Airline joins IBM Quantum Network to accelerate quantum
research, application development
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8, 2020 /CNW/ -- IBM (NYSE:
IBM) and Delta Air Lines announced today that the global
airline is embarking on a multi-year collaborative effort with IBM
– including joining the IBM Q Network™ – to explore the
potential capabilities of quantum computing to transform
experiences for customers and employees.
"Partnering with innovative companies like IBM is one way Delta
stays on the leading edge of tech to better serve our customers and
our people, while drawing the blueprints for application across our
industry," said Rahul Samant,
Delta's CIO. "We've done this most recently with biometrics in our
international terminals and we're excited to explore how quantum
computing can be applied to address challenges across the day of
travel."
Delta's CEO Ed Bastian delivered
the CES 2020 opening keynote address that focused on how Delta is
transforming travel into a part of the journey to look forward to.
The airline is using technology to extend the warmth of its people
to non-traditional airline touchpoints and delivering innovative
experiences that reduce stress across the travel day.
The IBM Q Network™ is a 100-plus strong global community of
Fortune 500 companies, startups, academic institutions and research
labs working to advance quantum computing and explore practical
applications.
Additionally, through the IBM Q Hub at NC State University,
Delta will have access to the IBM Q Network's world's largest fleet
of universal hardware quantum computers for commercial use
cases and fundamental research, including the recently-announced
53-qubit quantum computer, which has the most qubits of a universal
quantum computer available for external access in the industry, to
date.
"We are very excited by the addition of Delta to our list of
collaborators working with us on building practical quantum
computing applications," said Director of IBM Research Dario Gil. "IBM's focus, since we put the very
first quantum computer on the cloud in 2016, has been to move
quantum computing beyond isolated lab experiments conducted by a
handful of organizations, into the hands of tens of thousands of
users. We believe a clear advantage will be awarded to early
adopters in the era of quantum computing and with partners like
Delta, we're already making significant progress on that
mission."
"Delta joins more than 100 clients already experimenting with
commercial quantum computing solutions alongside classical
computers from IBM to tackle problems like risk analytics and
options pricing, advanced battery materials and structures,
manufacturing optimization, chemical research, logistics and more,"
said Jamie Thomas, General Manager,
Strategy and Development for IBM Systems. "As the first airline to
join the IBM Q network, I'm looking forward to exploring how we can
work together to solve real business challenges in a new industry
alongside our Hub members at NC
State."
"NC State is proud to partner with
Delta to accelerate real-world applications as part of our IBM Q
Hub," said IBM Q Hub at NC State
Executive Director Dr. Daniel
Stancil. "Our quantum-trained students and researchers are
excited to work alongside IBM and Delta to identify opportunities
for development and implementation."
For more information about the IBM Q Network, as well as a full
list of all partners, members, and hubs, visit
https://www.ibm.com/quantum-computing/network/overview
IBM Q Network™ and IBM Q™ are trademarks of International
Business Machines Corporation
Media Contact:
Chris Nay
IBM Research Communications
cnay@us.ibm.com
Delta Corporate Communications
Media.delta@delta.com
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SOURCE IBM