Quantum News Briefs: February 21, 2024: PASQAL, University of Calgary, and Quantum City Initiate New Quantum Computing Partnership; ORCA Computing and Riverlane Partner with the Digital Catapult to launch a first-of-its-kind Quantum Technology Access Programme; Zapata AI, Insilico Medicine, the University of Toronto, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitals use Quantum-Enhanced Generative AI to Generate Viable Cancer Drug Candidates; NEC and D-Wave Introduce New Quantum Offerings to Australian Market; Quantum computing pioneers join the newly constituted Consultative Board of Alice & Bob; and MORE!
Quantum News Briefs: February 21, 2024:
PASQAL, University of Calgary, and Quantum City Initiate New Quantum Computing Partnership
PASQAL, a leader in neutral atom quantum computing, has announced a strategic partnership with the University of Calgary and its Quantum City hub, aiming to propel quantum computing research and education forward. This collaboration seeks to advance quantum technologies, foster innovation, and create a robust talent pipeline within Alberta, thereby contributing significantly to the growth of the quantum ecosystem. By focusing on educational programs, workshops, and training sessions and providing industry experience, the partnership endeavors to bridge the gap between academia and industry, promoting sustainable development in quantum technologies. Both parties aim to leverage their collaborative synergies to enhance research capabilities, support faculty recruitment, and connect students with industry opportunities, thus making a substantial impact on both local and global quantum computing landscapes.
ORCA Computing and Riverlane Partner with the Digital Catapult to launch a first-of-its-kind Quantum Technology Access Programme
Digital Catapult is spearheading the Quantum Technology Access Programme (QTAP) to explore the potential of quantum computing across key UK industrial sectors like energy, infrastructure, and engineering. Supporting eleven organizations, including prominent companies such as Arup, Airbus, and the Port of Dover, QTAP aims to demonstrate quantum technology’s capability to revolutionize crucial aspects of the UK economy. From optimizing the UK energy grid to developing quantum machine learning models for predicting late shipment arrivals, the program showcases real-world quantum computing applications. Notably, Rolls-Royce is investigating the use of quantum machine learning to enhance the safety of small, autonomous nuclear reactors for remote and extraterrestrial environments. In partnership with Riverlane and ORCA Computing, QTAP offers access to cutting-edge quantum technologies, fostering a commercially neutral ecosystem that encourages industrial collaboration and knowledge sharing. The initiative highlights a significant shift towards practical applications of quantum technology, increasing quantum readiness among leading UK companies and SMEs and paving the way for future advancements.
Zapata AI, Insilico Medicine, the University of Toronto, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitals use Quantum-Enhanced Generative AI to Generate Viable Cancer Drug Candidates
Zapata AI, in collaboration with Insilico Medicine, the University of Toronto, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, has achieved a significant advancement in the field of drug discovery by demonstrating that a generative model running on quantum hardware can outperform classical models in generating viable cancer drug candidates. This research, utilizing a 16-qubit IBM quantum device, focused on developing novel KRAS inhibitors, marking a significant step in the fight against cancer by targeting compounds previously considered “undruggable.” The quantum-enhanced generative model produced two molecules with superior binding affinity compared to those generated by classical models, highlighting the potential of hybrid quantum generative AI in accelerating drug discovery processes. This study, awaiting peer review on ArXiv, follows a previous collaboration showing the promise of quantum generative AI for drug discovery and paves the way for further advancements in utilizing quantum AI for complex industrial challenges, including developing new therapeutic options for challenging disease targets.
NEC and D-Wave Introduce New Quantum Offerings to Australian Market
NEC Australia and D-Wave Quantum Inc. are collaborating to launch two innovative quantum services in the Australian market aimed at enhancing quantum computing options for the commercial sector, government bodies, and academia. These services, designed to optimize business operations and address complex challenges such as logistics, emergency response, financial risk modeling, and drug discovery, include the Quantum Consultancy Service and the Leap™ Quantum Cloud Service. The Quantum Consultancy Service enables the development and testing of quantum solutions through Proof of Concepts (POCs), which can then be applied to practical business applications. Meanwhile, the Leap Quantum Cloud Service offers real-time access to quantum computing capabilities, allowing for independent research and exploration of quantum computing’s potential. This partnership between NEC Australia and D-Wave underscores the growing commercial availability and application of quantum computing technology, providing Australian organizations with a competitive edge and supporting the federal government’s National Quantum Strategy.
Quantum computing pioneers join the newly constituted Consultative Board of Alice & Bob
Alice & Bob, a frontrunner in developing fault-tolerant quantum computers, has announced the formation of its Consultative Board, comprising four quantum computing luminaries: Daniel Gottesman, David DiVincenzo, John Martinis, and Yasunobu Nakamura. This distinguished advisory board brings together pioneers with groundbreaking contributions to quantum computing, including the Gottesman-Knill Theorem, the DiVincenzo Criteria for quantum computers, leadership in Google’s quantum supremacy experiment, and pioneering work on the superconducting qubit. The board’s collective expertise is expected to significantly contribute to Alice & Bob’s innovative approach to quantum error correction, potentially leading to a quantum computer of unique capability. This strategic move, complemented by the company’s Scientific Board of Cat Qubit experts, aims to refine Alice & Bob’s long-term roadmap and tackle the next scientific milestones, marking a significant step towards advancing superconducting quantum computing technology.
$15M In State Funding brings quantum computing to South Carolina
South Carolina has made a big move into the future of technology by investing $15 million into quantum computing, marking the state’s largest tech initiative investment to date. This significant financial commitment from the state legislature has enabled students at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business to access a quantum computer through a web portal, allowing them to tackle complex problems, such as optimizing financial portfolios, in minutes instead of the hundreds of years it would take using traditional computing methods. Spearheaded by Sen. Dick Harpootlian and supported by the newly formed South Carolina Quantum Association, this initiative aims not only to educate and train students in this cutting-edge technology but also to retain talent within the state by fostering a new generation of experts and potential entrepreneurs in the quantum field. This strategic investment underscores South Carolina’s ambition to become a regional center of excellence in quantum computing, with plans to expand the program and pursue federal grants in the future.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Managing Editor at Inside Quantum Technology and the Science Communicator at JILA (a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST). Her writing beats include deep tech, quantum computing, and AI. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover Magazine, New Scientist, Ars Technica, and more.
