Tag Archives: quantum computing

Features, Highlight, Industry, Innovation, Technology

Boehringer Ingelheim and Google partner for quantum pharma R&D

Leave a comment

Image: Shutterstock

Boehringer Ingelheim announced today a collaborative agreement with Google Quantum AI (Google), focusing on researching and implementing cutting-edge use cases for quantum computing in pharmaceutical research and development (R&D), specifically including molecular dynamics simulations. The new partnership combines Boehringer Ingelheim’s leading expertise in the field of computer-aided drug design and in silico modeling with Google’s outstanding resources as one of the leading developers of quantum computers and algorithms. Boehringer Ingelheim is the first pharmaceutical company worldwide to join forces with Google in quantum computing. The partnership is designed for three years and is co-led by the newly established Quantum Lab of Boehringer Ingelheim.

“We are really excited about joining forces with Google, the leading tech company when it comes to quantum computing,” says Michael Schmelmer, Member of the Board of Managing Directors of Boehringer Ingelheim with responsibility for Finance and Corporate Functions. “Quantum computing has the potential to significantly accelerate and enhance R&D processes in our industry. Quantum computing is still very much an emerging technology. However, we are convinced that this technology could help us to provide even more humans and animals with innovative and groundbreaking medicines in the future.”

The new collaboration is part of Boehringer Ingelheim’s comprehensive digital transformation strategy with the aim to better leverage and accelerate the company’s promising pipeline and ultimately bringing more medical breakthroughs to patients in need. Boehringer Ingelheim is significantly increasing its investment in a broad range of digital technologies, encompassing key areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data science to better understand diseases, their drivers and biomarkers, and digital therapeutics.

“Extremely accurate modelling of molecular systems is widely anticipated as among the most natural and potentially transformative applications of quantum computing. Therefore, Google is excited to partner with Boehringer Ingelheim to explore use cases and methods for quantum simulations of chemistry. Boehringer Ingelheim brings both an impressive quantum computing team and deep expertise in real world applications of these capabilities in the pharmaceuticals space,” says Ryan Babbush, Head of Quantum Algorithms at Google.

Computational approaches are already a cornerstone in the design and development of innovative new medicines, making a significant contribution to improving the health of humans and animals. However, given their algorithm structure, today’s computers are not able to solve many of the real complex challenges which are essential for the early stages of pharmaceutical R&D, most importantly simulating and analyzing molecules related to disease mechanisms. Quantum computing has the potential to accurately simulate and compare much larger molecules than currently possible, creating new opportunities for pharmaceutical innovation and therapies for a range of diseases.“

Researching and developing new, groundbreaking therapies for diseases with high unmet medical need is what our work at Boehringer Ingelheim is all about,” says Michel Pairet, Member of the Board of Managing Directors of Boehringer Ingelheim with responsibility for the company’s Innovation Unit. “Together with Google, our goal is to apply the use of quantum computing in biopharmaceutical R&D and thus continue to make a decisive contribution to medical progress for patients around the world.”

“The thought leadership of Boehringer Ingelheim’s quantum research effort is very impressive. This is reflected in the quick turnaround time that their strong quantum research team got assembled, and their commitment to open research. We are looking forward to jointly working on the field with fundamental research and a joint vision for solving relevant pharma problems in the beyond-classical regime over the next decade,” says Markus Hoffmann, Google Quantum AI Partnerships.

Boehringer Ingelheim will invest significantly in the coming years to realize the full potential of quantum computing. The company has already set up a dedicated Quantum Lab and hired outstanding experts in the field of quantum computing from academia, industry, and quantum providers. Partnerships from Industry and Academia will complement the respective teams. Colleagues mainly from the Boehringer Ingelheim’s Innovation Unit and IT support these experts in their work.

First published by BusinessWire.

Industry, Innovation, Technology

Pioneering quantum physicist to lead Archer’s quantum technology

Leave a comment

The new leader was appointed on 17 January 2019. Archer have recently executed an exclusive license agreement on room-temperature quantum technology with the University of Sydney.

Dr Martin Fuechsle, the new Manager of Quantum Technology for Archer, is internationally recognised for developing the smallest transistor, a “single-atom transistor”, and the fabrication of breakthrough quantum computing devices; pioneering achievements that strongly align to Archer’s technology development applications in the global semiconductor and quantum computing industries.

