Ireland plans to be key quantum computing player by 2030

The Government has published a new plan to make Ireland a key player in quantum computing by 2030.

The technology has the power to solve complex problems much faster than traditional computers by using quantum mechanics which studies the behaviour of microscopic particles such as atoms and electrons.

Dr Simon Caton is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at University College Dublin (UCD), where he is one of the founding members of the UCD Centre for Quantum Engineering, Science, and Technology.

“Quantum computing is a very different way of solving computational problems,” Dr Caton said.

“It uses physics at the atomic level to represent and process data differently so that we can try to address these very complicated problems.”

“We work with hospitals, banks, pharmaceutical companies, and sometimes manufacturing companies.

“Typically they will come to us with a problem that they cannot solve,” he added.

Irish-founded company Horizon Quantum builds software tools to unlock the potential of quantum computing hardware.

Dr Joe Fitzsimons is the Founder and CEO of Horizon Quantum.

“A lot of the focus of quantum computing is on tackling the hard, frontier problems that are not amenable to conventional computers,” Dr Fitzsimons said.

“As a result, it’s not really currently a consumer facing technology, it’s much more enterprise facing.

“You see quite a lot of applications that are starting to emerge across different areas, from simulating molecular dynamics in pharma, to all sorts of optimisation tasks and pricing tasks in finance.

“You see it also in the energy sector, in oil, gas and renewables.

“And you’re seeing use cases emerge in automotive, aerospace and defence,” he added.

The Government’s recently announced ‘Quantum 2030 Implementation Plan’ will be carried out over 12 months through collaboration between Government departments, academia and industry.

It includes actions to strengthen Ireland’s quantum research capabilities, develop talent and support innovation.

“Quantum technologies have the potential to transform industries ranging from healthcare and financial services to cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and sustainable energy,” said Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless.

“Ireland already has a strong foundation of research excellence and international collaboration in this field.

“The Quantum 2030 Implementation Plan provides a practical framework for turning our ambitions into action,” Mr Lawless said.

It is hoped that in the future, Ireland will be at the forefront of a technology based on the tiniest of particles with the potential to solve some of the world’s biggest problems.