pursuing quantum that are accustomed to asking for forgiveness, not permission, from local, state and federal governments and regulators.

Perhaps companies in the quantum sector should look for guidance from Germanys approach to governance of autonomous vehicles. Led by the countrys transportation minister, an ethics commission was assembled and deliberated on the matter with religious, intellectual and other societal leaders, along with technologists and car makers. The commissions 2017 report recommended that all AVs let humans take control, that if an accident occurs in which the car is in control then the automaker is liable, that AVs cant be programmed demographically (such as deciding that an elderly person should die before a baby), and other matters. If these ethical constraints make it harder to produce AVs then so be it ethics before technology seemed to be the commissions overriding priority.**

Ilyas Khan, CEO, Cambridge Quantum Computing

In that vein, one the experts who participated in the video, Ilyas Khan, CEO, Cambridge Quantum Computing, urged the quantum community not repeat the ethical lapses of previous decades.

My generation was asleep of the wheel in the 90s, Khan said. The pursuit of various different returns overcame our sensibility. If you think 100 years ago, 150 years ago, when mass media first made its appearance in the form of newspapers that millions of people would read, we put controls in place. When railways started to emerge, we put controls in place. In the mid-90s, the combination of the internet revolution and what happened with mobile telephony, we gave up, there were no controls. Now, societies get very excited about things like (the financial crisis of) 2008, and 2009 and the so-called bankers that were at fault, but this is a far, far bigger issue that were facing today because of being asleep of the wheel in the 90s, and the 80s.

Considering quantums potential powers, and the natural concern of the bottom 99 percent who can only stand in uncomprehending awe before that power, an ethics-first approach may be the right way to guide quantum through its development if it is to be accepted, not feared, by society at large.

As one of the experts in the video, Nick Farina, founder, EeroQ Quantum Hardware, has said, The early stage of quantum computing is not a reason to delay ethical considerations, its actually a great opportunity to create ethical frameworks in advance of large scale impact.

** Source: Steve Conway, senior adviser, HPC market dynamics, at industry analyst firm Hyperion Research.

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The Quantum Comprehension Gap and the Emergence of Quantum Ethics - insideHPC

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Machine Learning Developers Summit (MLDS 2021) is one of the biggest gatherings of machine learning developers in India. With more than 1,500 machine learning developers, 60 speakers from around 200 organisations, the conference corrals Indias leading Machine Learning innovators and practitioners to share their ideas about machine learning tools, advanced development and more.

Anish Agarwal, Director, Data & Analytics, India at NatWest Group, talked about The Interplay between Quantum Theory And Artificial Intelligence at MLDS 2021.

The session started with an introduction to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, a brief on quantum computing, different forms of quantum technology used for various military as well as civilian applications, how it is different from the classical computers as well as how quantum computing plays a vital role in the advancement of artificial intelligence.

In the field of quantum computing, Agarwal discussed the technique of quantum artificial intelligence, how it can be used for computation of machine learning algorithms and what makes this technology unique.

Quantum AI can help in achieving results that are impossible with classical computers. He said, as per reports, 25 percent of fortune global 500 companies will have a competitive edge from quantum computing by the year 2023. Tech giants like Google, Microsoft are doubling down on quantum computing.

He then explained the possibilities of applying quantum computing in AI:

He said, Quantum machine learning (QML) is not one settled homogeneous field. This is because machine learning itself is quite diverse in nature. He added, Quantum Machine Learning is simply the field exploring the connections between quantum computing and quantum physics on one hand and machine learning and related fields on the other hand.

Agarwal then deliberated on Quantum Game Theory and compared it with classical game theory. He said quantum game theory can be used to overcome critical problems in quantum communications.

He also discussed the advantages of quantum AI:

Agarwal concluded the session by touching upon the key applications of quantum artificial intelligence. Lastly, he mentioned some of the critical milestones for quantum AI and busted a few myths related to quantum computing techniques.

