Bishop Smith remembers as a small child learning about astronomy and different universes from his grandfather and was interested in finding out more about other planets, stars, and light travel and transmissions.
“I’m really interested in quantum theories and hope to someday become an astrophysicist,” the Tyner Academy junior said last Friday during a presentation on quantum technologies to mark World Quantum Day at the EPB Institute of Technology & Networking. “It looks like a great future.”
Backers of a new initiative to promote quantum computing, networks and other technologies in Chattanooga hope they will pique the interest of more students like Smith in what many see as the next big revolution in communication and computer.
EPB, the city-owned utility that pioneered the country’s first communitywide high-speed internet using its fiber optic network more than a decade ago, says it will soon use its fiber network to will start the first commercial network in America that will use quantum technologies for businesses to test. new ideas and commercial applications. Although still relatively new, developers of EPB’s new quantum network that launched in July hope the network and other related efforts will put Chattanooga at the forefront of the next generation of computing, cybersecurity and other technologies.
“This is the kind of initiative that 20 years down the road could fundamentally increase the median income of our entire community,” EPB President David Wade said in an interview Friday. “That’s how big the possibilities are from this.”
Next network
EPB spent $4.5 million to build its quantum network, which was created by San Diego-based Qubitekk as a result of cybersecurity research done by EPB about the electric grid for the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Duncan Earl, a former Oak Ridge, Tennessee, research physicist who founded Qubitekk and serves as its chief technology officer, said Chattanooga is positioning itself as a unique test bed for some of the new quantum technologies expected. the next revolution in computing and networking.
“This is a revolution in information technology that may be even bigger than what the internet has done,” Earl said in an interview after speaking to students Friday at Tyner Academy and Chattanooga State Community College. “Quantum technology allows us to use the physics associated with light particles to create computers billions of times faster than what we have today.”
Earl said in the next decade or two, advances in computers and communications made possible by quantum technologies will drive artificial intelligence and change the way we work, communicate and perform many everyday tasks. .
What a leap
The first quantum revolution nearly a century ago led to the 20th century technological revolution when transistors and microchips gave us modern-day computers and the internet. Quantum computers use qubits (or quantum bits) or protons, instead of digital bits, and take advantage of the “multiverse” diffusion of protons to perform calculations much faster than today’s computers.
The quantum computing market is just emerging but is projected to top $1.5 billion in revenue by 2027 and top $4 billion in revenue by 2029, Earl said.
“There is an employment boom for quantum engineering and related fields,” Earl said.
The average salary for a quantum engineer is $125,000 a year, according to online job site Glassdoor, and Earl said the industry “offers an opportunity to be a part of something historic.”
Jobs in demand go beyond quantum physicists, although more of them are needed. Earl said the growing industry needs fiber installation technicians, maintenance and support technicians, IT specialists, and quantum component manufacturing workers, as well as engineers, software developers and scientist.
Gig City
To help meet the need for more workers, the Chattanooga initiative known as Gig City Goes Quantum kicked off Friday a series of what organizers say will be more than 1,000 events over the next six weeks. which is designed to introduce, educate and inspire more people to pursue related careers. in developing technology.
“As our first effort, Gig City Goes Quantum set the goal of engaging people of all ages,” Chattanooga State President Rebecca Ashford said Friday during the World Quantum Day kickoff event on the Chattanooga State campus. “Having access to EPB’s fiber optic network resources and EPB quantum network means our students can learn from the best while preparing for the jobs of the future.”
While quantum physics is typically taught in upper-level college courses, Chattanooga introduced quantum schemes to students as young as fifth grade with play activities on virtual quantum computers.
Earl, who earned his doctorate at the University of Tennessee in physics, taught what he described as his first high school class on Friday in Tyner.
“Our students are learning about cutting-edge innovation that is virtually unheard of in high school settings,” Tyner Academy Principal Tiffany Earvin said Friday.
New physics, new products
Quantum computers use qubits (or quantum bits), instead of digital bytes, to take advantage of the “multiverse” and perform calculations faster. Qubits are protons or other particles that can be entangled or superposed where a single particle can exist in multiple realities simultaneously.
Quantum networks such as EPB’s new quantum network powered by Qubitekk exploit qubits to provide a connection between two particles that cannot be intercepted for improved cybersecurity. The distribution of entangled qubits in fibers allows quantum devices to be interconnected to form a quantum network.
What is quantum networking?
Traditional networks provide “bytes” of information that are each encoded as a binary, on/off switch. In contrast, quantum networks use particles of light, called qubits, which can be used to perform calculations at paradigm-shifting speeds. Quantum networks can bring the power of quantum computers together to greater effect than conventional computer networks while also providing an unprecedented level of cybersecurity.
Quantum events at UTC
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is hosting three talks next week on quantum technology at the UTC Center for Professional Education in the James R. Mapp Building on ML King Boulevard. All events begin at noon and are open to the public free of charge as part of 1,000 events on quantum technologies held in Chattanooga as part of the Gig City Goes Quantum initiatives.
– On Monday, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Senior Research Scientist Raphael Pooser will discuss quantum computing.
– On Wednesday, James Troupe, chief scientist of the quantum communications company Xairos, will give a presentation on quantum networking.
— On Friday, Tian Li, UTC assistant professor of physics, will discuss quantum sensing.
Source: GigCityGoesQuantum.com
Will quantum networking change how we live and work?
Experts project quantum networking to change how people live and work just as the internet did.
– Healthcare: Modeling new vaccines and medical treatments in a fraction of the time.
– Fees: Use artificial intelligence and advanced predictive modeling to improve business competitiveness.
– Education: Create more interactive educational opportunities through photo-realistic virtual reality.
– Safety: Issue warnings before tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters occur.
– Communication: Simultaneous and instantaneous translation of multiple languages.
Source: EPB, Qubitekk
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6340.