Lists one of nine technology areas “critical” to national interest.
If you’ve been following technology developments for the past decade, you may have come across the term “quantum technology.” This emerging field is based on the principles of quantum physics and is a interesting field of engineering
Australia will spend $111 million to develop quantum technology, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday, as Canberra identifies nine areas of technology it deems essential for national interests.
The government has already signed a co-operation agreement with the United States.
Morrison says that “Quantum science and technology has the potential to revolutionise a wide range of industries, including finance, communications, energy, healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and mining.
“Quantum technologies will also have defence applications, like enabling navigation in GPS denied environments and helping to protect us from advanced cyber attacks.”
“Australia leads globally in several aspects of quantum technology, and has a foundation for a thriving quantum industry. The national quantum strategy would better integrate the activities of industry and government,” said Morrison
“I’m confident the new strategy will help position Australia as a quantum technology leader in the Indo-Pacific.”
The government is also funding a National Quantum Strategy to outline Australia’s vision for the quantum industry. Australian chief scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, will guide the strategy as chair of the National Quantum Committee. Committee members will include industry experts and academics.
These investments are aimed at supporting the development, commercialisation and deployment of quantum technologies in Australia.
The growth of Australia’s quantum industry has the potential to add $4 billion and 16,000 new jobs to the economy by 2040. The potential is huge and could lead to a revolution in a whole range of industries and a promising development for the Australian economy
Quantum technology, based on the fundamentals of physics, is still in its infancy but has become the darling of investors aspiring to revolutionise the healthcare and finance industries with artificial intelligence.
Quantum is one of the 9 Priority Technologies in the Government’s Critical Technologies Design and Action Plan. The government also stressed that quantum is an emerging key technology in the digital economy strategy.
Quantum technology has tremendous potential in computing, security, and cryptography.
The government’s “blueprint” says that critical technologies – which can be digital, such as artificial intelligence, or non-digital, such as synthetic biology – are technologies that can “significantly enhance or pose a threat to our national interests.”
While the plan does not explain this, it is clear that the danger posed by China is one of the main factors in the government’s thinking about the need to both develop and protect Australia’s critical technologies.
It also seeks to preserve the integrity of Australian research, science and ideas to help the domestic industry prosper and maximise sovereign intellectual property. It also wants to use the plan to foster its regional resilience and shape an international environment that enables open competitive markets and safe trusted technological innovation.
Of this amount, AU$70 million will be allocated to the construction of a quantum commercialisation centre. The centre will be tasked with building strategic partnerships with ‘like-minded countries’ to commercialise Australian quantum research and help Australian companies gain access to new markets and investors.
The Australian government is investing in Quantum Commercialisation to :
- form strategic international partnerships
- commercialise Australia’s quantum research
- help Australian businesses access new markets and investors.
In recent months, Australia has pledged to spend billions of dollars to modernise its economy and reduce its dependence on China, boosting manufacturing in sectors such as essential resources and minerals, as well as by supporting the development of low-emission technologies.
The first of the nine areas is quantum technology, with most of the pledged $100 million going to commercialise Australian quantum research and forge links to global markets and supply chains.
The remaining eight are mining and processing of critical materials, advanced communications (including 5G and 6G), artificial intelligence, cybersecurity technologies, genomics and genetic engineering, new antibiotics, antiviral drugs and vaccines, low-emission alternative fuels, and finally autonomous vehicles. drones, swarming and collaborative robotics.
While it’s still in its infancy, the technology is transforming the world of business. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Google are using quantum technology to improve their processes and improve their products.
The next generation of computers will become more intelligent and better equipped to understand the world. However, it can also affect healthcare.
With the advent of quantum computing, a new era in secure communications is about to begin. Increasing the pace of technological change will allow the development of more efficient manufacturing processes and more reliable machines.
These developments will make it possible to develop more efficient machines and products. It will also enable scientists to develop quantum systems. The emergence of this technology will also help scientists make better decisions, improve communications systems and increase productivity.
While quantum technology has a high degree of complexity, it is a hot area of research. It’s a growing field of research that will have an enormous impact on the world of technology. Australia is no exception, it has made quantum research a priority.
In a speech to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Morrison said one of the goals in the government’s plan is to “maintain the integrity of our research, science, ideas, information and capabilities – to enable Australian industries to thrive and maximise our sovereign IP”.
What are quantum technologies?
A quantum technology is one whose functionality derives from engineering the states of quantum systems. This distinguishes quantum technologies from various 20th century technologies (eg, lasers, magnetic resonance imaging, semiconductor electronics) that employ quantum phenomena (eg, coherence, quantized energy, tunnelling) but do not initialise, manipulate, and measure directly the states of individual quantum systems.
How do they work?
Quantum technologies work by using normal ‘classical’ devices (e.g. lasers, microwave electronics, and photodetectors) to initialize (e.g. by a laser pulse), manipulate (e.g. by a micro pulse) waves) and measure (for example by detecting emitted photons) the state of their qubit (s).
A normal “classic” computer is used to program and control these devices and record measurement data. So when you harness quantum technology, you are simply connecting to a familiar classic computer. Although qubits are a relatively small component of quantum technology, their different physical behaviour is what offers an advantage over conventional technologies.