The critical milestones include:

A Technical Journalist who loves writing about Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. A lover of music, writing and learning something out of the box. Contact: [emailprotected]

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The Interplay between Quantum Theory And Artificial Intelligence - Analytics India Magazine

New York, Feb. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Quantum Computing Market with COVID-19 impact by Offering, Deployment, Application, Technology, End-use Industry and Region - Global Forecast to 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05064748/?utm_source=GNW Several companies are focusing on the adoption of QCaaS post-COVID-19. This, in turn, is expected to contribute to the growth of the quantum computing market. However, stability and error correction issues is expected to restrain the growth of the market.

Services segment is attributed to hold the largest share of the Quantum Computing marketThe growth of services segment can be attributed to the increasing number of startups across the world that are investing in research and development activities related to quantum computing technology. This technology is used in optimization, simulation, and machine learning applications, thereby leading to optimum utilization costs and highly efficient operations in various end-use industries.

Cloud based deployment to witness the highest growth in Quantum Computing market in coming yearsWith the development of highly powerful systems, the demand for cloud-based deployment of quantum computing systems and services is expected to increase.This, in turn, is expected to result in a significant revenue source for service providers, with users paying for access to noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) systems that can solve real-world problems.

The limited lifespan of rapidly advancing quantum computing systems also favors cloud service providers.The flexibility of access offered to users is another factor fueling the adoption of cloud-based deployment of quantum computing systems and services.

For the foreseeable future, quantum computers are expected not to be portable. Cloud can provide users with access to different devices and simulators from their laptops.

Optimization accounted for a major share of the overall Quantum Computing marketOptimization is the largest application for quantum computing and accounted for a major share of the overall Quantum Computing market.Companies such as D-Wave Systems, Cambridge Quantum Computing, QC Ware, and 1QB Information Technologies are developing quantum computing systems for optimization applications.

Networked Quantum Information Technologies Hub (NQIT) is expanding to incorporate optimization solutions for resolving problems faced by the practical applications of quantum computing technology.

Trapped ions segment to witness highest CAGR of Quantum Computing market during the forecast periodThe trapped ions segment of the market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period as quantum computing systems based on trapped ions offer more stability and better connectivity than quantum computing systems based on other technologies. IonQ, Alpine Quantum Technologies, and Honeywell are a few companies that use trapped ions technology in their quantum computing systems.

Banking and finance is attributed to hold major share of Quantum Computing market during the forecast periodIn the banking and finance end-use industry, quantum computing is used for risk modeling and trading applications.It is also used to detect the market instabilities by identifying stock market risks and optimize the trading trajectories, portfolios, and asset pricing and hedging.

As the financial sector is difficult to understand; the quantum computing approach is expected to help users understand the complexities of the banking and finance end-use industry. Moreover, it can help traders by suggesting them solutions to overcome financial challenges.

APAC to witness highest growth of Quantum Computing market during the forecast periodAPAC region is a leading hub for several industries, including healthcare and pharmaceuticals, banking and finance, and chemicals.Countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea are the leading manufacturers of consumer electronics, including smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles, in APAC.

There is a requirement to resolve complications in optimization, simulation, and machine learning applications across these industries.The large-scale development witnessed by emerging economies of APAC and the increased use of advanced technologies in the manufacturing sector are contributing to the development of large and medium enterprises in the region.

This, in turn, is fueling the demand for quantum computing services and systems in APAC.In APAC, the investments look promising, as most countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea have successfully contained the virus compared with the US and European countries.China is easing the restrictions placed on factory lockdowns and worker movement.

Despite being the epicenter of COVID-19, China has maintained its dominant position as a global network leader.

The break-up of primary participants for the report has been shown below: By Company Type: Tier 1 - 18%, Tier 2 - 22%, and Tier 3 - 60% By Designation: C-level Executives - 21%, Manager Level - 35%, and Others - 44% By Region: North America - 45%, Europe - 38%, APAC - 12%, and RoW - 5%

The Quantum Computing market was dominated by International Business Machines (US), D-Wave Systems (Canada), Microsoft (US), Amazon (US), and Rigetti Computing (US).

Research Coverage:This research report categorizes the Quantum Computing based on offering, deployment, application, technology, end-use industry and region. The report describes the major drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities pertaining to the Quantum Computing market and forecasts the same till 2026.

