The quantum computing race is on. So don’t miss a unique opportunity to learn about supercomputers, qubits and their impact on life sciences. Join a special keynote at the Day One Demo Day 2022 to see how Basel is becoming a hub for healthcare’s quantum future and what this novel technology means for startups.
Powered by the DayOne Accelerator, Demo Day 2022 is an event to explore breakthrough innovations in healthcare, engaging the participants in co-shaping the future of health. Register today to meet 250+ health tech transformers and learn from 40+ international speakers.
What is quantum computing all about?
In a nutshell, quantum computers use the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that are too complex or time-consuming for a classical computer. Standard computers, even the fastest ones, perform calculations using binary systems (bits, 0 or 1). This means that only one operation can be performed at a time. However, quantum computers aren’t limited to these two states of 0 and 1 – they encode information as quantum bits (qubits) which can simultaneously exist as 0, 1 and all points in between (superposition).
One of quantum computation’s technological challenges is to keep these quantum bits stable. Quantum computers require a temperature of –273 degrees Celsius to achieve superconductivity and error-free results. Cooling such a machine is expensive and complicated.
IBM, Microsoft, Google, AWS Braket (Amazon) are among the top competitors
The tech leaders working on quantum computing have recently reported remarkable progress.
IBM promised to achieve “quantum supremacy” – the moment from which quantum computers will surpass classical machines in performance – within two years. The laboratory version of Google’s quantum computer is already 100 million times faster than any classical computer. It’s like setting up 5 million laptops to work as a single machine.
In October 2022, Intel announced hitting a milestone in quantum chip production research. Microsoft Azure revealed in March 2022 that its research team had invented “a new kind of qubit” based on elusive, never-before-demonstrated properties of physics.
How will startups benefit?
The speed at which quantum computers make calculations will accelerate research, for example, in life sciences. Imagine a 54-qubit computer that can perform a task in 200 seconds that a classical computer needs 10,000 years to complete. Machines of this type can conduct molecular simulations and clinical trials, quickly analyze genetic data and run calculations on patient data to individualize diagnoses and therapies.
Startups that develop AI-based solutions and operate in life sciences will profit from computational power on a scale that traditional computers cannot achieve. Health innovators will get the possibility to run complex simulations, which can lead to finding new relationships in data.
Who knows, maybe some med-tech companies will make a discovery that will allow us to better understand some of health’s great mysteries: how to prevent non-communicable diseases like mental disorders, slow down ageing, fight the biggest killers – cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and stop future pandemics.
You can expect big news
Quantum computing will forever change data science, affecting all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. For startups, it brings new opportunities you will learn about during the keynote by Alexandra Beckstein, Startup Ecosystem Lead at uptownBasel by FANKHAUSER.
Competition in quantum computing is fierce, so research and development in this area are being conducted within the most heavily guarded tech labs. This makes the keynote at DayOne DEMO DAY one of the few opportunities to learn about recent breakthroughs. Don’t miss it!
DayOne Accelerator DEMO DAY 2022
22 November 2022
Altes Kraftwerk Basel (Switzerland) and online
Free registration: www.dayone.swiss/community/demoday2022/
