Nigeria’s University of Lagos (UNILAG) is part of a list of 16 universities across nine African countries to host IBM’s Quantum computer program.
The global technology company IBM kicked off its quantum computing expansion project in University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University), South Africa on Wednesday, with a promise to extend the program to other African universities.
To be sure, a quantum computer is a product of a branch of science known as quantum mechanics. Quantum computing however is a branch of science that focuses on developing computer technology based on the principles of quantum theory, which explains the nature and behaviour of energy and matter on the quantum (atomic and subatomic) level.
Quantum machines are a long-held dream in the tech world. It is believed that by tapping properties that extend beyond the limits of classical Newtonian physics, they hold the promise of exponential gains in computing power. Tech companies such as IBM, Microsoft and Rigetti Computing have asserted that the first real benefits from quantum computing could be seen within 5 to 10 years.
The IBM Q (Quantum) was launched in January 2019. In line with its dreams of being the pacesetter in the technology, the company described its innovation as the “world’s first integrated universal approximate quantum computing designed for scientific and commercial use.”
The IBM Q Network is a community of Fortune 500 companies, startups, academic institutions and research labs working with IBM to advance quantum computing and explore practical applications for business and science.
According to the company, IBM Q systems are designed to one day tackle problems that are currently seen as too complex and exponential in nature for classical systems to handle.
“Future applications of quantum computing may include finding new ways to model financial data and isolating key global risk factors to make better investments, or finding the optimal path across global systems for ultra-efficient logistics and optimizing fleet operations for deliveries,” the company said.
Techcrunch reports that IBM Q which operates out of the company’s Yorktown Heights research centre in New York will be accessed from African universities via cloud technology. Part of benefits of hosting the program is that the schools could leverage Q to bring research and development advances in areas such as drug discovery based on Africa’s genetic diversity that could lead to new treatments for diseases like HIV or tuberculosis.
The nine Africa countries include Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda and Tanzania. Access to Q from 15 universities will be managed by Wits University.
“This is the latest outcome of the joint partnership between IBM Research and Wits, which started in 2016 when IBM opened its second lab in Africa at the Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Johannesburg,” said Zeblon Vilakazi, Wits Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Postgraduates Affairs said. To expand the IBM Q Network to include Wits will drive innovation in frontier-technologies and benefit African-based researchers, academics and students who now have access to decades of quantum computing capabilities at the click of a button.”