Key Benefits of Buying the Report

The report would help leaders/new entrants in this market in the following ways:1. This report segments the Quantum Computing market comprehensively and provides the closest market size projection for all subsegments across different regions.2. The report helps stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provides them with information on key drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities for market growth.3. This report would help stakeholders understand their competitors better and gain more insights to improve their position in the business. The competitive landscape section includes product launches and developments, partnerships, and collaborations.4. This report would help understand the pre and post-COVID-19 scenarios as to how would the penetration of quantum computing will look like for the forecast period. The region segment includes the country wise impact analysis of COVID-19 and initiatives taken to overcome these impacts.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05064748/?utm_source=GNW

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The Quantum Computing market is expected to grow from USD 472 million in 2021 to USD 1,765 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 30.2% - GlobeNewswire

Dublin, Jan. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Quantum Computing Market by Technology, Infrastructure, Services, and Industry Verticals 2021 - 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report assesses the technology, companies/organizations, R&D efforts, and potential solutions facilitated by quantum computing. The report provides global and regional forecasts as well as the outlook for quantum computing impact on infrastructure including hardware, software, applications, and services from 2021 to 2026. This includes the quantum computing market across major industry verticals.

While classical (non-quantum) computers make the modern digital world possible, there are many tasks that cannot be solved using conventional computational methods. This is because of limitations in processing power. For example, fourth-generation computers cannot perform multiple computations at one time with one processor. Physical phenomena at the nanoscale indicate that a quantum computer is capable of computational feats that are orders of magnitude greater than conventional methods.

This is due to the use of something referred to as a quantum bit (qubit), which may exist as a zero or one (as in classical computing) or may exist in two-states simultaneously (0 and 1 at the same time) due to the superposition principle of quantum physics. This enables greater processing power than the normal binary (zero only or one only) representation of data.

Whereas parallel computing is achieved in classical computers via linking processors together, quantum computers may conduct multiple computations with a single processor. This is referred to as quantum parallelism and is a major difference between hyper-fast quantum computers and speed-limited classical computers.

Quantum computing is anticipated to support many new and enhanced capabilities including:

Ultra-secure Data and Communications: Data is encrypted and also follow multiple paths through a phenomenon known as quantum teleportation

Super-dense Data and Communications: Significantly denser encoding will allow substantially more information to be sent from point A to point B

Target Audience:

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ICT Service Providers

ICT Infrastructure Providers

Security Solutions Providers

Data and Computing Companies

Governments and NGO R&D Organizations

Select Report Findings:

The global market for QC hardware will exceed $7.1 billion by 2026

Leading application areas are simulation, optimization, and sampling

Managed services will reach $206 million by 2026 with CAGR of 44.2%

Key professional services will be deployment, maintenance, and consulting

QC based on superconducting (cooling) loops tech will reach $3.3B by 2026

Fastest growing industry verticals will be government, energy, and transportation

Report Benefits:

Market forecasts globally, regionally, and by opportunity areas for 2021 - 2026

Understand how quantum computing will accelerate growth of artificial intelligence

Identify opportunities to leverage quantum computing in different industry verticals

Understand challenges and limitations to deploying and operating quantum computing

Identify contribution of leading vendors, universities, and government agencies in R&D

Key Topics Covered:

1.0 Executive Summary

2.0 Introduction

3.0 Technology and Market Analysis3.1 Quantum Computing State of the Industry3.2 Quantum Computing Technology Stack3.3 Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence3.4 Quantum Neurons3.5 Quantum Computing and Big Data3.6 Linear Optical Quantum Computing3.7 Quantum Computing Business Model3.8 Quantum Software Platform3.9 Application Areas3.10 Emerging Revenue Sectors3.11 Quantum Computing Investment Analysis3.12 Quantum Computing Initiatives by Country3.12.1 USA3.12.2 Canada3.12.3 Mexico3.12.4 Brazil3.12.5 UK3.12.6 France3.12.7 Russia3.12.8 Germany3.12.9 Netherlands3.12.10 Denmark3.12.11 Sweden3.12.12 Saudi Arabia3.12.13 UAE3.12.14 Qatar3.12.15 Kuwait3.12.16 Israel3.12.17 Australia3.12.18 China3.12.19 Japan3.12.20 India3.12.21 Singapore

