The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has become the first Indian institution to join the IBM Quantum Network.
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As one among the 180 members of the network, a global community of Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, academic institutions and research laboratories, the institute aims at advancing quantum computing, skill development and research for Indian industries.
The Institute will have cloud-based access to IBM’s most advanced quantum computing systems and quantum expertise to explore practical applications. The institute’s Centre for Quantum Information, Communication and Computing (CquICC) will focus on core algorithms in research areas such as quantum machine learning, quantum optimisation and applications research in finance.
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IIT-M director V. Kamakoti said it had launched a course on Quantum Technologies under NPTEL, co-taught by institute faculty and IBM professionals. “We intend to continue this relationship to greater heights and aim at setting up an IITM-IBM Quantum Innovation hub at the institute,” he said.
Anil Prabhakar, a professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the institute, said the collaboration marked an exciting new phase, adding: “It builds on our successful collaboration on quantum computing education and promises to open up new avenues and directions for research and innovation.
Prabha Mandayam, associate professor in the Department of Physics, said the collaboration would provide direct access to state-of-the-art quantum hardware and software, besides giving them a unique opportunity to play an active and direct role in this quantum revolution.