NC State, the first university in North America to establish an IBM Q Hub as part of the global IBM Q Network, is in the early stages of developing a multidisciplinary quantum-computing research program and curriculum to educate future leaders in the space. The hub’s leadership has spent the past few months assembling a group of professors and students with expertise in mathematics, chemistry, physics, computer and electrical engineering, and computer science to chart a path forward for the university’s quantum computing research.
As part of this effort, the university is pleased to announce an endowed Distinguished Chair in Quantum Computing, a faculty position that will hold tenure in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and will be a key leader in the growing quantum computing community at the university.
NC State researchers have already begun investigating how quantum systems can greatly speed machine learning techniques for training artificial intelligence systems and performing highly complex molecular modeling, which is crucial to the discovery of new chemical compounds and, eventually, new types of materials, medicines, and other breakthroughs.
The IBM Q Network provides early access to IBM’s quantum computing systems, with the goal of exploring practical applications important to business and science. Starting last fall, NC State gained access to IBM Q commercial quantum computing devices, including the most advanced and scalable universal systems available. The current 20 qubit IBM Q system will be followed by a 50 qubit prototype in the next generation.
For more information, visit quantum.ncsu.edu or contact quantumcomputing@ncsu.edu.