4.0 Quantum Computing Drivers and Challenges4.1 Quantum Computing Market Dynamics4.2 Quantum Computing Market Drivers4.2.1 Growing Adoption in Aerospace and Defense Sectors4.2.2 Growing investment of Governments4.2.3 Emergence of Advance Applications4.3 Quantum Computing Market Challenges

5.0 Quantum Computing Use Cases5.1 Quantum Computing in Pharmaceuticals5.2 Applying Quantum Technology to Financial Problems5.3 Accelerate Autonomous Vehicles with Quantum AI5.4 Car Manufacturers using Quantum Computing5.5 Accelerating Advanced Computing for NASA Missions

6.0 Quantum Computing Value Chain Analysis6.1 Quantum Computing Value Chain Structure6.2 Quantum Computing Competitive Analysis6.2.1 Leading Vendor Efforts6.2.2 Start-up Companies6.2.3 Government Initiatives6.2.4 University Initiatives6.2.5 Venture Capital Investments6.3 Large Scale Computing Systems

7.0 Company Analysis7.1 D-Wave Systems Inc.7.1.1 Company Overview:7.1.2 Product Portfolio7.1.3 Recent Development7.2 Google Inc.7.2.1 Company Overview:7.2.2 Product Portfolio7.2.3 Recent Development7.3 Microsoft Corporation7.3.1 Company Overview:7.3.2 Product Portfolio7.3.3 Recent Development7.4 IBM Corporation7.4.1 Company Overview:7.4.2 Product Portfolio7.4.3 Recent Development7.5 Intel Corporation7.5.1 Company Overview7.5.2 Product Portfolio7.5.3 Recent Development7.6 Nokia Corporation7.6.1 Company Overview7.6.2 Product Portfolio7.6.3 Recent Developments7.7 Toshiba Corporation7.7.1 Company Overview7.7.2 Product Portfolio7.7.3 Recent Development7.8 Raytheon Company7.8.1 Company Overview7.8.2 Product Portfolio7.8.3 Recent Development7.9 Other Companies7.9.1 1QB Information Technologies Inc.7.9.1.1 Company Overview7.9.1.2 Recent Development7.9.2 Cambridge Quantum Computing Ltd.7.9.2.1 Company Overview7.9.2.2 Recent Development7.9.3 QC Ware Corp.7.9.3.1 Company Overview7.9.3.2 Recent Development7.9.4 MagiQ Technologies Inc.7.9.4.1 Company Overview7.9.5 Rigetti Computing7.9.5.1 Company Overview7.9.5.2 Recent Development7.9.6 Anyon Systems Inc.7.9.6.1 Company Overview7.9.7 Quantum Circuits Inc.7.9.7.1 Company Overview7.9.7.2 Recent Development7.9.8 Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)7.9.8.1 Company Overview7.9.8.2 Recent Development7.9.9 Fujitsu Ltd.7.9.9.1 Company Overview7.9.9.2 Recent Development7.9.10 NEC Corporation7.9.10.1 Company Overview7.9.10.2 Recent Development7.9.11 SK Telecom7.9.11.1 Company Overview7.9.11.2 Recent Development7.9.12 Lockheed Martin Corporation7.9.12.1 Company Overview7.9.13 NTT Docomo Inc.7.9.13.1 Company Overview7.9.13.2 Recent Development7.9.14 Alibaba Group Holding Limited7.9.14.1 Company Overview7.9.14.2 Recent Development7.9.15 Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.7.9.15.1 Company Overview7.9.16 Airbus Group7.9.16.1 Company Overview7.9.16.2 Recent Development7.9.17 Amgen Inc.7.9.17.1 Company Overview7.9.17.2 Recent Development7.9.18 Biogen Inc.7.9.18.1 Company Overview7.9.18.2 Recent Development7.9.19 BT Group7.9.19.1 Company Overview7.9.19.2 Recent Development7.9.20 Mitsubishi Electric Corp.7.9.20.1 Company Overview7.9.21 Volkswagen AG7.9.21.1 Company Overview7.9.21.2 Recent Development7.9.22 KPN7.9.22.1 Recent Development7.10 Ecosystem Contributors7.10.1 Agilent Technologies7.10.2 Artiste-qb.net7.10.3 Avago Technologies7.10.4 Ciena Corporation7.10.5 Eagle Power Technologies Inc7.10.6 Emcore Corporation7.10.7 Enablence Technologies7.10.8 Entanglement Partners7.10.9 Fathom Computing7.10.10 Alpine Quantum Technologies GmbH7.10.11 Atom Computing7.10.12 Black Brane Systems7.10.13 Delft Circuits7.10.14 EeroQ7.10.15 Everettian Technologies7.10.16 EvolutionQ7.10.17 H-Bar Consultants7.10.18 Horizon Quantum Computing7.10.19 ID Quantique (IDQ)7.10.20 InfiniQuant7.10.21 IonQ7.10.22 ISARA7.10.23 KETS Quantum Security7.10.24 Magiq7.10.25 MDR Corporation7.10.26 Nordic Quantum Computing Group (NQCG)7.10.27 Oxford Quantum Circuits7.10.28 Post-Quantum (PQ Solutions)7.10.29 ProteinQure7.10.30 PsiQuantum7.10.31 Q&I7.10.32 Qasky7.10.33 QbitLogic7.10.34 Q-Ctrl7.10.35 Qilimanjaro Quantum Hub7.10.36 Qindom7.10.37 Qnami7.10.38 QSpice Labs7.10.39 Qu & Co7.10.40 Quandela7.10.41 Quantika7.10.42 Quantum Benchmark Inc.7.10.43 Quantum Circuits Inc. (QCI)7.10.44 Quantum Factory GmbH7.10.45 QuantumCTek7.10.46 Quantum Motion Technologies7.10.47 QuantumX7.10.48 Qubitekk7.10.49 Qubitera LLC7.10.50 Quintessence Labs7.10.51 Qulab7.10.52 Qunnect7.10.53 QuNu Labs7.10.54 River Lane Research (RLR)7.10.55 SeeQC7.10.56 Silicon Quantum Computing7.10.57 Sparrow Quantum7.10.58 Strangeworks7.10.59 Tokyo Quantum Computing (TQC)7.10.60 TundraSystems Global Ltd.7.10.61 Turing7.10.62 Xanadu7.10.63 Zapata Computing7.10.64 Accenture7.10.65 Atos Quantum7.10.66 Baidu7.10.67 Northrop Grumman7.10.68 Quantum Computing Inc.7.10.69 Keysight Technologies7.10.70 Nano-Meta Technologies7.10.71 Optalysys Ltd.

