The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has become the first Indian institute to join the IBM Quantum Network to advance quantum computing skills development and research in the country, IBM (International Business Machines) said on Monday.
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has become the first Indian institute to join the IBM Quantum Network to advance quantum computing skills development and research in the country, IBM (International Business Machines) said on Monday.
As a member of the IBM Quantum Network, IIT Madras is mandated to develop IBM’s most advanced quantum computing systems and cloud-based systems to explore practical applications for IBM’s quantum expertise and realize the broad benefits of this technology for business and society.
IIT Madras’s Centre for Quantum Information, Communication and Computing will focus on advancing core algorithms in research areas such as quantum machine learning, quantum science optimization and application research in finance, a release said.
Researchers from IIT Madras, with support from IBM Research India, will lead research advances in applications of quantum computing that are relevant to India, the release said. IBM and IIT Madras have a long association in education and research areas such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
IBM quantum services will be used to explore areas such as quantum algorithms, quantum machine learning, quantum error correction and error mitigation, quantum tomography, and quantum chemistry, and to advance and develop the quantum computing ecosystem in the country using the open-source Kis-kit with the framework.
In August last year, IBM Quantum and IIT Madras also jointly offered a course on quantum computing on the NPTEL platform.
Last year, IIT Madras joined IBM’s quantum education program, to provide students and teachers with access to IBM quantum learning resources, quantum tools, and quantum systems for education and research purposes.
Being part of the IBM Quantum Network will give our faculty direct access to state-of-the-art quantum hardware and software. This enables us to use our interdisciplinary expertise to tackle some of the most challenging problems in the field of quantum computing today, – said Dr. P. Mandyam, IIT Madras said.
Welcoming IIT Madras to IBM Quantum Networks, IBM India Managing Director S. Patel said the collaboration will open new avenues for working with industry partners to accelerate research, make quantum a reality and build a vibrant quantum ecosystem in India.
Patel said, – We believe the joint work will contribute to the development and future of India’s National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications, and to position India as one of the global powerhouses in computing.
The IBM quantum team and its global ecosystem of network organizations are researching and exploring how quantum computing will help a wide variety of industries and disciplines, including finance, energy, chemistry, materials science, optimization, and machine learning.
Speaking about this collaboration, Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras said, – We intend to continue this relationship to greater heights and aim to establish an IITM-IBM Quantum Innovation Hub at IIT Madras.
