Conference: Climate Change and Quantum Computing

The goal of this project is to organize and host a workshop to identify opportunities to address some of the most daunting climate change related problems using advances in quantum computing information science and technology. The core of this effort is to engage and bring together scientists and user communities together to envision how best to leverage the advances in quantum computing to accelerate development of solutions that can help some of the major challenges posed by events related to climate change. The particular focus of the workshop will be on the leveraging convergence between areas related to energy and power, greenhouse emissions, and climate change related simulations. The goal will be to bring experts from industry, academia, foundations, and government agencies to discuss and identify opportunities in which quantum computing as well as quantum technologies such as quantum sensors could offer a unique advantage. The proposed workshop is expected to help identify efforts to develop a track that will be based on using the power of quantum computing, using development of quantum computing algorithms and hardware, to address different areas including but not limited to energy, power grid, transportation, renewable energy transition. The insights gained from this workshop, if implemented into a track, could have transformative impacts on accelerating translational research aspects of quantum computing science and technology in the context of climate change related challenges. Hybrid approaches of classical and quantum computing will also be considered. This workshop effort plans include online ideation, virtual meetings of stakeholders, and in-person synthesis. A particular focus will be on bringing together researchers and user communities from different segments including climate change, manufacturing, environmental monitoring, clean energy, power grid, transportation, to demonstrate that quantum is a strong enabler for combating climate change. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.