Quantum Information and Technology in Latin America

Quantum Information and Technology is at a point in which many converging interests are meeting. Private companies and research labs inside Universities all over the world are developing a machine that allows programmers to exploit and harness quantum weirdness. Quantum coherence and entanglement are resources that can be used to speed up computational tasks and improve the security of information exchange.

The first step is to achieve so-called quantum supremacy by solving a computational problem, with or without practical interest, in programmable quantum hardware so that no classical computer can solve it in a feasible amount of time. The race is on, it will last years, and the two competitors are very closely exchanging leadership. We believe that the quantum runner will at some moment increase its speed and win. The next step is to solve interesting practical problems and the industry has already shown interest. The expectation is that in the short-term, quantum computers with noisy qubits may solve some optimization problem that has application in the financial sector and power production by using quantum algorithms.

In Latin America, many physicists in the area of quantum optics embraced during the '80s the nascent area of quantum information. From the academic point of view, it was clear at that time that a new kind of resource was available, at least theoretically, different from the traditional ones such as matter, energy, and steam. During the '90s, the area grew steadily by including research in quantum communication and quantum sensing still inside physics departments. In the last 20 years, the interest grew exponentially and many computer scientists, mathematicians, and engineers joined the area by doing research in quantum computation, quantum error correction, quantum cryptography, and quantum communication channels. Although the absence of public funding severely delayed the development of the field in the region, nowadays there are many active research groups, startups, and regular conferences in the area. Recently, the conference Quantum Latino is embracing the interest of the whole region. In Brazil, there are at least 8 startups for quantum computation and the Latin American Quantum Computer Center of Senai-Cimatec in Salvador city is providing quantum solutions for the industry. In Uruguay, a team from Universidad de Montevideo was one of the five finalists of the 2019 Airbus Quantum Computing Challenge; that lead to the foundation of the startup Quantum-South that works on complex optimization problems for logistics and finances leveraging quantum computing. Banks have already shown interest and they want to be ready when quantum computers without noise become available.

The Quantum Information Processing Journal is releasing a call for papers for a topical collection for Latin America with the goal of forming collaboration among the researchers in the region and attracting students to the area of quantum computation and technology.

It is a great opportunity tuned with the international trend to publish new research results and make an impact in this promising field. Latin America has many high-level Universities and a vibrant body of researchers and students, which will be happy to have an opportunity to work and publish in the area of quantum technology.

Dr. Renato Portugal, author of Quantum Walks and Search Algorithms, is a researcher at the National Laboratory of Scientific Research (LNCC) working in the field of quantum computing.

Rafael Sotelo is Director of Research at the School of Engineering, Universidad de Montevideo, professor at Universidad de la República, and Regional Director (Latin America) of the IEEE Consumer Technology Society.