…. That mothballs twist certainly adds to my own ‘newcomer’ challenge to understand a bit more about the fundamentals here (can you call a field so ephemeral a fundamental?)
…And the author, Dr Mohammed Choucair has been leading Archer as CEO since 2017 and was the force behind the transition of AXE from kaolin to qubits. …. But the market just found out five days ago that he’s leaving in January?
And that sponsored story from Pitt Street Research [ref 03/07/24 ] says all the quantum research companies are in the same ‘early stages’ boat, and that April government money to lure a US competitor to Australia makes no difference.?
But maybe it made enough of a difference for the CEO to decide (or be told?) to leave?
FWIW there was a media story yesterday about how five Brisbane universities have joined to foster the competitor, PsiQuantum’s development in Queensland …
Science, technology and maths courses will be reshaped after five Queensland universities sign a partnership on Tuesday with the company building the world’s first commercially useful quantum computer in Brisbane.
This will mean more electronic engineers, pharmaceutical engineers, software engineers, biotech and decarbonisation experts graduate in Queensland.
It is the first significant move after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Steven Miles in April jointly announced PsiQuantum would shift from California’s Silicon Valley to Brisbane to build the world’s first new-generation super computer in Brisbane by 2027 in a $940 million deal. PsiQuantum co-founders Jeremy O’Brien and Terry Rudolph.CREDIT: JAMILA TODERAS
The quantum computer will be housed in a building the size of Suncorp Stadium, built next year on land near the Brisbane Airport. It will employ 400 specialist staff.
Sources close to the project said the site under consideration was near the Qantas maintenance hangars, where it would have a plentiful supply of electricity and be able to draw water from the nearby water treatment facility.
“Those students who are studying quantum physics, we are looking at giving them opportunity to think how this can be made more industrial, more than the theoretical,” PsiQuantum senior researcher Professor Geoff Pryde said.
UQ vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Terry said quantum physics’ impact on education would stretch from high schools into research.
“Students starting high school this year will graduate into a world with utility-scale quantum computers,” Terry said.
“What we want is those people who have been trained in a bunch of useful skills already, having a layer added so their skills can be transferrable to the future quantum industry.”
According to the 2023 Queensland Quantum and Advanced Technologies Strategy, there will be 8700 jobs in quantum computing in Australia by 2030 in the fields of energy, decarbonisation, health and biotechnology, defence and aerospace.
The five universities are the University of Queensland, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Southern Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
PsiQuantum, based in Palo Alto, California, was founded in 2016 by two UQ graduates, Jeremy O’Brien and Terry Rudolph, while they worked at the University of Bristol.
A quantum computer is designed to solve complex problems in chemistry, maths and physics beyond the scope of conventional computers.
Quantum computers could revolutionise the development of drugs, materials and sustainable energy solutions, unlocking innovations that would otherwise remain unreachable.
UQ vice-chancellor Professor Deborah Terry said quantum physics’ impact on education would stretch from high schools into research.
“Students starting high school this year will graduate into a world with utility-scale quantum computers,” Terry said.
“We will work with PsiQuantum across the education spectrum – from schools, through TAFE, to universities – to prepare our students for future jobs in quantum and advanced technologies.”
Griffith University’s vice-chancellor, Professor Carolyn Evans, said the consortium would be a new frontier for students.
“The partnership brings opportunities for Queensland students to build future-focused STEM careers and builds on more than 20 years of leading research in quantum technology here at Griffith and across the state.”
A personalised tool to help users track selected stocks. Delivering real-time notifications on price updates, announcements, and performance stats on each to help make informed investment decisions.
(20min delay)