Israel to invest an additional NIS 115 in quantum computing
The Innovation Authority announced the formation of a new consortium, which will include Israeli defense giants
The Israel Innovation Authority announced the formation of the largest consortium to date, for the development of quantum computing technologies. Five Israeli companies will come together to form this consortium: defense giants ELTA Systems (an Israel Aerospace Industries group) and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, as well as Quantum Art, Classiq, and Qedma Quantum Computing. The budget will be NIS 115 million over a three-year period.
The technological development will be supported by leading academic entities, including Hebrew University, Weizmann Institute, Bar-Ilan University, Technion, and also a research group from the Soroka Hospital.
A Weizmann Institute team led Professor Roee Ozeri, one of the experts who will accompany the consortium, succeeded in building Israel’s first quantum computer last year – one of about 30 such machines in the world, and one of under 10 to rely on the advanced ion traps technology.
The new consortium will promote two quantum processor technologies: trapped ions and superconductors. The key developments that will be prioritized include quantum processors, system-building blocks, coherent control tools, noise characterization and reduction software, and a fully automated software environment from the application level to physical implementation.
“Quantum computers are of the utmost importance to the State of Israel's resilience and the ability of the Israeli economy to continue its' growth,” said Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chairman of the Innovation Authority. “As quantum computing develops, it will impact many areas of everyday life. The consortium that was approved by the Innovation Authority, includes processors developed in Israel that use breakthrough scientific and technical knowledge and technologies.”
“Quantum computing features characteristics and phenomena from quantum physics that are leveraged to produce components, systems, capabilities and services, allowing highly complex calculations at scale even compared to existing supercomputers. The field is still in its infancy and on the path toward a significant breakthrough in commercialization. Its global market value is projected to reach tens of billions of dollars within the next decade.
“This is potentially the most disruptive technology today, with its impact expected to be felt in many sectors such as medicine and pharma, materials development, energy, transportation and logistics, security and more,” said Dror Bin, CEO of the Innovation Authority. Bin noted that while the field is still in its infancy, it already on the path towards a significant breakthrough in commercialization.
In July 2022, The Israel Innovation authority selected Quantum Machines to establish the Israeli quantum computing center, at a total budget of NIS 100 million over a three-year period.
*Photo source: Weizmann Institute Website