Soundbites
With the mess in the world at the moment, it looks like we need all the help we can get. And it’s good we’re in the age of hard tech because no matter how much the naysayers cry out that all the promises will amount to nothing, the general consensus says otherwise.
In quantum computing (QC) we have a real plaster on the wound. It’s true, that in the coming decades, QC — like AI now — may play a leading role in both our lives and how we lead them.
Already we can see the first quantum computers in development. Multinationals Google and IBM are being joined by smaller gigs like D-Wave Systems, Rigetti Computing and IonQ in building some of the first ‘prototype’ models that one day — if current developments are anything to go by — will be able to do something useful. For now, though, exclamations of ‘quantum supremacy’ are a little premature, although they are good for soundbites and for grabbing the attention of the layman.
On the back of all this excitement, however, are dozens of startups that have sprung up over the last decade that want to both service this burgeoning industry as well as make a name for themselves at the same time.
One example of the healthy ecosystem that has been evolving of late (let’s hope the current medical and economic crises doesn’t put those plans to bed) is a Swiss QC start called Terra Quantum AG.
Terra Quantum AG was established in 2019 by its two founding members, CEO Markus Pflitsch and Prof. Dr. Karl Eckstein, who acts as CLO.
‘Setting the Course for the Future’
— Terra Quantum AG
Terra Quantum AG
The startup ‘[is] building quantum technology for a better future, breaking down the barriers between science and industry and laying the foundations of a real quantum tech ecosystem and value chain.’
With a world-class, international team on board with scientific skills in applied mathematics, physics, chemistry, chemical physics, mechanical engineering, systems programming, electronics, and physics engineering, combined with the abilities of CEO Markus Pflitsch, whose expertise spans both the scientific and the business worlds, the startup is on the right path to achieving success.
Professor Gordey Lesovik, CTO of Terra Quantum AG and Head of the Quantum Information Laboratory of MIPT, had this to say about the startup’s intentions:
‘We plan to implement a useful quantum algorithm on the IBM machine with 20 Qubits in order to test Quantum Supremacy. Eventually, when the quantum processor with fifty plus qubits becomes accessible, we aim to test the same algorithm there.’
Some of the startups current projects include:
— Quantum Cryptography
— Quantum Random Number Generators
— Quantum metrology and Sensors
— Machine Learning
— Artificial Intelligence
— Processing of Classical Signals by Quantum Information Methods
— Software & Hardware Development
— MRI Scanner (algorithmic cooling)
With so many projects on the boil at one go in such diverse fields, it remains to be seen whether the team can succeed across the board. If they are to move ahead, though, they have the talent in place to make a name for themselves in this nascent QC market.
