IEEE Quantum, the leading community for quantum computing conferences, research and education programs, today announced the launch of the Quantum Computing Climate Change Summit. The leader and chair of this Climate Action Initiative is Maëva Ghonda, Sustainability Expert and Chair of the Quantum Computing Climate Change Advisory Board.

This new quantum computing experience will feature exciting innovation-centered keynote presentations by chief executive officers and global business leaders. This one-day summit will take place on 2 March 2022 at 10 am ET. To join the live broadcast online, please click here.

“Climate change is a material risk for many organizations across the globe. And, for many global enterprises, the climate crisis is now a corporate board-level risk. Given the heightened importance of climate-related risks to stakeholders, in my Global Quantum Computing Intellectual Property Report for investors where I reveal key emerging trends that chief executives and corporate boards of directors should consider when developing their quantum computing strategies, I highlight the significance of climate change referenced in quantum technology intellectual property. One example was the U.S. patent awarded to IBM — No. US 9888006 B2 — which includes the following claim: an access rule may be generated that indicates that resources regarding the potential causes of climate change are relevant,” said  Maëva Ghonda, Global Quantum Computing Intellectual Property (IP) Expert.

“Briefly, in 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included 17 Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the UN SDGs or the Global Goals. The objective of this framework was to produce a universal policy for humanity, i.e. the Sustainable Development Goals, to tackle the urgent challenges facing our global society. And, at the forefront of these urgent sustainability challenges is Climate Change,” added Maëva Ghonda. “This climate emergency extends beyond national borders. Hence, contending with the climate crisis mandates united effort at an international level. I have invited CEOs from different continents as well as forward-thinking thought leaders to join me during this unique experience to share innovative ideas as well as best practices for climate action because my vision for my Quantum Executive Series has always been to provide thought leadership vis-à-vis topics of great importance to top management and boards of directors.”

“Tackling climate change is one of the most important topics for humanity, and in the near future, quantum computers will help solve many environmental problems. For example, due to their extremely low power consumption, they will greatly reduce the power consumption of data centers. They will also reduce traffic congestion and greatly reduce CO2 emissions. Renewable energy is an unstable power source that is greatly affected by the weather, but in the future it will become more prevalent in society through Quantum Virtual Power Plant (VPP), such as conversion to hydrogen and storing electricity in EV batteries. Ultra-fast optimization by quantum computers will contribute greatly to such a world. Now is the time for humanity to start working on quantum computers,” stated Masayoshi Terabe, Head of Quantum Transformation (QX) at the Sumitomo Corporation.

“Quantum computing promises to transform how we produce and store plentiful affordable renewable energy. Fuel cells, which predate the combustion engine by a quarter century and have the potential to efficiently store limitless energy with zero carbon emissions, are one great example. But using hydrogen to efficiently generate clean energy requires a deep quantum mechanical understanding of hydrogen chemistry and its catalyzed reaction with oxygen. Classical computers, no matter how big or powerful, simply don’t possess the computational speed, power and logic to identify the ideal catalysts. The number of potential chemical combinations is simply too great. But this challenge is well within the grasp of the large, fault tolerant quantum machines that we’re fast progressing toward,” remarked Steve Brierley, CEO of Riverlane.

“Energy efficiency is central to climate change strategy, and quantum computing offers the potential of a step change reduction in computer-based energy usage. This is even more important considering the value created by the unique solutions that quantum algorithms may produce to directly address climate issues. My interest in this area comes from years of work in building and funding energy efficient systems, and quantum computing represents the next step in this work,” said John Levy, CEO of SEEQC.

Following Maëva Ghonda‘s Opening Remarks, the Quantum Computing Climate Change Summit will feature presentations by keynote speakers and a roundtable discussion.

About the Quantum AI Institute
The Quantum AI Institute is the premiere global research institute for quantum computing research and the home of the popular Quantum AI Institute Podcast.

About IEEE Quantum
IEEE Quantum is the IEEE Future Directions initiative that serves as the leading community for quantum computing conferences and programs. IEEE Quantum is supported by leadership and representation across IEEE societies and operating units, including the IEEE Computer Society. For more information, please visit IEEE Quantum.