US firms team up to launch first next-gen quantum communications research lab

US firms IonQ and EPB have teamed up to set up the first next-generation quantum communications research and development (R&D) lab directly connected to a real-world network. The facility is aimed at helping speed up the development and deployment of the Quantum Internet, driving economic growth and creating jobs in the future. Quantum computing is regarded as the next frontier of computing. The exponential rate of computations achieved through quantum computers are expected to solve challenges of drug discovery, climate change, and energy security for humanity. Privately owned companies and government-owned research laboratories are working towards making quantum computing a reality, but this is unlikely to happen unless we develop a quantum internet. Much like the Internet or World Wide Web that connected the world’s computers and multiplied the benefits of computing, quantum computers too will have multiplier effects if they can talk to each other and work in synchrony with other powerful computing devices on the planet. To do so, we need to develop an internet backbone that can work with data generated by quantum computers. Building a quantum internet “Quantum Memories that store and process quantum information over fiber channels are essential building blocks for transforming quantum machines into more powerful long-range architectures,” explained Niccolo de Masi, CEO of IonQ, the quantum computing partner at the R&D Center. Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ offers integrated quantum solutions across various sectors and includes customers such as NVIDIA, AstraZeneca, and Amazon Web Services, to name a few. Last year, the company achieved 99.99 percent two-gate fidelity, a major feat in quantum computing performance. To build the quantum internet, IonQ has teamed up with EPB, a well-recognized communications provider, which has launched EPB Quantum, a comprehensive and commercially available quantum technology platform. “Establishing a Quantum Memory R&D capability that sits atop a working fiber optic network will speed the development and deployment of innovative quantum technologies to accelerate commercialization of the Quantum Internet,” added de Masi in the press release. The R&D facility will be based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where EPB is headquartered but manned by staff from IonQ, which is also setting aside $15 million over five years to catalyze the local talent ecosystem. On its part, the EPB will provide a live network development test bed and help translate the R&D laboratory’s work into applications for the public and private sector in the region. EPB’s longer-term plans include interlinking quantum computers, quantum research nodes and all related commercial facilities in order to host an extensive quantum ecosystem in Tennessee. The future of economic development belongs to states that can connect research, industry and infrastructure, and Tennessee is building that future today,” said Deputy Gov. and TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter in the press release. “The partnership between IonQ and EPB to establish the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center is exactly the type of innovation ecosystem we’re working to cultivate—bringing together world-class companies, advanced infrastructure and strategic collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation technologies.” Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.