G20 Summit: IIT-B, Chicago Quantum Exchange forge new science-tech partnership

Mumbai, Sep 9 (IANS) The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) has joined the Chicago Quantum Exchange at the University of Chicago as an international partner – among only five globally - for a new collaborative science and technology initiative between the two renowned academic institutions.

The partnership was announced at the G20 Summit between visiting US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and will promote cooperation in the fields of quantum information science, climate and energy, advanced microelectronics, artificial intelligence and data science.

“It reaffirms the goals of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), to elevate and expand our strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of our two countries,” said an official here.

IIT-B Director, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, termed it as a strong bond being built between India and US academia, as evident from the joint declaration by Biden-Modi.

“It will also be a great opportunity for IIT-B to work with the University of Chicago on some of the most critical and evolving technologies our nations are facing today. Our collective strength will help bring forth impactful breakthrough innovations benefiting the society,” said Prof. Chaudhuri.

A key component of the partnership is that IIT Bombay has joined CQE as one of only five worldwide academic partners, he added.

The CQE, an intellectual hub for advancing the science and engineering of quantum information, is anchored by the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University.

This follows recent University of Chicago quantum-focused announcements in Japan, the first at the G7 regarding a partnership between the University of Chicago, the University of Tokyo, IBM and Google to build the world’s first quantum supercomputer, and the second with Tohoku University to accelerate quantum research.

The IIT Bombay anchors the Quantum Information Computing Science & Technology (QuICST) Hub, one of the leading centers for quantum research in India.

“Strong global partnerships provide the expertise and resources to advance breakthrough innovation and are an essential part of developing a robust quantum ecosystem,” said CQE Director David Awschalom, and the Liew Family Professor in Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, and senior scientist at Argonne.

In addition to quantum, UChicago and IIT Bombay will collaborate and conduct joint research in fields such as climate, energy, advanced microelectronics, artificial intelligence and data science, with a host of joint research activities, conferences, exchanges of information as well as faculty and scholar visits.

For joint conferences and researchers visiting India, the University of Chicago’s Delhi Center, which will celebrate its 10th. anniversary in 2024, will be a resource for these and similar collaborations.

“Our goal at the University of Chicago is to strengthen collaborations with our Indian counterparts in science, technology, and engineering, where the US and India are increasingly aligned in research and development, and this partnership is an outstanding opportunity to build shared US-India scientific knowledge,” said UChicago Delhi Center Faculty Director Supratik Guha.