Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
EU leaders have gathered today (22 March) to sign what they are calling a Quantum Pact that recognises the importance of advancing quantum computing technologies to enhance the bloc’s scientific and industrial competitiveness.
Quantum computing has been rapidly advancing with major breakthroughs taking place around the world. The emerging technology has potential to transform a range of sectors, including medicine, energy, communications, cybersecurity, space, defence, as well as climate and weather modelling.
“It will enable huge productivity gains, revitalise industry and open up new markets, applications and job opportunities,” said Thomas Skordas, deputy director-general responsible for communications networks, content and technology in the European Commission.
Skordas was filling in for EU commissioner Thierry Breton at the Shaping Europe’s Quantum Future conference held in Brussels, Belgium today. He describes the Quantum Pact as the EU’s attempt to make Europe the “Quantum Valley” of the world.
“Only by building on our strengths, by working together, by being ambitious, by targeting the whole spectrum of activities – research, industry, infrastructures, talent, external partnerships and more – can we transform Europe into the leading region globally for quantum excellence and innovation. Quantum will help us to challenge the boundaries of what is possible.”
[...] A declaration was first signed in December, setting the stage for cooperation, investment and innovation in quantum computing technologies in the EU and positioning it as a global leader in the space.
The pact today has been signed by 20 European countries: Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. Ireland has not signed the pact.
Last month, the EU and Canada announced intentions to boost their strategic digital partnership to address “new challenges in digital transformation” such as in the areas of AI, quantum science, semiconductors, public policy related to online platforms, secure international connectivity, cybersecurity and digital identity.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 30, @02:31PM (5 children)
Since Quantum (like Fusion) is only 10 years away, this makes the budgeting so much easier. Only 10 years to plan for...
</sarcasm>
There's many _claims_ of what Quantum Computing might be able to do for us in a theoretical, hypothetical future, but can someone give me a less hype-based, concrete explanation of why I should care about quantum? Is it purely FOMO (on the spender side) and money-suck (on the supplier side) or are there actual real things that will be applicable in the real world?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Adam on Saturday March 30, @03:27PM (1 child)
It would make some computing tasks less expensive, including breaking some kinds of encryption. I don't see a path to "huge productivity gains" and revitalized industries. Maybe it could reduce the cost of the $100 billion supercomputer Microsoft/OpenAI are building to power AI.
(Score: 2) by turgid on Saturday March 30, @06:34PM
Is half of that cost the Windows licenses?
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 30, @05:13PM
Unlike fusion, quantum is making steady and noticeable progress. The current machines aren't useful for much, and even when they're more fully developed they won't replace traditional digital computing, but they are coming. Right now is just the vacuum-tube phase, in 10 years we may be at the transistorized room-sized level, in 20 there may be quantum accelerator chips integrated in your phone (if they ever work out how to make them run without liquid nitrogen cooling).
(Score: 4, Informative) by RamiK on Saturday March 30, @07:38PM
There been quantum computing cloud services for quite a few years now and it's wide spread enough that there's python libraries for doing various differentiable programming (machine learning and chemistry sims) loads with it: https://pennylane.ai/ [pennylane.ai] https://github.com/PennyLaneAI/pennylane [github.com]
You can google pennylane scholarly papers and referencing git code bases to get an idea of what's being done with it in the wild.
compiling...
(Score: 2) by driverless on Monday April 01, @09:36AM
Looks like the Heisenberg-Schrödinger Credulity Effect, "the word 'quantum' sucks people's brains out and otherwise sensible people suffer from impaired reasoning", is in full swing in Brussels.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by AlwaysNever on Saturday March 30, @03:22PM (1 child)
Nothing "EU Leaders" lead will go anywhere good. So discard this news.
(Score: 2, Touché) by corey on Saturday March 30, @10:49PM
Citation needed.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Opportunist on Saturday March 30, @04:23PM
"EU leaders" are jumping on it.
Bye quantum computing, we hardly knew ye.