Partnership aims to advance quantum education and training in the country and wider region

TORONTO and DOHA, Qatar, Nov. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Xanadu (xanadu.ai), a world leader in photonic quantum computing, and Hamad Bin Khalifa University's (HBKU) College of Science and Engineering (CSE), will partner to train and educate a quantum-ready workforce in Qatar.

The demand for quantum talent has grown significantly over the past few years. Xanadu's mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere, and a pillar of that mission is to help ensure that the next generation is quantum-ready. Xanadu and HBKU aim to bring quantum education to the Middle East and close the gap between studying quantum and joining the quantum workforce.

The Qatar Center for Quantum Computing (QC2) at CSE will work with Xanadu over the course of the partnership. In doing so, Xanadu becomes QC2's first international partner and supporter of its mission to advance quantum computing research locally, regionally, and internationally.

"There is an incredible opportunity to build a robust quantum talent pipeline by partnering with educational institutions. We are excited to add HBKU to our growing global academic partners list," said Christian Weedbrook, Xanadu Founder and CEO.

"QC2 is delighted to have entered into what promises to be an ambitious and innovative partnership with Xanadu," added Dr. Saif Al-Kuwari, Assistant Professor, CSE, and Director, QC2. "We fully expect our cooperation to extend over various potential applications, such as quantum machine learning and optimization, thereby ensuring that Qatar's workforce will be as quantum-ready as possible in the coming years."

To achieve the goals of this partnership, Xanadu and the QC2 team will utilize PennyLane, Xanadu's open-source software library, to co-develop practical and hands-on educational materials for students as well as establish a training program for HBKU educators. HBKU students will have access to Xanadu's suite of existing educational tools and, with support, learn practical skills that can be applied when entering the workforce.

"Since 2010, HBKU has positioned itself as a catalyst for transformative change in Qatar and the region while having a global impact. We're confident that this partnership will enable Qatari quantum talent to reach its full potential and look forward to collaborating with Xanadu in delivering quantum computing education and training within the country and further afield," said Dr. Mounir Hamdi, Founding Dean, College of Science and Engineering, HBKU.

About Xanadu: Xanadu is a Canadian quantum computing company with the mission to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. Founded in 2016, Xanadu has become one of the world's leading quantum hardware and software companies. The company also leads the development of PennyLane, an open-source software library for quantum computing and application development. 

About PennyLane: PennyLane is an open-source software framework for quantum machine learning, quantum chemistry, and quantum computing with the ability to run on all hardware. To find out more, visit the PennyLane website, or check out the PennyLane demos: a gallery of hands-on quantum computing content 

About Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)

Innovating Today, Shaping Tomorrow.

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF), was founded in 2010 as a research-intensive university that acts as a catalyst for transformative change in Qatar and the region while having global impact. Located in Education City, HBKU is committed to building and cultivating human capacity through an enriching academic experience, innovative ecosystem, and unique partnerships. HBKU delivers multidisciplinary undergraduate and graduate programs through its colleges, and provides opportunities for research and scholarship through its institutes and centers.