Convergence Accelerator Phase I: Workshop: Scalable Quantum Computing Laboratory

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

This workshop will be organized in Fall 2019 and will bring together key stakeholders from academia and industry. The participants will discuss current challenges in Quantum Computing, opportunities to overcome those challenges, and will map out a path forward to enable near-term progress. The specific aim of the workshop is to identify realistic deliverables in the area of Quantum Computing, including: i) Prototypes that could be developed in the next 2-5 years, and ii) Testbeds needed to evaluate them in the following 5 years. With quantum information science now pervading all corners of academic and government science and engineering programs, there is great interest in pursuing the scientific limits of quantum computer capabilities. The control and use of ever larger entangled superpositions in quantum computers may even confront the fundamental conundrum of quantum mechanics: how to reconcile quantum and classical worlds? Apart from such intellectual directions, the continual use and building of generations of quantum computer devices is expected to impact a new discipline that will help change the culture of our scientists and engineers to embrace the laws of quantum physics and create new scientific and technological capabilities. With the workshop, the aim is to gather input from the broad community in quantum information science and quantum computing, with representatives from physics (atomic/molecular/optical and condensed matter), chemistry, mathematics, information theory, computer science, and engineering disciplines. We expect attendees from academia, government laboratories and industry in order to determine needs that are specific to the science goals of quantum computing. The resulting white paper produced by the workshop will help motivate the allocation of resources to these areas and will have a positive impact on the entire quantum information science community. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.