Quantum City, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Government of Alberta, and the University of Calgary, has announced the Quantum City Challenge. This global quantum tech competition, running from November 2023 to March 2024, invites experts, researchers, and enthusiasts to solve energy industry problems using quantum computing.
Participants will have the opportunity to showcase their solutions on a global platform and potentially collaborate with industry partners. Winners will receive a CAD $10,000 cash prize, a one-year membership at qHub, mentorship from quantum experts, and access to select AWS programs and resources.
Quantum City Challenge: A Quantum Computing Competition
Quantum City, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), has announced the Quantum City Challenge, a global quantum tech competition set to take place in 2023-2024. The challenge is supported by the Government of Alberta and the University of Calgary. The competition aims to bring together experts, researchers, consumers, and enthusiasts to solve complex problems in the energy industry using quantum computing.
Quantum City is building an ecosystem for quantum science and technology in Alberta bringing together researchers and developers, industry and adopters of quantum technology and services.
The Role of Quantum Technologies in the Energy Industry
Quantum technologies have the potential to revolutionize various sectors of the economy, including energy development and transformation. The Quantum City Challenge aims to propel Alberta’s energy industry into the quantum era by presenting unique energy industry problems identified by Alberta energy organizations. These problems are open to the public, allowing any group or individual to present solutions using their quantum computing expertise.
Participation and Eligibility in the Quantum City Challenge
The Quantum City Challenge is a worldwide competition open to anyone, including researchers, enthusiasts, industry organizations, startups, professionals, and students. However, employees of Quantum City are not allowed to participate. The competition encourages diversity, allowing teams to be comprised of individuals from various countries and regions. The challenge will run from November 2023 until March 8th, 2024.
Participants who submit their solutions for assessment will have the opportunity to showcase their quantum solutions on a global platform before leaders from the energy and technology sectors. There’s also a possibility for continued collaboration with the industry partner supporting the particular use case. All registered participants will receive an initial Amazon Braket credit of $500 to test their solution on real quantum hardware in the cloud. The winner(s) will receive a CAD $10,000.00 cash prize, an exclusive 1-year membership at qHub, personalized mentorship from top quantum experts, prime speaking opportunities at qConnect 2024, and a travel bursary program.
How to Participate in the Quantum City Challenge
The problem statements for the Quantum City Challenge will be posted on QuantumCityChallenge.ca in November 2023 and are open to the public. Individuals and teams can register online to review the challenge details and submission requirements. Proposals for the Quantum City Challenge can be submitted in the form of a paper for one or more of the proposed problem statements online.
The Importance of the Quantum City Challenge
Participation in the Quantum City Challenge is a commitment to innovation excellence, market agility, and future-ready investments. It exposes organizations to quantum capabilities and mitigates risks in transitioning to the quantum era. The quantum job market is expected to grow to 229,000 jobs nationally by 2040. The sector is set to surpass the entire aerospace and aeronautics industry in Canada in less than 20 years. Canada is investing $360 million in quantum innovation and has established the National Quantum Strategy. The Alberta Government has invested $23 million in Quantum City to accelerate quantum technology development, build skills and talent, and attract companies interested in quantum technologies.
Evaluation of Proposed Solutions and Sponsors
Proposed solutions will be evaluated by a panel of judges, including University of Calgary quantum researchers, the Quantum City team, and AWS Quantum Solutions Lab scientists. Several organizations, including corporate sponsors ATCO and Canadian Natural, the Challenge facilitator AWS, and the University of Calgary, play a pivotal role in the success of the Quantum City Challenge.