The Chicago Quantum Exchange, a growing intellectual hub for the research and development of quantum technology, will join forces with the IBM Q Network to provide leaps forward in electronics, computers, sensors and “unhackable” networks.
CQE member institutions will work with IBM Q scientists and engineers through IBM Q’s academic partner program to explore the field of quantum computing, including investigations into materials, fabrication techniques, algorithms, and software and hardware development. A critical component of the partnership will be to enhance efforts to train tomorrow’s quantum workforce; the IBM Q Network will fund up to five positions for postdoctoral researchers to work closely with scientists across the CQE to advance quantum computing.
The Chicago Quantum Exchange is anchored at the University of Chicago. Member institutions include the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The combined resources of the member institutions create a powerful hub of more than 100 scientists and engineers—among the world’s largest collaborative teams for quantum research.
CQE researchers are developing hardware and software for a new generation of quantum computers, synthesizing and characterizing new materials with quantum properties, and probing the ways in which quantum computing and information processing can provide insights into dark matter and black holes.
“Collaborating with IBM’s scientists and engineers will accelerate progress in the field of quantum information,” said David Awschalom, director of the CQE, the Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering at UChicago and a senior scientist at Argonne. “This rapidly developing field requires working across different academic disciplines and developing projects beyond institutional boundaries. Partnering with IBM Q will help us drive a broad range of joint activities and help train a new workforce of quantum scientists and engineers.”