SASKATOON, SK, May 16, 2024 - Scientists at USask are on the forefront of groundbreaking research thanks to a partnership with the PINQ² (Québec Digital and Quantum Innovation Platform), the sole administrator of Canada’s only IBM Quantum System One, a utility-scale quantum computer located at IBM’s research facility in Bromont, Quebec.

USask’s three-year agreement with PINQ² enables faculty and students affiliated with USask’s Centre for Quantum Topology and Its Applications (quanTA) to have access to the machine via PINQ²’s quantum computing platform. This collaboration significantly enhances the existing quantum computing research activities at USask.

IBM Quantum System One is powered by a 127-qubit processor, which has achieved utility-scale performance, a point at which quantum computers could serve as scientific tools to explore a new scale of problems that classical systems may never be able to solve. Under ideal circumstances, a qubit can be astoundingly powerful in comparison to the ordinary bits in conventional computers.

One of the partnership’s first projects will be a study of complex health data in children suffering from chronic diseases, including juvenile arthritis. Using patient-derived data, researchers will deploy quantum- enhanced data analysis and machine learning techniques to uncover and understand hidden factors that may lead to such diseases, leading potentially to future preventatives and therapies. The nature of this work augments what is possible using traditional computing methods.

The groundbreaking research made possible through this partnership will see USask’s quantum scientists working together with many other scientists from diverse fields, further showcasing the interdisciplinary work currently underway at USask.