SPIE Quantum West to Showcase High-Profile Industry Voices

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, announces the program for its inaugural industry-focused SPIE Quantum West conference 6-11 March. Organized in partnership with the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), Quantum West will be held online during the SPIE Photonics West Digital Forum.

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Attendance at Quantum West is free to all registered participants of SPIE Photonics West, but registration is required.

The four sessions will provide a wide range of opportunities to learn more about the role of photonics in the development of quantum technology as quantum moves from research and development to engineering products for the commercial marketplace, while building mainstream infrastructures and supply chains. Speakers’ topics include “Quantum Technology as an Enabler,” “Photonics’ Roles in Superconducting Quantum Computing,” and “Building an Industry: Lessons Learned from a Half-Century of Growth in the Photonics Industry.” The four-day event, co-hosted by QED-C Deputy Director Celia Merzbacher and ColdQuanta Executive Chairman and DRS Daylight Solutions Senior Vice President Tim Day, will also include a market report from the Boston Consulting Group.

The international slate of speakers includes Imperial College London’s Peter Knight, who is also a member of the UK’s Quantum Technology Strategic Advisory Board; Andrew Lord, who heads British Telecom’s optical core, access, and quantum research; Google Product Manager Eric Ostby; Toptica’s co-founder and CTO Wilhelm G. Kaenders; Kaitlin R. Moore, a research physicist and principal investigator with SRI International; and Mercedes Gimeno-Segovia, senior director of quantum architecture at PsiQuantum.

A panel discussion on the final day featuring Toptica’s Mark Tolbert, IBM’s Jason Orcutt, Anchored In’s Anke Lohman, and Hamamatsu’s Klea Dhimitri, and moderated by Tim Day, will explore the future of photonics and quantum (“2021 and Beyond”), the challenges of developing a new market, and how photonics will support that.

“We are delighted to partner with the QED-C in launching the first annual Quantum West event,” said SPIE Director of Industry Development Stephen Anderson. “As one of the few industry-oriented quantum technology events to focus on the role of optics and photonics in the emerging market for quantum-enabled devices, Quantum West will play a key role in showcasing the future of the quantum industry and the opportunities it presents for photonics technologies."

“Optics and photonics are critical enabling technologies for many quantum-based applications, including for sensing, communications and computing,” noted QED-C’s Merzbacher. “Quantum West will bring together the photonics and quantum communities to help build the ecosystem and supply chain for the emerging quantum industry.”

To find out more about Quantum West and to register for the event, visit the SPIE Quantum West page.

About SPIE

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, an educational not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based science, engineering, and technology. The Society serves more than 258,000 constituents from 184 countries, offering conferences and their published proceedings, continuing education, books, journals, and the SPIE Digital Library. In 2020, SPIE provided over $5.8 million in community support including scholarships and awards, outreach and advocacy programs, travel grants, public policy, and educational resources. www.spie.org.

About Quantum Economic Development Consortium:

The Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C) is an industry-driven consortium managed by SRI International and established in response to the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act. Membership includes more than 120 US companies from across the supply chain and more than 40 academic institutions and other stakeholders. The consortium seeks to enable and grow the quantum industry and associated supply chain. For more about QED-C, visit our website or follow us on Twitter @The_QEDC.

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Contact information

Daneet Steffens
Public Relations Manager
daneets@spie.org
+1 360 685 5478
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