The Big Quantum Hackathon was held last week in Montreal, Quebec. From June 20-23, 2022, the event brought together students in quantum computing from across Canada. Organized by Québec Quantique, and sponsored in part by the Quantum Algorithms Institute, the hackathon had the aim of gathering the whole value chain of Quantum Computing and to demonstrate its ability to address real-life challenges from the business world.
A BC Team of five graduate students attended, all of whom are NSERC CREATE in Quantum Computing Program Scholars from UBC and UVic, who represented the province. The team:
Abhishek Abhishek – UBC
Mohammad Kashfi – UVic
Dawn Mao – UBC
Elham Torabian – UBC
Gideon Uchehara – UBC
The event began with a Technical Phase where participants were split into teams, with each team given a different problem set provided by a different company, and unique quantum computing tools to solve the problem. The BC team had to solve a well known problem in graph theory called connected dominant set (CDS) using a python package called Pulser. Pulser is a framework for composing, simulating and executing pulse sequences for neutral-atom quantum devices by a company called “PASQAL”. They were given just over one day to solve the problem and present their solution. The winning four teams of the Technical Phase moved on to the Business Phase, where they had to pitch their solution with a business plan, showing how they would sell their solution and make a company out of it.
The BC Team presented “Finding Water on Mars”, which looked at drones moving together trying to find water on Mars, and how the drones would communicate together in the most efficient way. The team won first place in both the Technical and Business Phases of the Hackathon. A huge congratulations for their hard work and team effort!
“I learned so much at the event, from new quantum devices, to working as a team, to the business side of things. It was very informative and interesting” said Elham Torabian about the experience.
“I was inspired by those at the event who are new to quantum computing” said Gideon Uchehara. “The recent high school graduates were so passionate and excited about the field. What they achieved in those few days was incredible. It is a reminder that in a very short time we can do amazing things.”
The team wants to thank Udson Mendes from CMC Microsystems for being their mentor throughout the process. McGill MBA candidate Ahmed Ashraf also helped the team transition the technical solution to a business plan, and Renaud Lavoie from Centech Montreal worked with them during the Business Phase, providing his expertise. They also want to thank Quantum Algorithms Institute for sponsoring them.