8.0 Quantum Computing Market Analysis and Forecasts 2021 - 20268.1.1 Quantum Computing Market by Infrastructure8.1.1.1 Quantum Computing Market by Hardware Type8.1.1.2 Quantum Computing Market by Application Software Type8.1.1.3 Quantum Computing Market by Service Type8.1.1.3.1 Quantum Computing Market by Professional Service Type8.1.2 Quantum Computing Market by Technology Segment8.1.3 Quantum Computing Market by Industry Vertical8.1.4 Quantum Computing Market by Region8.1.4.1 North America Quantum Computing Market by Infrastructure, Technology, Industry Vertical, and Country8.1.4.2 European Quantum Computing Market by Infrastructure, Technology, and Industry Vertical8.1.4.3 Asia-Pacific Quantum Computing Market by Infrastructure, Technology, and Industry Vertical8.1.4.4 Middle East & Africa Quantum Computing Market by Infrastructure, Technology, and Industry Vertical8.1.4.5 Latin America Quantum Computing Market by Infrastructure, Technology, and Industry Vertical

9.0 Conclusions and Recommendations

10.0 Appendix: Quantum Computing and Classical HPC10.1 Next Generation Computing10.2 Quantum Computing vs. Classical High-Performance Computing10.3 Artificial Intelligence in High Performance Computing10.4 Quantum Technology Market in Exascale Computing

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/omefq7

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The Worldwide Quantum Computing Industry will Exceed $7.1 Billion by 2026 - Yahoo Finance

Finlands VTT Technical Research Centre has formed a strategic collaboration with tech startup IQM Group to build the countrys first quantum computer.

