IBM Quantum Sustainability Working Group (25w7008)

The Banff International Research Station will host the IBM Quantum Sustainability Working Group in Banff from April 11 - 13, 2025.

Quantum computers have entered the era of quantum utility, where they are able to perform reliable computations at a scale beyond brute force classical computing methods that provide exact solutions to computational problems. However, achieving quantum advantage—where quantum systems outperform classical methods for real-world applications-requires collaboration across disciplines to develop new quantum algorithms and apply them effectively. To help spur the development of these applications, IBM has launched five working groups in domains with promising potential for quantum benefits: healthcare & life sciences, materials science, high energy physics, optimization, and sustainability.

PINQ2, Hydro-Québec, Université de Sherbrooke, and IBM started the global working group on sustainability in April 2024. It includes 16 organizations from academia and industry. The group focuses on energy-sector challenges, with projects addressing topics like battery and concrete chemistry, climate forecasting, and energy grid optimization.

The group's 2025 workshop at BIRS aims to expand its community, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, and advance knowledge on quantum computing's role in tackling sustainability issues.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada’s Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta’s Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico’s Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).