The Quantum Computing Industry: An Inside-Out Perspective

In recent years, the commercialization of quantum computing has begun in earnest. Major enterprise companies, as well as startups, are rapidly working to develop business lines and commercial know-how around this technology. Amidst such activity, identifying ways to jump in and join the nascent industry can be hard. In this talk, I share my journey going from a newly-minted UNM PhD just over two years ago, to joining IBM Quantum, to the evolution of my role and responsibilities within the organization. Along the way, I'll discuss opportunities within the industry, exciting challenges ahead, and resources for other interested students who are curious about the transition from academia to industry.

https://cquic.unm.edu/events/2020/11/travis-scholten-ibm.html

Transcript

1. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation Travis L. Scholten @Travis_Sch Quantum Computing Applications Researcher The Quantum Computing Industry: An Inside-Out Perspective CQuIC Seminar — 2020 November 19
2. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation What I plan to cover today Why should I get involved in the industry? How do I get involved? Who are you? What is a quantum computing applications researcher? is IBM Quantum? 2
3. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 3 So… who are you, anyway?
4. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 4 Pivot, pivot, pivot: my journey to the industry 2008 Enter Caltech 2011 SURF with John Preskill 2012 Enter UNM 2013 1st SQuInT 2018 Finish PhD 2020 This talk! 2013 Student intern @ Sandia 2018 Join IBM Quantum “Physics Prof” “Wall Street” “Data scientist” “Quantum industry”
5. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 5 What is a quantum computing applications researcher?
6. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 6 What the description says I do. Collaborate with IBM Researchers Work closely with industry research partners Provide technical subject- matter expertise and information to the broader IBM Quantum team You will be given significant autonomy and flexibility…
7. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 7 What flexibility and autonomy enables… Project management (internal and external) Collaborate with IBM Researchers Work closely with industry research partners Provide technical subject- matter expertise and information to the broader IBM Quantum team Product management Public relations via blog posts and podcasts Stakeholder management
8. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 8 What flexibility and autonomy enables…
9. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 9 My team focuses on joint research with, and support of, organizations in the IBM Q Network. Battery materials Transaction settlement Portfolio optimization Product recommendation Fraud detection Logistics & routing Accelerate research Promote education and prepare Develop commercial applications Simulate quantum systems Machine learning Optimization Finance Develop and present educational material
10. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 10 In doing so, we drive the state-of-the art in near-term applications of quantum computers. 22 papers…10 clients Computational Investigations of the Lithium Superoxide Dimer Rearrangement on Noisy Quantum Devices Quantum Algorithms for Mixed Binary Optimization applied to Transaction Settlement Optimized Quantum Compilation for Near-Term Algorithms with OpenPulse
11. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 11 What is IBM Quantum?
12. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 12 IBM Quantum is an industry-first initiative to build universal quantum computers for business, engineering and science. Science Systems Software Applications Enablement Education
13. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 13 IBM Quantum is a multi-geographic and multi-organizational group. Designers Developers Researchers Managers Product Educators Consultants Engineers
14. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 14 Why should I get involved in the industry?
15. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 15 Major enterprise companies, plus startups, are building out an entirely new computing paradigm. Systems Software Applications Services IonQ Intel QCI AQT PsiQuantum ColdQuanta Silicon QC Zapata CQC QC Ware 1QBit Riverlane Entropica Qu & Co Horizon QC Phasecraft h-bar Consultants Entanglement Partners Creative Destruction Lab Strangeworks IBM Google Microsoft Honeywell Quantum Solutions Xanadu D-Wave Systems Rigetti Computing Q-CTRL Quantum Benchmark Opacity Inspired from https://www.bcg.com/en-us/publications/2018/ next-decade-quantum-computing-how-play
16. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 16 Industry offers opportunities for developing non-research professional skills. Communication Teamwork Organization Decision making Emotional intelligence Leadership Growth mindset
17. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 17 Industry is building the quantum computers of the future. https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2020/09/ibm-quantum-roadmap/
18. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 18
19. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 19
20. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 20
21. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 21
22. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 22 How do I get involved?
23. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 23 Observation 1/3 Quantum know-how, plus an additional skill, is a powerful combination. Every skill you acquire doubles your odds of success.
24. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 24 Observation 2/3 Seek opportunities to learn new skills in a low-risk environment. http://travisscholten.com/2017/06/14/computing-workshop.html https://unitary.fund/posts/advisory_board.html
25. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 25 Observation 3/3 For networking to be effective, it must be win-win. vs
26. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 26 Tactic 1/3: Attend industry-specific business conferences to learn who the players are. https://q2b.qcware.com/ https://iqtevent.com/ https://www.quantumtechcongress.com/
27. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 27 Tactic 2/3: Follow industry-related news and media outlets. https://thequantumdaily.com/ https://quantumcomputingreport.com/ https://anchor.fm/quantumcomputingnow
28. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 28 Tactic 3/3: Make yourself visible with impactful contributions. Contribute to open-source software Develop your own project!
29. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 29 Developing & deploying quantum computers is a “whole- of-the-economy” task.
30. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 30 Do I want to invent what’s next?
31. IBM Quantum / © 2021 IBM Corporation 31