Singapore’s Quantum Engineering Programme Strengthened by Partnership Between NUS and IBM

April 2020

Tech titan IBM and the National University of Singapore (NUS) have announced a three-year collaboration in quantum computing research and training. This partnership is the first of its kind in South East Asia, and it will give NUS researchers access to 15 of IBM’s quantum computing systems via a cloud service. The partnership will be led by the Quantum Engineering Programme (QEP), a USD 25 million initiative that helps Singaporean researchers translate research in quantum science and technologies into commercial products. Launched in 2018, the QEP is funded by the National Research Foundation and is managed by NUS.

Following the partnership announcement, NUS will be the first Southeast Asian academic institution to join the IBM Quantum Network, which has more than 100 members, including well-established companies such as Samsung, ExxonMobil, and Daimler. The goal of the network is to accelerate the education, research, and commercialization of practical quantum technologies.

Professor Chen Tsuhan, NUS Deputy President, commented that this partnership with IBM “will potentially open up avenues for researchers to apply quantum computing to different fields, including chemistry, materials science, biology, finance, and cybersecurity, particularly those dealing with uncertainty and constrained optimization. The know-how and experience gained will help ensure that Singapore is ready to harness the quantum revolution for social and economic benefits.”

At the moment, Singapore already has a growing community of researchers working on quantum algorithms and software. Local startups such as Entropica Labs and Horizon Quantum Computing are focused on developing software tools for quantum computation. To increase awareness and skills in quantum computing, IBM will also organize local hackathons and developer camps in the near future.

(Sources: Centre for Quantum Technologies, Singapore; Straits Times)

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