Global professional services company Accenture is pursuing innovation in quantum computing through a minority investment in 1QBit, an industry leader based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The investment was made through Accenture Ventures and will expand the firm’s capabilities in quantum computing analytics that the company sees as “a new era of intelligence for businesses and organizations,” according to a recent press release.
The alliance moves Accenture forward in a number of areas: becoming 1QBit‘s preferred systems integrator, gaining a license to use the 1QBit platform for the development and testing of its tools and assets, and leveraging 1QBit to develop a quantum-inspired analytics capability.
The quantum-inspired analytics will occur through Accenture Analytics and scale pilot opportunities identified through the Accenture Labs. By harnessing the power and properties of quantum computing, Accenture with 1Qbit is able to “tackle business problems by orders of magnitude faster than traditional computing.”
1QBit has an interdisciplinary team made up of mathematicians, physicists, chemists, software developers and quantum computing experts. Their expertise offers innovative solutions to problems, spanning research through to commercial application development.
“By strengthening our relationship with 1QBit, Accenture has a significant opportunity to extend our first-mover advantage in applying quantum computing to create breakthrough innovations that help clients solve their most complex business challenges,” said Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology & innovation officer. “The potential applications and benefits of quantum-inspired analytics is generating strong interest across numerous industries including financial services, life sciences, and oil & gas.”
Andrew Fursman, 1QBit’s CEO and co-founder echoed the alliance benefits stating, “Establishing a strategic relationship with Accenture enables us to tap their vast capabilities, and bring 1QBit’s expertise in quantum computing to a much broader base of clients. We are incredibly excited about the opportunities that our new relationship provides to help organizations take advantage of the benefits created by quantum-inspired analytics.”
A recent collaboration between Accenture and 1QBit reflects the future synergies between the two companies. They worked together with mutual client Biogen to develop a first-of-its-kind quantum-enabled molecular-comparison application. The outcome speeds up drug discovery for complex neurological conditions that include multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
