QC Ware Announces Virtual Q2B 2020: Practical Quantum Computing December 8-10

Seminal conference attended by key players from government, academia, and business will feature latest research, major announcements, and use case applications by industry leaders

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QC Ware Corp.

Oct 15, 2020, 10:30 ET

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- QC Ware today announced its fourth annual Q2B Practical Quantum Computing conference to be held as a virtual event on December 8-10, 2020. The largest gathering of the global quantum computing community, Q2B focuses exclusively on quantum computing applications, and will drive the conversation on the prospects for quantum advantage and the commercialization of quantum computing.

This year's sponsors — IonQ, Google, Honeywell, IBM, Microsoft, Zapata, AWS, and Xanadu — have enabled a three-day agenda packed with discussions on the latest hardware developments and applications in optimization, chemistry simulations, and machine learning. The Q2B 2020 agenda also features business sessions and technical education opportunities in the form of bootcamps, demos, and tutorials.

Eric Schmidt, former CEO and Chairman of Google, and co-founder of Schmidt Futures, headlines a prominent speaker lineup. It includes academia's quantum computing pillars John Preskill, Scott Aaronson, and Umesh Vazirani, and early proponents of quantum computing Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer, and Marc Fischer, Head of Flight Physics and Senior Vice President, Airbus.

"2020 is proving to be a big year for our industry. Although the market felt the impact of Covid-19, the quantum computing ecosystem continues to grow," said Matt Johnson, CEO, QC Ware. "Investment has been robust. Significant milestones in hardware and software, as well as wider access to quantum algorithms and application-building tools through cloud services, are accelerating the timeline for practical applications of quantum computing. This momentum has encouraged more Fortune 100 companies to launch quantum initiatives."

Key hardware and software players are expected to make significant announcements at Q2B 2020. Industry leaders in sectors ranging from aerospace, automotive, and energy to finance, materials design and pharmaceuticals, will discuss their quantum computing initiatives, research collaborations, and inroads in applying quantum computing to address their toughest problems.

"Over the next few years, we'll be experimenting with Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices," said John Preskill, Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Caltech, and Amazon Scholar, AWS Quantum Computing. "Can we use this technology to solve problems of practical interest that are beyond the reach of today's most powerful supercomputers? We don't know yet, but it will be fun to try. Meanwhile, let's not lose sight of the essential longer-term goal: hastening the onset of truly scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computers."

"There have been some significant advancements in quantum computing in the past few weeks alone, and we will realize the practical benefits of quantum computing sooner than most people think," said Peter Chapman, CEO and President, IonQ. "I look forward to continuing the conversation about how best to continue scaling quantum up at Q2B this year with the rest of the quantum industry."

"Quantum computing will have a deep impact on the aerospace sector in the years to come, especially as we readjust to a world which will be experiencing the lasting repercussions of Covid-19," said Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer, Airbus. "At Airbus, we believe in the great potential for applying quantum computing technology to solve complex optimization challenges and enable a climate-neutral aerospace industry. This is why we have called upon the global quantum computing community to develop quantum computing-based solutions to key flight physics problems facing aviation today. Q2B is a fantastic opportunity to exchange with leading quantum computing experts and industry change-makers in this regard."

Q2B 2020 Details
Q2B 2020 will showcase an increasing number of companies that are beginning to explore the impact of quantum computing on their operations, have continuing research collaborations with vendor companies, or have deployed full-scale organizations focused on advancing the implementation of quantum computing applications. The list currently includes: Abbvie, Airbus, Aisin Group, BBVA, BMW, Boeing, Bosch, BP, Covestro, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Mitsubishi Chemical, Raytheon, Roche Pharmaceuticals, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

New to this year's conference is a track on the social impact of quantum computing, which includes panels on increasing the representation of women in quantum computing, quantum machine learning and ethics, quantum computing and environmental sustainability, and harnessing quantum computing for pandemic epidemiology. There will also be a panel discussion on investment trends in quantum computing startups, and a panel exploring how quantum computing will change gaming and gamification.

The speaker line-up currently includes:

Brian Martin — Abbvie | Head of AI in R&D Information Research
Jennifer Ouellette — Ars Technica | Senior Writer
Nadia Carlsten — AWS | Senior Product Manager, Quantum Computing
Kia Kokalitcheva — Axios | Technology Reporter
Andrea Cadarso — BBVA | Team Lead, Quantitative & Business Solutions México
Ilyhas Khan — Cambridge Quantum Computing | CEO and Founder
Denise Ruffner — Cambridge Quantum Computing | Chief Business Officer
Christian Gogolin — Covestro | Quantum Computing Expert
Faye Wattleton — Eeroq | Co-founder
Alex Knapp — Forbes | Senior Editor
Margaret Wu — Georgian | Lead Investor
William Zeng — Goldman Sachs | Head of Quantum Research
Alan Ho — Google | Head of Product and BizDev for Quantum AI Lab
Kate Weber — Google | Policy Lead for Quantum, Robotics, and Fundamental Research
Tony Uttley — Honeywell | President, Honeywell Quantum Solutions
Patty Lee — Honeywell | Chief Scientist, Honeywell Quantum Solutions
Bob Sorensen — Hyperion Research | Senior Vice President of Research, Chief Analyst for Quantum Computing
Anthony Annunziata — IBM | Director of IBM Quantum Network
Peter Chapman — IonQ | CEO and President
Marco Pistoia — JPMorgan Chase & Co. | Managing Director and Head of Research and Engineering
Matthias Troyer — Microsoft | Distinguished Scientist
Qi Gao — Mitsubishi Chemical | Principal Scientist, Materials Design Laboratory
Andrew Schoen — NEA | Principal
Celia Merzbacher — Quantum Economic Development Consortium | Deputy Director
Martin Strahm — Roche Pharmaceuticals | Head of Data Science
Sophia Chen — Science Writer
Sabrina Maniscalco — University of Turku | Chair of Theoretical Physics
Dean Takahashi — VentureBeat | Lead Writer, GamesBeat
Christopher Savoie — Zapata Computing | CEO

Click here for more conference details and updates, and partnership opportunities.

Click here to register. Catch the early bird special by registering with the code "earlybird" by October 30, 2020.

For media interested in covering Q2B, please email [email protected].

About QC Ware
QC Ware is a leading quantum computing company providing enterprise software and services to enterprise customers. The company has one of the largest teams of quantum engineers in the industry, and is recognized as a leader in developing practical applications running on near-term quantum computing hardware. In addition to providing cloud-based software and professional services, QC Ware also organizes Q2B, the largest annual gathering of the international quantum computing community. The company is growing rapidly and generating substantial revenue from customers in a range of sectors, from aerospace, automotive and financial services to manufacturing, materials design, and oil and gas, as well as from U.S. federal organizations. Aisin Group, Airbus, BMW Group, Equinor, and Goldman Sachs count among QC Ware's customers. QC Ware is headquartered in Palo Alto, and supports its European customers through its subsidiary in Paris.

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SOURCE QC Ware Corp.