Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, on the incredible potential of quantum technologies
+ We began by asking Dr Foley about how big the quantum revolution will be. “Quantum computing is going to be the next ‘step change’. Think back to various technological revolutions – steam in 1700s, electricity in the 1800s. The last two – computing in the 1900s and the internet in the 2000s – have been based on quantum technology,” she said. “Quantum computing will provide a step change by being able to carry out certain types of calculation that could either not be solved at all, or would take much longer to solve by a classical computer. For example, in 2019, Google used a quantum computer to carry out a specific calculation in seconds that would take a classical super computer 10,000 years to complete.”
“Australia has been a pioneer of quantum technology research and development for almost 30 years, supported by sustained and significant investment from government, research and more recently from multinationals. It is one of our most promising growth opportunities to create new markets, new applications and new jobs in Australia,” she said.
+ In 1947, the first discrete transistor was invented. Nearly 75 years on, we now have 54 billion transistors in a single microprocessor. And just as Australia has been at the forefront of so many computer technologies – think WiFi courtesy of the CSIRO – Dr Foley sees enormous national potential across a wide range of industries.
+ There’s even more on the subject as part of the 2021 Visiting Entrepreneur Program with an in-person and livestream event titled Quantum Leap: Startups Going Global, where quantum founders including Ilana Wisby, CEO, Oxford Quantum Circuits, the UK’s premier player in the quantum revolution, will share how they attracted international investors and customers, and what your startup can do to join them.
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