Even though it is understandable for the education minister, Shafqat Mehmood, to be pleased with the increased education budget, I, along with a number of others who want to see Pakistan become a technologically advanced country, would be happier and more satisfied if some of the funds were used to develop a national research programme. The major goal of such a programme would be to establish the groundwork for a thriving knowledge-based economy in the United States. Such a programme, which would have accelerated Pakistan’s Nanotechnology revolution through industry-academic collaborations, should have been established decades ago.
A new digital universe was born after Richard Feynman and other famous scientists introduced nanotechnology to the globe in the mid-1900s. It was primarily nanotechnology that drove these exponential breakthroughs, whether it was millions of transistors on a single chip or supercomputers processing gigabits of data in fractions of a second. Since then, nanotechnology has progressed, and the world is now rapidly approaching the next major breakthrough: quantum technology (also called Quantum Information Systems: QIS).
Quantum Information Study, or QIS, is not a new subject of science; we’ve known about it for decades. In reality, Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein contested some aspects of the theoretical framework for quantum technology. In today’s world, the globe is ready for the various options that QIS has to offer. The study, control, and manipulation of quantum systems with the objective of reaching information processing and communication beyond the classical world of science is known as quantum information science (QIS). It is a multidisciplinary field that lies at the intersection of physics, mathematics, and engineering.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Advanced Robotics, and Digital Manufacturing are not in competition with QIS, but it can help build strong foundations for these fields (e.g. quantum enhanced AI and ML algorithms can further advance quantum computing capabilities). As a result, QIS, in conjunction with AI and ML approaches, has enabled technology to be applied to a new and broader physical framework, resulting in fundamentally new capabilities. More than just squeezing information into computers and doubling the speeds of ubiquitous microchips and processors, QIS technologies provide much more.It supports entirely new modes of computation with innovative and powerful algorithms based on quantum principles, which do not have any classical equivalents; rather they offer secure communications, simulation capabilities unattainable with classical devices, and systems with unparalleled sensitivity and precision.
The relevance of QIS is comparable to, if not greater than, that of Nanotechnology a few decades ago, which aided the development of several countries (e.g. Korea, China, Singapore). As a result, the world’s leading countries are spearheading programmes to position themselves as future leaders in this industry. For example, the European Union formed an alliance of over 5,000 experts from throughout Europe and launched a one-billion-euro QIS initiative, making it one of the EU’s three largest research programmes ever. From quantum computation and communication to quantum metrology, sensing, and control, American and Chinese scientists are actively working on all areas of QIS. This is in addition to the billions of dollars of partnerships amongst leading companies (Amazon, Alibaba, Airbus, Google, IBM, Intel etc.) with state of the art research laboratories, and the top universities of the world.
Developing countries are not exempt from the competition to promote QIS, as many of them are working hard to form partnerships with renowned Western and Asian technological specialists. Some poor countries, such as India and, to a lesser extent, Bangladesh, have begun active collaborations on QIS technology with the University of Cambridge’s material science and electrical engineering departments. Top researchers and professors from poor nations are able to visit and collaborate at leading universities and institutes that are already working on QIS technology as a result of these relationships. They will be able to study and contribute to science in this manner, eventually bringing in
I intended to throw some light on the current situation of QIS in Pakistan, but the work done thus far has been little and fragmented. It is past time for Pakistan to launch a national research and development programme focused on QIS, involving the country’s top universities, relevant private sector companies, and fledgling technology start-ups. We might also negotiate collaboration agreements with leading global colleges and organisations working in this field as part of such a programme. I propose that the programme contain the following key features of QIS:
1) Micro & Nano Fabrication of Quantum devices
2) Quantum Communication and Quantum Control Systems
3) Quantum Metrology, Sensing & Imaging including for space technologies
4) Quantum Networks, among others
For each of the aforementioned areas of QIS, both local Pakistani QIS specialists and those working abroad can be used to help advise on precise work packages with distinct short, medium, and long-term goals. If designed, this programme should have short schedules, hard yet achievable deliverables, and key performance indicators. I am confident that if we pool our collective intellectual capital, we will be able to make rapid progress in this new field of quantum technology.
Short- and long-term gains in the rankings of Pakistani institutions, strengthened industry-academic cooperation, and better-skilled academics and graduates are the bare minimum that can be achieved with a national QIS programme. And, rather than being a consumer nation, the ideal scenario would be a knowledge-based economy capable of developing future technologies at home.
source: Tribune
