According to Professor Charles Marcus, the next few years will be critical when it comes to securing a front seat in the quantum technology race. By Morten Andersen

Thanks to Niels Bohr, Denmark has a proud history in quantum theory. Now, a little more than 100 years later, a new wave of quantum technologies is coming. However, scientific traditions do not guarantee successful innovation, warns Charles Marcus. For ten years he has held the position of Villum Kann Rasmussen Professor at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, as well as the initial director of the Center for Quantum Devices, a Basic Research Center sponsored by the Danish National Research Foundation. For the last five years, he has heald a dual role also serving as Research Manager at the Microsoft Quantum Laboratory - Copenhagen, part of a large quantum computing program sponsored by Microsoft in Denmark.

“I would place Denmark among the leaders in quantum technology. That group includes the US and China, not surprisingly, but also Netherlands, Switzerland, UK, Sweden, Finland, Japan, arguably one or two others, and, for sure, despite its size, Denmark. Still, we cannot feel too contented with our status as being among the leaders in this emerging technology. If we don’t move forward with this fast-moving pack, we will of course be moving backwards with respect to the advancing frontier.”

In his research, Marcus focuses on the building the fundamental elements of a quantum computer and investigating the physics that will allow it to scale to large quantum machines. Current computing is based on transistors, which supply the basic units of information, the bits, which can have two values only, one or zero. The corresponding quantum unit of information – known as the qubit – will be able to assume values that are combination, or superposition, of zero and one. Only when the qubit is measured will the binary (zero or one) value emerge. Which value is obtained is statistical, but still interconnected qubits can control one another, and, remarkably, perform computation with all of the combinations of zero and one at the same time.  If you pick the right problem, quantum computers are expected to outperform today’s computers to a mind-blowing degree.

Unique position for Denmark

Charles Marcus studied at Stanford University and obtained his PhD at Harvard University. He has worked at both these universities as a professor. Following a sabbatical stay at the Niels Bohr Institute in 2010, Charles Marcus and his family moved to Copenhagen. At NBI, Charles Marcus became head of a newly created Center for Quantum Devices.
Given his dual ties to frontline academic research and industry, what will be his message at the Digital Tech Summit?

“Denmark plays a unique role in the history of quantum physics, which means, in the history of all of twentieth century technology, which emerged from an understanding of quantum physics. The legacy of Niels Bohr set the direction for the transformations in understanding and technology. Now, which scientific ideas will set the directions for the twenty-first century? That is still to be determined, but quantum information, along with AI and perhaps CRISPR might not be a bad guess.  Denmark has a great head start. Not many countries have a quantum physicist as one of its national heroes!”
 

Dissent is patriotism

Before explaining his views further, Charles Marcus takes a moment to reflect on a cultural difference:
“There’s an American expression of lost origin, ‘Dissent is patriotism’. Meaning that drawing attention to problems or weaknesses, even forcefully as we’ve seen around the world in recent times, is how problems get fixed and the world improves. It’s noisy, but effective. After a decade living in Denmark, I get it that this is more of an American style, going straight to discussing the problems, ignoring what’s working well. But the motivation is fixing things.”  So then, what are the weak points in the Danish quantum camp?

“A see two clouds on Denmark’s quantum horizon, and, sorry, again, for focusing on the clouds!” The first is  that it is not clear if Denmark is ready for true long-term investment. The innovation culture is strong but seems to prefer higher TRLs. We need to appreciate that quantum innovation is still in an early, exploratory phase. A lot of community building is necessary, just as is educating new generations of quantum scientists and developers. Quantum innovation is risky in its nature, and one cannot demand a fast return on investment. The national quantum programs in US and the EU quantum flagship, as well as emerging quantum programs such as Quantum Delta in the Netherlands, recognize these long horizons. Is Denmark ready to continue to be a leader in quantum without large return on investment in two or three years?”
 

Key role for universities

“Another issue is the relationship between universities and industry. Again, I see a cultural difference between Denmark and America. The US has a history of deriving advanced technology out of universities. Think of Stanford and Silicon Valley, or MIT and Kendall Square. The stronger the universities, the stronger the technology base. Start-ups, workforce, partnerships, all emerge from strong universities. So there is both a business interest and a national interest in making the universities strong and globally attractive to the best students, teachers, and researchers. Business competition in high tech starts with competition for the best academics.  This linkage is less clear in Denmark, and the patriotic dissent from business to strengthen our centers of learning to attract the best globally, is more muted. Especially in quantum technology, universities are the most critical partner in innovation, and the no-so-secret weapon in international competition.”
 

Blue sky behind the clouds

Despite these two issues “Denmark is definitely fighting above its weight in quantum. First there is the history of quantum in Denmark that grew out of the Niels Bohr Institute. Secondly, Denmark has an advantage of a smaller community with close relations between stakeholders. From good idea to startup doesn’t involve many handshakes in Denmark. Companies like Sparrow Quantum and QDevil, both spun out of the Niels Bohr Institute, come to mind. New companies like Sparrow Quantum and QDevil, both spun out from NBI. But also, look at the sizable investment that Microsoft Quantum is making in Denmark. So the big quantum programs have also arrived in Denmark, for instance Microsoft, building new quantum labs in Lyngby. Denmark is in a remarkably strong position globally, extending the Bohr tradition for a new century.

The keynote speach by Charles Marcus will be delivered on 1 December at 3.45 - 4.15 as Keynote 3: Quantum Computing – If not Here and Now, then When and How?