Four of South Dakota’s public universities want to come together to lead the future of quantum computing, which Gov. Kristi Noem has said is the state’s “next big industry.”
Dakota State University, South Dakota Mines, South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota are all partnering for a new Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology, which will come to fruition if the South Dakota Legislature approves more than $6 million in one-time funds for it this session.
While the bill proposing the Center hasn’t been drafted yet, it’s expected to come soon, because session starts Jan. 9, it’s one of the South Dakota Board of Regents’ major priorities this year and it came up in Noem’s budget address.
More: Read Gov. Kristi Noem’s 2023 budget address
Here’s what we know about the Center so far.
What’s quantum computing?
Quantum computing, Noem said in her budget address, uses the physical properties of subatomic particles to hold a charge and can do exponentially more than regular computers can.
“Imagine a task that would take regular computers 20 years to accomplish – quantum computing could handle that task in a matter of seconds,” Noem said. “This Center will combine numerous fields to make tremendous advancements in cybersecurity, agriculture, healthcare and more. South Dakota will be a leader in emerging technology. This is our fastest growing industry, and South Dakota is making it a reality.”
A traditional or classic computer can essentially process one thing at a time, while a quantum computer can process multiple things simultaneously, DSU President José-Marie Griffiths explained.
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For example, a classic computer could tell a user the shortest route from South Dakota to Rhode Island, but would need to attempt multiple routes before finding the shortest. Meanwhile, a quantum computer could find every possible route at once, Griffiths explained.
Quantum computing will be used for “problems we can’t solve,” she said.
In South Dakota, quantum computing could solve certain health-related problems for rural populations, like entire genomic studies of different subpopulations in the state to see where people are located and calculate their predisposition to chronic disease, and how to intervene and minimize the effects of a chronic disease, Griffiths said.
Quantum computing could also be used to identify new materials and new vaccines, accurately forecast the weather, optimize yields in agriculture by studying soil and crop science, and find the optimum use of resources, like energy and food, Griffiths said.
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The SDBOR wrote in a budget document that the Center will utilize the expertise in physics, mathematics and computer science found at DSU, SDSU, USD and Mines to “advance in the groundbreaking area of quantum computing, which enables the resolution of intricate and massive problems that surpass the capabilities of conventional computers.”
Staying ahead of the curve
When Griffiths came to South Dakota and saw what DSU was doing in computer science and started to develop more programs and look at the next thing in tech, she knew she needed to prepare faculty and students for what could come next in the industry.
For a while, that was artificial intelligence. Now, she knows it’s quantum computing after reading several articles on the topic in physics magazines and seeing more and more Nobel Prizes awarded on the subject.
“We’re trying to stay ahead of the curve,” Griffiths said.
South Dakota is unlikely to get a large quantum computer at this time, as they’re “extraordinarily expensive” and require a massive amount of cooling equipment to run, Griffiths said, but many of the big producers of these machines (IBM, Google, Microsoft and Honeywell, to name a few) have simulators available.
With a simulator, students and faculty can simulate how quantum computers work remotely so they can learn how to program and operate them.
Each of the four campuses might have their own special areas of interest in quantum computing, Griffiths said, imagining that SDSU might want to work in agriculture, USD might want to look at the medical and health fields, Mines might want to work in materials and DSU will most likely work in cybersecurity and encryption.
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DSU is in talks with the National Institute of Standards and Technology on post-quantum encryption to protect traditional computers, especially in the fields of health care, government and financial services like banking.
Griffiths noted the academic interests in quantum computing between DSU and SDSU, which have a joint computer science Ph.D. program, and between USD and Mines, which have a joint doctoral program in physics.
Once the program is underway and more students and faculty have experience with quantum computing, it will position each institution to compete with larger research universities, like MIT and the University of Chicago, and make each university eligible for federal funding for further research and application, Griffiths said.
Initial budget requests were lower
In the June 22 Board of Regents meeting, Mines requested $2 million for a quantum collaborative with DSU and USD. Griffiths also requested support for a new Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology at DSU but didn’t provide dollar amounts at that time.
Then in its July 19 meeting, the Board of Regents prioritized a one-time funding request for a “South Dakota Center for Quantum Information Science and Technology” at DSU, Mines, SDSU and USD. The BOR office had estimated this request at $2 million with four full-time employees, but Regents voted to make this request $6,032,685 with five full-time employees.
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At the time, Regent Jeff Partridge said quantum computing was “one of our economic diversifiers” in South Dakota.
By August, Mines faculty provided input to a competitive proposal that overlaps with ongoing efforts in quantum at Mines, Steve Smith, a professor of nanoscience and biomedical engineering, said. Smith said Mines anticipates working with DSU, SDSU and USD to develop the plan for the Center during 2024.
Wanda Parisien is a computing expert who navigates the vast landscape of hardware and software. With a focus on computer technology, software development, and industry trends, Wanda delivers informative content, tutorials, and analyses to keep readers updated on the latest in the world of computing.
