Welcome to this edition of Qubit/TIDBIT from GooglyTech!

Some of the stories we write about in this issue include a slew of partnerships from IBM Quantum Network and an exciting start-up from Finland -

• Bosch Using Quantum Computing in Materials Science Innovations  

• Algorithmiq Joins IBM Quantum Network – Quantum Chemistry and Drug Discovery Use-Cases

  • Launches Aurora – Drug-Discovery platform

  • Fascinating Q&A with Dr. Sabrina Maniscalo, CEO and Co-Founder, Algorithmiq

• Crédit Mutuel Partners with IBM – Upskilling Employees in Quantum Computing 
• Microsoft Announces Free Azure Quantum Resource Estimator

November 2022 - Issue 6

Bosch is the one of the latest companies to join IBM’s Quantum Network. This announcement at the IBM Quantum Summit last week underscores the ground work large corporations are laying down to experiment, familiarize itself with quantum computing technology so that they reap dividends later as the technology matures.

Alternatives to Rare Earth and Discovering New Materials

Bosch wants to find alternates to precious metals and rare earths that are a necessity in industrial manufacturing. China today has a near monopoly in the supply of some of these materials today. Bosch believes, given the complexity in identifying properties of new materials, quantum computing will give them an edge over conventional computers. “For Bosch, materials for applications in the fields of electromobility, renewable energies and sensor technology play a particularly prominent role,” explains Thomas Kropf, head of Bosch Research.

Bosch is working with IBM in “simulating materials for very specific application areas,” says Dr. Stefan Hartung, chairman of the Bosch board, and “in return we gain deeper insights into the power and applicability of quantum computing including hardware.” Some potential areas of impact could be “improved perovskite phase stability diagrams for fuel cells, enhanced defect engineering for sensing, realistic catalytic and reaction rates, and predictable magnetic properties.”

This spending in quantum computing is part of Bosch’s larger investment in digital transformation – by 2025, Bosch will have invested €10 Billion in digitalization and connectivity. Currently Bosch has about 30 quantum experts.

Quantum Sensing startup

Earlier in the year, Bosch set up a new start-up unit to commercialize quantum sensors. This was borne out of 7 years of experience ...   

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As part of the announcements last week at the IBM Quantum Summit 2022, Algorithmiq, a Helsinki-based quantum computing startup, has joined IBM Quantum Network. Algorithmiq’s goal is to bring efficiencies to drug discovery and development process using quantum computing.

(Fascinating Q&A with Dr. Sabrina Maniscalco, CEO and co-founder of Algorithmiq – Read here)

In its partnership with IBM, Algorithmiq is looking to combine its quantum algorithm strength with “IBM’s best-in-class hardware and quantum chemistry expertise toward realizing the full potential of the technology for quantum chemistry simulations,” says Sabrina Maniscalco, CEO and co-founder of Algorithmiq. Chemistry simulations are fundamental to drug-discovery and the promise of quantum advantage in this process is something Guillermo Garcia Perez, CSO and co-founder of Algorithmiq reflects on – “Whilst unleashing the full power of quantum simulations will likely require fault-tolerant quantum computers, near-term devices like those developed by IBM, combined with Algorithmiq’s novel algorithms based on informationally complete data, are today already showing progress toward the demonstration of a quantum advantage for chemistry. This is a steppingstone for any application of quantum computers to Life Sciences.”

Algorithmiq Launches Aurora

In a separate and independent announcement this week, Algorithmiq launched Aurora – its drug-discovery platform. Here are some highlights from the announcement ... 

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We wrote earlier about Algorithmiq and its partnership with IBM. Algorithmiq’s ambition is to use quantum computing to bring efficiencies to drug discovery and carve out a break out market space around Quantum Biotech.

Please see below for a fascinating exchange with Sabrina Maniscalo and Algorithmiq’s path to solving an important problem using quantum computing.

What’s your background? How did you end up becoming an entrepreneur?

I am Sabrina Maniscalco, a Sicilian living in Finland, and I’m a professor of quantum information, computing, and logic at the University of Helsinki. I’m also the CEO and co- founder of Algorithmiq. I’ve been working in quantum science and technology for over 20 years.

My expertise lies in the very subtle interactions that quantum systems have with everything around them. There is a very technical term called open quantum systems, and there’s a theory that describes them. It is really about why quantum systems are so fragile and delicate, which is the reason why we have errors in today’s quantum computers. It is one of the main enemies of existing devices because we want to make them as perfect as possible in order to really operate at a large scale.

It was the right opportunity to start Algorithmiq as I had assembled an amazing team and we saw the opportunity to commercialize our IP after a fruitful scientific collaboration with the team of quantum physicists of IBM Zurich.

What problem are you trying to solve at Algorithmiq with quantum computing? How is joining IBM Quantum Network an advantage for Algorithmiq?

We are focused on leveraging the power of quantum computing so that new drugs can be explored and eventually brought to market, and cost-effectively, leading to precise medical treatments. On average, it currently takes around a decade and $1 billion for a new drug to get to market. ...

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A large part of initial adoption strategy for Quantum Computing lies in providing an environment for employees to learn and experiment using quantum systems. Both vendors and large customers have embraced this seeding process. Some recent stories that highlight the investments in quantum computing for employees and users training – Finland’s quantum-supercomputer fusion, Vodafone partnering on telco use-cases.

Upskilling and Training in Quantum Computing – Crédit Mutuel

As part of the ecosystem updates from IBM Quantum Summit 2022, IBM and Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale (through its IT arm – Euro-Information) announced the discovery phase of an engagement to help Crédit Mutuel employees upskill and train in quantum computing.

Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale employees will have access to IBM’s quantum technology and Qiskit Runtime as a service with their membership in the IBM Quantum Network program. In addition, Euro-Information is also looking into the possibility hosting a quantum computer in its datacenters ...

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Microsoft has made public an internal tool that it has used to qualify resource requirement for algorithms running in a quantum environment at scale. Called Microsoft Azure Quantum, this app will answer questions such as – “What hardware resources are required? How many physical and logical qubits are needed and what type? What’s the runtime?” In other words, “it breaks down the resources required for a quantum algorithm, including the total number of physical qubits, the computational resources required including wall clock time, and the details of the formulas and values used for each estimate,” says Fabrice Frachon, Principal PM Manager, Azure Quantum. ... 

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• November 19, 2022 - Quantum Computing: Quantum Magic and Opportunities for Entrepreneurs - CalTech  (Location – Pasadena, California; Register here)

• November 28-30, 2022 - Quantum Innovation 2022 - Japanese Government and Academia (Location – Virtual; Register here)

• November 29 - December 1, 2022 - Fourth PQC Standardization Conference - NIST (Location – Virtual; Register here)

• November 29 - December 1, 2022 - Quantum World Congress - See our recent story here - (Location – Washington, DC; Register here)