Scientists will work to channel the enormous emerging power of quantum computers for the common good, the founders of the new institute opening in Geneva on Tuesday said.
The Open Quantum Institute invites researchers from around the world to identify the most promising future applications of the rapidly emerging technology – and to ensure that they are open and accessible to everyone.
“Quantum computing has the potential to change almost everything,” said Peter Brabek Latmath, head of the GESDA Science and Diplomacy Platform that conceived the project.
He told AFP that future technology is expected to be “1,000 to 10,000 times more powerful than the computing power we have today,” stressing that it is necessary to start thinking seriously about how to control it and ensure it is used for good.
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During a ceremony late Tuesday at the European science laboratory CERN, where the institute will be based during a three-year trial period, experts summarized discussions after a day of workshops that focused on different visions of the role it will play.
Ozge Aydogan, of the UN-run Sustainable Development Goals Lab, told attendees it was important to think about “the duality of technology.”
“It can be an asset for the future, but it can also be a huge risk.”
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Meanwhile, the head of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Fabiola Gianotti, said that the historic nuclear research laboratory is the ideal location for the center, which will benefit from its long experience in “employing scientific and technological progress for the benefit of society.”
Quantum computing combines advances in scientific understanding of the subatomic world with leaps in information theory to solve mathematical problems that are impossible to solve for today's conventional computers.
While conventional computers process information with bits that can be represented by a 0 or a 1, quantum computers use qubits, which can be a combination of both at the same time, allowing them to solve more complex problems.
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The first commercial quantum computers are thought to be still up to a decade away, and the technology is not expected to be fully developed until around 2050.
Brabek Latmath, former longtime head of Swiss food giant Nestlé, said it was important to ensure that such powerful technology was managed in an open and transparent way and not allowed to be controlled by a handful of giant tech companies.
As quantum computing continues to develop, there is “time to reflect on the impact of these new technologies…and ethical considerations.”
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The institute will seek technology applications that can bring the world closer to implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
For example, quantum computing simulations and calculations may help determine how to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to help curb climate change.
It can also predict patterns of antibiotic resistance and identify new, more effective chemical compounds to fight deadly bacteria.
In an effort to accelerate the search for the best applications of the technology, GESDA teamed up with Google and the non-profit technology group XPrize and launched a competition on Tuesday inviting researchers everywhere to submit proposals.
The three-year competition will reward the teams that present the best projects with $5 million in prizes at the end.
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