Ireland: A superpower in quantum technology?
Points to note…
+ We are now standing on the threshold of what is being called the quantum revolution and Ireland is well placed to lead it, according to Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) deputy director Ciarán Seoighe. This revolution will see the full power of quantum technology harnessed to transform and disrupt everything from manufacturing to telecommunications as well as computing, pharmaceuticals, software and materials science.
“We are a small country and will never be able to go toe to toe with the behemoths, but we are very agile and there is not much distance between our research base and the policymakers. We need to play to that strength. “Quantum technology is moving fast, and we are not entirely sure where it’s going. We need to be in the vanguard of developments, not a fast follower. Ireland could emerge as a superpower in quantum technology.”
+ Quantum technology takes advantage of changes in the way physics operates at a sub-atomic level. “The laws of physics at quantum level are quite different from the way classical physics works in our world,” says Seoighe. “Quantum technology is much broader than quantum computing which a lot of people will have heard of.
+ Ireland has also attracted some of the most brilliant quantum scientists in the world to work here. They include Prof Bogdan Staszewski who was recruited to UCD in 2014 to establish a €6.3 million centre of circuit design for IoT applications supported by SFI.
+ Prof Séamus Davis, a world-leading quantum physicist relocated from the US in January 2019 under the SFI Research Professorship programme. He focuses on atomic-scale research into the exotic materials that are key to quantum technology.
Source: The Irish Times. Barry McCall, Ireland: A superpower in quantum technology?
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