Could 3-day workweeks be possible thanks to advanced quantum computing? | Euronews Tech Talks
When Emma Müller, a 44-year-old German woman, wakes up each morning, she already has a detailed plan for her health status, dietary suggestions, and exercise recommendations to optimise her day.
She also works only three days a week, thanks to her high productivity levels.
Will we ever live Müller’s idyllic life? Is this the promised heaven of a future foretold by advanced quantum computing? When will it happen? Will it be our generation or the ones to come?
The promise of quantum computing in Europe
For now, it remains pure science fiction, speculation rooted in the promise of advanced quantum technology.
What is real is that IBM's first European Quantum Data Centre is expected to be operational in Ehningen, Germany, by the end of 2024.
"Europe has some of the world's most advanced users of quantum computers," said Jay Gambetta, Vice President of IBM Quantum.
Euronews Tech Talks has interviewed quantum computing experts across the continent to provide a current perspective.
Frank William Marshall, a theoretical physicist at the cultural center of Munich and a leader at the European Quantum Technology Flagship, oversees projects developing quantum computing hardware systems.
He says strong development is happening in superconducting platforms in Delft (Netherlands), Munich and Jülich (Germany), Gothenburg (Sweden), and Helsinki (Finland).
Javier Aizpurua, the Scientific Director of Basque Quantum, notes that IBM will deploy its sixth quantum computer in the world next year in the Basque Country, in northern Spain".
The Basque ecosystem is characterized by strong, fundamental research in materials science, physics, chemistry, and materials engineering.
This foundation was crucial when exploring the potential of deploying a quantum computer to aid in computing and designing these materials, physical processes, and chemical compounds".
Ignacio Cirac, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, said "there are many expectations surrounding quantum computation in the media and industry.
"However, it's very difficult to turn these expectations into reality," he added. "It's crucial that people have the patience to wait for these developments to materialise".
