“Quantum Transformation finds the key of collaboration” is the title of the ABC article published on the 23rd of January 2022. The CUCO project, subsidized by CDTI, is the fruit of collaboration between five research centers (BSC, CSIC, DIPC, ICFO y Tecnalia), seven companies (GMV, BBVA, Repsol, Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, Amatech, Multiverse Computing y DAS Photonics) and a public university (Universitat Politècnica de València). Only this kind of consortium could cover the application of quantum technologies in such diverse areas of five strategic industries.  

The study of quantum computing algorithms has the objective not only in solving calculation problems that are impossible to decipher today but also in the speed of calculation with a major difference between years of calculation of classical computers to seconds for quantum computers.

The project aims to bring low energy consumption, efficiency and precision of calculation to the strategic industries. Precision is key for Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech’s co-founder and CBO, Victor Canivell: “Today we are working with simplified models to achieve very useful approximations of these calculations, but they are still approximations.”

It is a Spanish initiative in line with other European initiatives, a much needed scientific and strategic move:

“It is crucial for Spain to jump on the bandwagon and devote efforts to catching up on this topic” asserts Victor Canivell

With a budget of 7.3 million, the CUCO project has received a grant covering 60% of its total cost through CDTI (the Center for the Development of Industrial Technology), a public entity under the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Presently, Spain takes pride in an extensive network of academics and emerging start-ups dedicated to quantum computing research, as Victor Canivell points out. However, the greatest challenge in this field is identified as being the difficulty of retaining and attracting talent from abroad and the general lack of knowledge about the possible disruptive effects of this incipient wave of technological change. “The effective use of these technologies requires the availability of experts at the national level, so it is crucial to promote their development and training,” concludes Victor Canivell.

The ABC article resumes with a short description of what is a qubit: “An ocean of information in a ‘qubit’ “

“With a few ‘qubits’ you can house a large amount of information,” says Canivell and makes the difference between logical and physical qubits. While the logical qubits do not have errors, the physical ones do have errors and the challenge of the industry is to reduce these errors.

The ABC article can be found here(in Spanish).