Commenting on the Appointment, Archer CEO Dr Mohammad Choucair said, “Dr Fuechsle is among the few highly talented physicists in the world capable of building quantum devices that push the boundaries of current information processing technology. His skills, experience, and exceptional track record strongly align to Archer’s requirements for developing our key vertical of Quantum Technology, and we look forward to working with him to expand our team and capabilities”.

Dr Martin Fuechsle’s immediate priority will be the technically develop the intellectual property claims in patents which Archer holds exclusive commercial rights to, related to room-temperature quantum computing materials and technology. This will involve applying best practices in the areas of quantum technology, specifically in quantum computing, materials, and spintronics, while advancing Archer’s strategic network in the semiconductor and quantum computing industry.

Successful development of Archer’s room-temperature quantum technology would represent a major global breakthrough in the quantum computing industry, estimated to reach $US29 billion by 2021 and linked to the $US500 billion semiconductor market, catalysed by technical advances that allow for practicality, accessibility, and wide-spread consumer adoption. Patents protecting the Licenced IP have been filed internationally to cover Europe, Australia, United States of America, Japan, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, and China.

This article was originally published by Archer. Find the full release here.

News, Technology

Sapphire Clock ticks towards the attosecond

Leave a comment

Featured image above: the sapphire crystal used to make the Sapphire Clock on display at the University of Adelaide. Credit: University of Adelaide

The Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillator, or Sapphire Clock, has been enhanced by researchers from the University of Adelaide in South Australia to achieve near attosecond capability.

The oscillator is 10–1000 times more stable than competing technology and allows users to take ultra-high precision measurements to improve the performance of electronic systems.

Increased time precision is an integral part of radar technology and quantum computing, which have previously relied on the stability of quartz oscillators as well as atomic clocks such as the Hydrogen Maser.

Atomic clocks are the gold-standard in time keeping for long-term stability over months and years. However, electronic systems need short-term stability over a second to control today’s devices.

The new Sapphire Clock has a short-term stability of around 1×10-17, which is equivalent to only losing or gaining one second every three billion years, 1000 times better than commercial atomic clocks over a second.

The original Sapphire Clock was developed by Professor Andre Luiten in 1989 in Western Australia before the team moved to South Australia to continue developing the device at the University of Adelaide.

Lead researcher Associate Professor Martin O’Connor says the development group is in the process of modifying the device to meet the needs of various industries including defence, quantum computing and radio astronomy.

The 100cm x 40cm x 40cm clock uses the natural resonance frequency of a synthetic sapphire crystal to maintain a steady oscillator signal.

O’Connor says the machine could be reduced to 60% of its size without losing much of its capability.

“Our technology is so far ahead of the game, it is now the time to transfer it into a commercial product,” he says.

 “We can now tailor the oscillator to the application of our customers by reducing its size, weight and power consumption but it is still beyond current electronic systems.”

The Sapphire Clock, also known as a microwave oscillator, has a 5cm cylinder-shaped crystal that is cooled to -269C.

Microwave radiation is constantly propagating around the crystal with a natural resonance. The concept was first discovered by Lord Rayleigh in 1878 when he could hear someone whispering far away on the other side of the church dome at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The clock then uses small probes to pick up the faint resonance and amplifies it back to produce a pure frequency with near attosecond performance.

“An atomic clock uses an electronic transition between two energy levels of an atom as a frequency standard,” O’Connor says.

“The atomic clock is what is commonly used in GPS satellites and in other quantum computing and astronomy applications but our clock is set to disrupt these current applications.”

The lab-based version already has an existing customer in the Defence Science and Technology Group (DST Group) in Adelaide, but O’Connor says the research group is also looking for more clients and is in discussion with a number of different industry groups.

The research group is taking part in the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO’s) On Prime pre-accelerator program, which helps teams identify customer segments and build business plans.

Commercial versions of the Sapphire Clock will be made available in 2017.

This article was first published by The Lead on 27 October 2016. Read the original article here.

You might also enjoy:

Micro-Swab enables DNA evidence

Innovation, News

Quantum computing breakthrough

Video Leave a comment

A team of Australian engineers have made a quantum computing breakthrough. They built a quantum logic gate in silicon for the first time, making calculations between two qubits of information possible – and thereby clearing the final hurdle to making silicon quantum computers a reality.

The significant advance, by a team at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney appeared in the international journal Nature.