Thanks to the University of Defence and the funds made available to it, the Czech Technical University is opening the IBM Quantum Innovation Centre. The innovation centre will involve seven Czech universities and the Czech Academy of Sciences, which will have access to state-of-the-art IBM quantum computers via the cloud. Czech Technical University will also deploy IBM Quantum SafeTM software and encryption hardware to help prepare the Czech Republic for future quantum security risks.
Members of the IBM Quantum Innovation Center of the Czech Technical University will include the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the following universities: the Charles University in Prague, Masaryk University in Brno, Brno University of Technology, Palacký University in Olomouc, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, University of Defence and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
Czech Technical University and the members of its Innovation Centre are the first from the Czech Republic to join more than 275 organisations from around the world in the IBM Quantum Network. With access to IBM quantum computers and tools such as Qiskit, IBM's most powerful quantum software, CTU users plan to explore quantum research problems in a variety of fields and industries, such as health and life sciences, materials science, high-energy physics, optimization and sustainability. CTU will also have access to IBM's educational resources to stimulate workforce development for the university's staff and students as quantum computing becomes increasingly integrated into high-performance computing and becomes useful to industry.
"Our IBM Quantum Innovation Center provides CTU users with access to mainstream quantum technologies. This collaboration with IBM also allows CTU to provide our students, researchers and partner universities with the opportunity to build and strengthen the country's science and technology ecosystem, as we see quantum technology as very important. The Quantum Innovation Center project provides an opportunity to extend R&D collaboration not only to other universities and organizations in the Czech Republic, but also to industries across Europe and the world," said CTU Vice Rector Veronika Kramaříková.
"The IBM Quantum Innovation Center of Czech Technical University provides the Czech community of students, researchers, university members - and future partners from academia and industry - with access to our most powerful quantum technologies via the cloud, including the systems, tools and resources available at our European Quantum Data Center in Germany. Only by working with our partners can we harness the potential of quantum computing to solve some of society's most complex problems," said Scott Crowder, vice president of IBM Quantum Adoption.
Czech Technical University uses IBM Quantum Safe software and encryption hardware for teaching
The good news is that there are already standards and software solutions for quantum-secure cryptography that offer institutions the ability to protect traditional data and systems from the future decryption capabilities of quantum computers.
To provide educational resources and training for this quantum-safe transition, CTU is deploying IBM Guardium Quantum Safe, IBM Quantum Safe Explorer and IBM Quantum Safe Remediator software programs - as well as IBM Power 10 accelerated peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) cryptographic cards. These deployments, with support from IBM's business partner, ITS, will help train students to build a comprehensive inventory of cryptographic resources, evaluate cryptographic posture for compliance, vulnerabilities and risks for future cryptographically relevant quantum computers, and implement quantum-safe solutions to address any identified vulnerabilities.
"IBM's quantum-safe software and hardware are key components for our university to train a new generation of skilled security experts in the field of post-quantum cryptography and help the Czech Republic transition to this future security environment as quickly as possible. Access to IBM's state-of-the-art quantum computing instrumentation will expand the capabilities of the University of Defence and the Ministry of Defence in modelling a number of processes, for example in the field of logistics," said Jan Farlík, Rector of the University of Defence.
