Universities Embrace Quantum Computing

The system required significant calibration to get it up and running to its current stable state, so it was deployed with an uninterruptible power supply to prevent possible damage in the event of a power outage. One critical area for study is how problems that were previously solved with the help of an off-campus supercomputing center could use the new capabilities of the quantum computer. With that in mind, Kolb’s team installed a fiber broadband network connection between the two sites.

Kolb notes that the university offers a slate of courses on everything from quantum mechanics to nonlinear and quantum optics, and RPI researchers are investigating topics such as quantum entanglement and its applications in machine learning. The IBM Quantum System One, he says, will allow those who are interested across the campus community to get qubit-level, hands-on experience with cutting-edge quantum hardware and software.

Now that RPI has this machine, Kolb explains, its students have quantum technologies at their fingertips. “But the best part about it is how early we are in quantum computing itself. If you’re looking at this in terms of a career, opportunities for quantum experts in the future are going to be practically endless.”

Higher Education Institutions Prepare for a Quantum Future

Kolb isn’t alone in his interest in the potential for quantum computing to find new ways to solve interdisciplinary questions. A number of analysts agree with his assessment, and a small but growing collection of other universities across the country are also bringing quantum technologies to their campuses.

A recent report from McKinsey states that quantum computers “are poised to take computing to a whole new level.” The technology is still a work in progress, the authors note, but startup companies are investing heavily in the market, and established players such as Google and IBM are already offering cloud-based quantum computing services.

In the higher ed space, says McKinsey partner Saurabh Sanghvi, many institutions are taking a “multidisciplinary approach” to quantum computing, embracing the technology as a tool for researchers while developing new courses on its applications for everything from healthcare to engineering. 

“They’re teaching the technical skills to the computer science and physics students who will need to have quantum computing fluency,” he explains. “But they also see its relevance to those in other fields, such as business and law and the basic sciences.” 

That’s the case at the University of Maryland, which offers a graduate certificate program in quantum computing for working professionals with no prior experience in quantum technologies. At last count, the institution had eight quantum-focused facilities and supported the work of more than 200 quantum researchers.

RELATED: Find out how else higher education is integrating quantum computing.

UMD’s latest addition to its quantum portfolio is the National Quantum Laboratory, a research center established through a partnership with IonQ, which is headquartered in College Park. The QLab, as it’s also known, offers students and others affiliated with the university or its partners free access to IonQ machines. The lab also provides connectivity to other quantum systems through a regional consortium called the Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance.

Currently, notes Franz Klein, a high-performance computing engineer who serves as director of QLab, around 50 undergraduate and 20 graduate students are leveraging the facility for their studies. The IonQ systems are housed in a “clean room” down the hall from a collaboration space equipped with large-RAM workstations. Students use these computers to log in to the quantum machines through a connection to the IonQ Quantum Cloud.

“With a quantum system, you’re manipulating individual atoms, so you need highly stable environmental conditions,” Klein explains. “There can’t be any interference or fluctuations in temperature or humidity, which means you can’t work with them directly.”

One recent project at the lab explored how a quantum convolutional neural network, a type of model used in machine learning, might improve computational efficiency. Another investigated the use of quantum random number generation to bolster cybersecurity. “We’re just getting started here,” Klein says. “I think we have a lot to look forward to.”

Howard University Aims to Expand Quantum Computing Access

Also focused on the future while nurturing student development in the here and now is Howard University in Washington, D.C. In 2020, Howard partnered with IBM to bring a quantum computing research facility to its campus through an initiative for historically Black colleges and universities.

The first of what today has become a long list of member institutions that together constitute the IBM-HBCU Quantum Center, the Howard program offers opportunities to students with all levels of experience in quantum technologies.

“When they get started, most of them have little to no background in quantum,” says Su Yan, who directs the center with help from program managers Michelai Lowe and Sherri Chandler. Interested undergraduates typically begin with a series of self-paced online courses on quantum computing fundamentals. From there, many progress to more challenging work, including research projects led by faculty and graduate students. Users access the program’s quantum machines over the cloud with their personal devices, and they rely on IBM’s Qiskit open-source software to create and manipulate quantum algorithms.

At the moment, Yan notes, Howard students and researchers are pursuing a wide variety of quantum projects, from the development of novel quantum materials for use in engineering applications to the integration of artificial intelligence with quantum technologies.

Lowe, who focuses on student and faculty engagement, says providing access to the IBM quantum systems “is just one piece of what we do.” The program also runs math and coding boot camps, for example, and it provides scholarship, fellowship, and internship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. Today, about 40 students are conducting research through the center, up from just a handful at launch four years ago.

“We have students from across disciplines,” Lowe says, including math, computer science, engineering, physics and biology. “At first, we were looking for students and faculty to participate, but now people are finding us.”

Much of that is due to recent advances in quantum computing and the fact that the subject is hot, she notes. It also helps that Howard President Ben Vinson III, who was named to the position in November 2023, included quantum computing on a list of “innovative research areas” he’s directing the university to pursue.

“It sounds cliché, but one of the things that we hope to accomplish is making sure that HBCUs have a seat at the table with everything that’s happening with the quantum boom,” Lowe says. “We think it’s important that we’re part of the conversation and the curriculum building that’s going to shape the future.”