2015 AAAS Annual Meeting (12-16 February 2015)

February 12 - 16, 2015

Transformational Opportunities of Quantum Information Technologies

For the past half-century, advances in transistor-based computing have radically transformed the technological landscape and generated an incredible amount of wealth. As Moore’s law predicts, this sustained increase in computing power will soon reach its physical limits. What is the next great technological revolution? Quantum mechanics allows us to manipulate and process information in a fundamentally different way. Harnessing quantum mechanics will fundamentally change technology in the near future. Once a theoretical exercise, a global race is now on to build the elusive quantum computer -- a computer that will allow us to solve today’s intractable problems. From ultra-secure communications to highly accurate and efficient sensors, quantum information technologies will transform many industries as we know them -- sooner than you may think. Prototype quantum computers are being developed around the world, early quantum information security systems are currently available in the marketplace, and some quantum sensors already surpass their traditional counterparts. We are at the cusp of the quantum information revolution. This symposium will be a moderated discussion between directors of three of the world's leading quantum information research institutes, focusing on the past, present, and future of quantum information technologies.