Qubic

Equal1, the Qubic coordinator and leader in quantum computing in Ireland, brought together a powerful consortium consisting of Ireland’s centre for Applied AI (CeADAR),  represented by Dr. Ricardo Simon-Carbajo (Director of Innovation and Development) and Dr. Cristian Bosch (Data Science Architect); plus two of Ireland’s leading research institutions (UCD and IMR), three innovative SMEs (ALGO, BIOS, and Nexalus), and a multinational corporation (DELL).

Together, the QUBIC consortium will deliver disruptive innovations across three core quantum domains:

• Development of quantum algorithms to solve current industry-specific challenges.
• Advancement of quantum processors and software stacks to support the running of these algorithms.
• Industrial research in optimisation and AI/ML to support scaling of algorithms for real world applications

Qubic Solution

By leveraging advancements in quantum technologies, the QUBIC project will build a robust innovation pipeline to deliver transformative solutions. These technologies have the potential to unlock new market opportunities in industry specific sectors, including pharmaceuticals, energy, and advanced manufacturing. This initiative directly supports Ireland’s strategic vision to lead in quantum innovation, foster economic growth, and secure a strong position in the global quantum economy.

QUBIC will develop disruptive approaches to quantum algorithm development and its implementation on compute hardware. Algorithm development is now a well-known and successful process of creating step-by-step, well-defined instructions to solve a specific problem, which has become more critical in this big data era. Major breakthroughs enabled by algorithm development have been seen in AI, where algorithms have significantly improved early detection and diagnosis of diseases, especially cancer and diabetes, as well as protein structure prediction.

QUBIC will apply QC to the process of algorithm development to develop solutions for some of Ireland’s biggest challenges:

• Next Generation Power Grid: Our national power grid is becoming more critical and complex. Efficiently managing the transmission and distribution of energy from diverse and variable sources while the demand is rapidly evolving, driven by the rise of AI data centers and other emerging energy-intensive end-uses, is a strategic national challenge. Quantum computing can advance electric power system optimisation tasks, such as unit commitment, economic dispatch and security-constrained power flow, by unlocking the faster exploitation of larger, more complex decision spaces. This would preserve the critical balance between supply and demand at reduced operational costs and/or with increased security.
• Climate Action: Accurate climate models are essential for predicting renewable energy generation patterns. Quantum computing can process vast datasets more efficiently, leading to improved climate models and better planning for renewable energy integration.
• New Materials Development: By simulating atomic structures with unparalleled accuracy, quantum systems can drive the creation of advanced materials with applications in industries ranging from clean energy to construction, positioning Ireland as a leader in sustainable, cutting-edge materials science.
• Pharmaceutical Advancements: Quantum technology can accelerate drug discovery and development processes, allowing for highly targeted, cost-effective methods for producing new medicines and facilitating faster responses to global health challenges. This would also elevate Ireland’s existing reputation as a pharmaceutical powerhouse and driver of innovation in Pharma R&D as well as manufacturing.

The methods and infrastructure that will be developed in QUBIC will create a fundamental asset for the Irish Quantum Strategy, which can be used in other key industries in the Irish economy such as logistics, finance and telecoms.

CeADAR Team

Dr. Ricardo Simon Carbajo

Dr. Cristian Bosch