Accenture & the WEF Tout Quantum Tech as Solution to UN SDGs
Quantum technology. Sounds a little sci-fi, right? Well, a new report published by Accenture and the World Economic Forum (WEF) suggests that new quantum tech could provide the world with the solutions it needs to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
Using the principles of quantum mechanics, quantum technology can significantly improve upon much of the technology we use today. Computing is one of the main applications for quantum tech. The data processing capacity of a quantum computer is far beyond anything even the best regular computers can achieve today.
Speaking of the speed of quantum machinery, author and think tank leader Bernard Marr says:
"Remember when IBM’s computer Deep Blue famously defeated chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997? It was able to gain a competitive advantage because it examined 200 million possible moves each second. A quantum computer would be able to calculate 1 trillion moves per second."
And as for the UN SDGs, there are 17 in total. Their scope is broad, pertaining to many different global issues from clean energy to sustainable urbanisation to eradicating poverty.
This new report posits that these burgeoning technologies could be applied to tackle a great number of these issues, mitigating climate change, improving healthcare, streamlining resource management and much, much more.
The possibilities, for now, appear endless.
The purpose of the report
The name of the Accenture and WEF report is 'Quantum for Society: Meeting the Ambition of the SDGs'. Its purpose is to guide government officials, corporate execs and scholars on how best to use quantum computing, sensing and communication technologies in the context of sustainability.
The report acknowledges that quantum tech is still in its nascent stages, but it also asserts its sheer potential. The report also references the groundwork made by the WEF to pave the way for the integration of quantum tech in society.
The WEF's Quantum Economy Network, for instance, is actively collaborating with the wider quantum community to establish governance norms, provide strategic guidance and develop practical frameworks for tackling the SDGs.
The Quantum Applications Hub, another initiative set up by the WEF, represents a vital step towards fostering responsible innovation and the commercial viability of quantum technologies.
The particular applications quantum technology can have
Quantum sensing, in particular, is poised for immediate impact, with promising applications in healthcare and clean energy.
In healthcare, quantum tech has already been shown to improve the insightfulness of MRI scans, as well as in the development and discovery of pharmaceuticals.
As for renewable energy, quantum tech can predict and manage the demand and supply of energy in real time, which could have huge benefits for energy efficiency and costs to consumers.
The Accenture and WEF report highlights some of the most high-impact use cases for quantum tech, where it is already being introduced.
These include: water quality surveillance, which is vital for public health; disaster responses aided by satellite observation; solar technology design; and climate prediction.
Fostering a collaborative approach to the quantum revolution
The report calls for a unified effort among business leaders, policymakers, global entities and educational institutions to enable transformative advancements in the fledgling quantum domain.
Emphasising the necessity for a global strategy that considers local needs and priorities, the document points out opportunities in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa where quantum applications could help with the purification of drinking water for countless individuals.
Addressing the challenges faced by social entrepreneurs in the quantum field, especially in securing private investments, the report advocates for ecosystem-wide support. This includes assistance in navigating government grants, engaging in open innovation challenges and facilitating public-private alliances.
One such initiative led by the WEF in collaboration with the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Saudi Arabia is the Uplink Challenge, aiming to identify start-ups that are already using quantum technologies to tackle significant societal issues.
Are we ready for quantum computing?
The report finishes by discussing the rollout of quantum computing systems. Clearly, quantum tech can surpass traditional computing in many areas already, but there are questions about whether scaling up is yet possible.
The writers stress that data is first required on the energy consumption of these quantum computing systems, because the likelihood is that they demand an unsustainable amount of energy as things stand.
One of the report's contributors explains this: "Finding more rigorous energy efficiency metrics for measuring quantum's carbon footprint and building machines sustainable-by-design are highly relevant imperatives to fulfil the sustainability agenda."
When discussing the advent of new technologies, it's easy to throw the word "revolutionary" about too often. But, according to Arunima Sarkar, Thematic Lead for Quantum Technology at the WEF, quantum technology will be viewed as an era-defining innovation by future historians. She says:
“Quantum technology will permeate and impact every key sector of the economy and take us into a period likely to be referred to as the post-quantum era. This collectively creates an economic impact and a distinctive economic ecosystem, which we refer to as the quantum economy.”
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