The VTT-IQM co-innovation partnership aims to deliver a 50-qubit machine by 2024, drawing on international quantum technology expertise to augment Finlands home-grown quantum capabilities.

The partnership combines VTTs expertise in supercomputing and networking systems with IQMs capacity to deliver a hardware stack for a quantum computer while working with VTT to integrate critical technologies.

The financing element of the project saw IQM launch a new series A funding round in November. The Helsinki-headquartered company raised 39m in new capital in the funding round, bringing to 71m the total amount raised by IQM for quantum computing-related research and development (R&D) project activities to date.

State-owned VTT is providing financing for the project in the form of grants totalling 20.7m from the Finnish government.

Micronova, a national research and development infrastructure resource operated jointly by VTT and Aalto University, will provide the clean room environment to build the quantum computer and associated components at a dedicated facility at Espoo, southwest of Helsinki. The build will use Micronovas specialised input and micro- and nanotechnology expertise to guide the project.

The project marks the latest phase in cooperation between VTT and Aalto University. The two partners are also involved in a joint venture to develop a new detector for measuring energy quana. As measuring the energy of qubits lies at the core of how quantum computers operate, the detector project has the potential to become a game-changer in quantum technology.

IQMs collaborative role with VTT emerged following an international public tender process. All partners expect to see robust advances in the quantum computing project in 2021, said Jan Goetz, CEO of IQM.

This project is extremely prestigious for us, said Goetz. We will be collaborating with leading experts from VTT, so this brings a great opportunity to work together in ways that help build the future of quantum technologies.

Finlands plan to build a 50-qubit machine stacks up reasonably well in terms of ambition and scope, compared with projects being run by global tech giants Google and IBM.

In 2019, Google disclosed that it had used its 53-qubit quantum computer to perform a calculation on an unidentified unique abstract problem that took 200 seconds to accomplish. Google, which hopes to build a one million-qubit quantum computer within 10 years, estimated that it would have taken the worlds most powerful supercomputer, at the time, 10,000 years to resolve and complete the same calculation.

For its part, IBM is engaged in a milestone project to build a quantum computer comprising 1,000 qubits by 2023. IBMs largest current quantum computer contains 65 qubits.

The VTT-IQM project will proceed in three stages. The first will involve the construction of a five-qubit computer by the year of 2021. The project will then be scaled up in 2022, parallel with enhancement of support infrastructure, to deliver the target 50-qubit machine in 2023.

Our focus is more on how effectively we use the qubits, rather than the number, said Goetz. We expect, that by 2024, we will be in a place where there is a high likelihood of simulating several real-world problems and start finding solutions with a quantum computer.

For instance, conducting quantum material simulations for chemistry applications such as molecule design for new drugs, or the discovery of chemical reaction processes to achieve superior battery and fertiliser production.

The Finnish governments direct funding of the project is driven by a broader mission to further elevate the countrys reputation as a European tech hub and computing superpower, said Mika Lintil, Finlands economic affairs minister.

We want Finland to harness its potential to become the European leader in quantum technologies, he added. By having this resource, we can explore the opportunities that quantum computing presents to Finnish and European businesses. We see quantum computing as a dynamic tool to drive competitiveness across the whole of the European Union.

Within VTT, the quantum computing project will run parallel with connected areas of application, including quantum sensors and quantum-encryption algorithms. Quantum sensors are becoming increasingly important tools in medical imaging and diagnostics, while quantum-encryption algorithms are being deployed more widely to protect information networks.

Quantum computing-specific applications have the capacity to empower businesses to answer complex problems in chemistry and physics that cannot be solved by current supercomputers, said VTT CEO Antti Vasara.

Investing in disruptive technologies like quantum computing means we are investing in our future ability to solve global problems and create sustainable growth, he said. Its a machine that has immense real-world applications that can make the impossible possible. It can be used to simulate or calculate how materials or medicinal drugs work at the atomic level.

In the future, quantum technologies will play a significant role in the accelerated development and delivery of new and critical vaccines.

Finlands advance into quantum computing will further enhance Helsinkis status as a Nordic and European hub for world-leading innovative ecosystems dedicated to new technologies.

