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Quantum Computing

The race is on for quantum computing!

Organizations are pioneering the quantum future, hopeful of how this technology could be used to better understand our universe and deliver breakthroughs in areas like drug development, encryption and finance.

In 2019, Google announced that they achieved “quantum supremacy”, completing a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken a traditional supercomputer 10,000 years. While IBM, another leader in quantum computing, disputed Google’s achievement, other researchers have likened it to the Wright brothers’ first plane flight in 1903. Competing claims contribute to the hype surrounding quantum computing, leaving the average person wondering how they should interpret these advances.

Significant contributions from organizations together with government supported initiatives make this field ripe for innovation. As the quantum computing race proliferates across the globe, Simon Fraser University explores the breakthroughs, benefits and challenges of quantum computing. But the question still remains: how quickly is this revolution happening and how does it benefit Canadians?

Featured Experts

Silas Brownsey, Former Associate Deputy Minister, Investment, Innovation and Technology Division, with the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness

Stephanie Simmons, Professor, Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University

Arman Zaribafiyan, Head of Quantum Computing, 1QBit

Moderator

Fred Popowich, Scientific Director, SFU's Big Data Hub