By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry posted 19 Sep 2022
This year’s IEEE Quantum Week conference not only highlights the growth within the quantum industry, but also the rich quantum ecosystem within Colorado. Located in Broomfield, Colorado, this is the first in-person conference offered since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In fact, the conference was supposed to be held in Colorado in 2019. As the conference chair, Grey Byrd said in a recent press release: “We’re thrilled to provide a space where partnerships can be forged, ultimately leading to quantum-based solutions to the most challenging problems. All are welcome to learn, contribute, and lead in this dynamic, exciting world of quantum computing and engineering.” The conference will also offer virtual sessions over the five-day span, so those who can’t travel can still participate. With nine keynote speakers and over 40 exhibitors, this year’s IEEE Quantum Week conference will not disappoint.
Held in the Omni Interlocken Hotel, the conference features 10 different parallel tracks during the five-day span, so participants can hop from exhibits to posters to workshops without needing to travel very far. Many of the sessions will be recorded so those who may have missed an event can review it later. Events run from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM with breaks and meals offered for in-person visitors. The planning committee wanted to make the conference as accessible as possible for those both in-person and attending virtually. Byrd added that: “IEEE Quantum Week is a unique gathering for a broad and diverse community of researchers, developers, end users, and learners, spanning academia, industry, and government to bridge the gap between theory and practice.”
From workshops offered by QSEEC to keynotes featuring PsiQuantum, this year’s participants will have a hard time choosing between these events. Several workshops include key quantum computing players such as NASA, NVIDIA, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab, Riverlane, Microsoft, IBM Quantum, Zapata, Qblox, and more. Other events include tutorials with TorchQuantum, Intel Quantum, Qiskit, Q-TCRL, Tu-Delft, and others. There are also panel discussions featuring Atom Computing, AWS, Classiq, Cold0 Quanta, NuQuantum, Quantinuum, and IBM. With such a rich offering from the many market leaders within this industry, participants will learn firsthand about the next-generation developments of quantum technology and how it will impact the future. Many of these companies use the conference to announce new launches of unique products or updates to current services, so it will be interesting to see what news may be shared at this year’s event.
The conference also offers many networking and learning opportunities for students. Besides exhibits, posters, talks, and more, students also have the chance to interact with industry mentors during a special mentorship breakfast. This event takes place on Monday, September 19, and gives students a more exclusive place to discuss their interests and potential career paths.
Not only does the IEEE Quantum week conference give chances for networking, but it also offers companies unique opportunities to forge new partnerships, scout for new talent and talk to peers within the industry. As the quantum industry continues to grow, it is encouraging to see more participants in these conferences as well as a wider offering of expert insights to learn from.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is a staff writer at Inside Quantum Technology and the Science Communicator at JILA (a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NIST). Her writing beats include deep tech, the metaverse, and quantum technology.
