Capgemini launches dedicated Quantum Lab

Global consulting firm Capgemini has partnered with IBM to help its clients build and maximize their engagements in the areas of Quantum Computing. The move will power Capgemini’s new Quantum Lab, which it has launched in the UK and several other locales.

Quantum technologies have long been identified as a key priority to promote economic development, with some studies suggesting they will have a global market value of as much as $1 trillion by 2035. As a result, Governments are supplying tax breaks to tech companies investing in R&D to make the innovation a reality. Soon, businesses will be able to leverage quantum technologies to make significant breakthroughs in areas such as health and manufacturing – but to do so is easier said than done. In order to wield the new technology effectively, many will turn to external experts for support.

Anticipating a growth in demand for Quantum consulting services, Capgemini has set up a dedicated Quantum Lab (Q-Lab) to pioneer business applications of quantum technologies, including computing, sensing and communications. With highly-specialist facilities in Britain, Portugal and India, the Q-Lab’s quantum technology experts will explore use cases for the sectors most likely to benefit from quantum technologies in the near future – life sciences, financial services, automotive and aerospace.

“Quantum technology will disrupt the way we compute, sense, and communicate, and will create new industries and business models along the way. The launch of our Q-lab tangibly demonstrates our ambition to bring to our clients the most innovative, breakthrough solutions, and to invest in capabilities early on so we can become the leading quantum systems integrator,” said Pascal Brier, Chief Innovation Officer at Capgemini and member of the Group Executive Committee.

In addition, Capgemini has signed an agreement with IBM to become an IBM Quantum Hub providing its clients access to IBM’s quantum computing systems. By working with IBM, Capgemini joins more than 170 IBM Quantum Network members, including ‎Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, academic institutions and research labs, all working to advance ‎quantum computing and explore practical applications. According to Brier, this will enable the firm to “explore the vast potential of quantum computing, bringing to our clients the top capabilities and skills available in the market today and tomorrow.”

Through the agreement, Capgemini also aims to make it easier for clients to access IBM’s licensed technology and provide them with professional services for end-to-end implementation. It is intended to ultimately demonstrate, with prototypes and proofs of concepts, the potential value of leveraging quantum technologies to tackle previously intractable business problems for clients, working towards the implementation of quantum computing use cases.

Jay Gambetta, IBM Fellow and VP, Quantum Computing at IBM, noted, “Establishing a quantum industry will require a deep focus on expanding the quantum computing ecosystem across public and private sectors – something IBM cannot do alone. By working with Capgemini, clients have even more options for hands-on expertise to develop proofs of concepts to explore the potential of quantum computing across a variety of industries and disciplines.”