The project will also bolster IQMs capacity to build Europes largest industrial quantum hardware team to support projects across Europe, said Goetz.

IQM established a strategic presence in Germany in 2020, following the German governments commitment to invest 2bn in a project to build two quantum computers.

We are witnessing a boost in deep-tech funding in Europe, said Goetz. Startups like us need access to three channels of funding to ensure healthy growth. We need research grants to stimulate new key innovations and equity investments to grow the company. We also require early adoption through acquisitions supported by the government. This combination of funding enables us to pool risk and create a new industry.

IQMs initial startup funding included a 3.3m grant from Business Finland, the governments innovation financing vehicle, in addition to 15m equity investment from the EIC (European Innovation Council) Accelerator programme.

The 71m harvested by IQM in 2020 ranks among the highest capital fund raising rounds by a European deep-tech startup in such a short period.

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Tech partnership to drive Finlands quantum computing project - ComputerWeekly.com

Experts at the CES 2021 conference stress importance of security education

The second age of quantum computing is poised to bring a wealth of new opportunities to the cybersecurity industry but in order to take full advantage of these benefits, the skills gap must be closed.

This was the takeaway of a discussion between two cybersecurity experts at the CES 2021 virtual conference last week.

Pete Totrorici, director of Joint Information Warfare at the Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center, joined Vikram Sharma, CEO of QuintessenceLabs, during a talk titled AI and quantum cyber disruption.

Quantum computing is in its second age, according to Sharma, meaning that the cybersecurity industry will soon start to witness the improvements in encryption, AI, and other areas that have long been promised by the technology.

BACKGROUND Quantum leap forward in cryptography could make niche technology mainstream

Quantum-era cybersecurity will wield the power to detect and deflect quantum-era cyber-attacks before they cause harm, a report from IBM reads.

It is the technology of our time, indeed, commented Sharma, who is based in Canberra, Australia.

QuintessenceLabs is looking at the application of advanced quantum technologies within the cybersecurity sphere, says Sharma, in particular the realm of data protection.

Governments and large organizations have also invested in the quantum space in recent years, with the US, UK, and India all providing funding for research.

The Joint AI Center was founded in 2018 and was launched to transform the Department of Defense to the adoption of artificial intelligence, said Totrorici.

A subdivision of the US Armed Forces, the center is responsible for exploring the use of AI and AI-enhanced communication for use in real-world combat situations.

Specifically, were trying to identify how we employ AI solutions that will have a mission impact, he said.

Across the department our day-to-day composes everything from development strategy, policy, product development, industry engagement, and other outreach activities, but if I need to identify something that I think is my most significant challenge today, its understanding the departments varied needs.

As with last year, CES took place virtually in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic

In order to reach these needs, Totrorici said that relationships between the center, academia, industry, and government need to be established.

There was a time when the DoD go it alone, [however] those days are long gone.

If were going to solve problems like AI employment or quantum development, [it] is going to require partnerships, he said.

Totrorici and Sharma both agreed that while the future is certainly in quantum computing, the ever-widening cyber skills gap needs to be addressed to take advantage of its potential.

Indeed, these partnerships cannot be formed if there arent enough experts in the field.

Totrorici said: Forefront in the mind of the DoD nowadays is, How do we how do we cultivate and retain talent?

I still think the United States does a great job of growing and building talent. Now the question becomes, Will we retain that talent, how do we leverage that time going forward, and where are we building it?

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The (ISC)2 2020 Workforce Study (PDF) found that the current cybersecurity industry needs to grow by 89% in order to effectively protect against cyber threats.

Of the companies surveyed, the study also revealed that 64% current have some shortage of dedicated cybersecurity staff.

Here in Australia weve recently established whats called the Sydney Quantum Academy, and that is an overarching group that sits across four leadings institutions that are doing some cutting-edge work in quantum in the country, said Sharma.

One of the aims of that academy is to produce quantum skilled folks broadly, but also looking specifically in the quantum cybersecurity area.

So certainly, some small initiatives that [have] kicked off, but I think theres a big gap there that that will need to be filled as we move forward.

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Mind the (skills) gap: Cybersecurity talent pool must expand to take advantage of quantum computing opportunities - The Daily Swig