Airbus launches Quantum Computing challenge

Global aviation technology firm Airbus has launched a new Quantum Computing challenge, offering exciting access to quantum computing hardware and help to develop your solution into a commercially viable technology.

You may not think of Airbus as a leader in cutting edge computing technology, but the global aviation leader actually has an extensive high-performance computing department and is working to solve some of the most challenging computing problems of today. Now Airbus is examining the potential of the emerging technology of Quantum Computing to solve these challenges, and it's launched a global competition to support this effort.

Quantum computers have been in development for a long time, and recent breakthroughs will see the technology become affordable by large companies in the near future. These computers represent not just a step forward in computational power but also a completely new way of performing computations by taking advantage of strange quantum effects such as superposition of states and quantum entanglement.

The Airbus Quantum Computing Challenge is open to individuals and teams, and to everyone from quantum computing enthusiasts and experts to emerging tech start-ups and research organisations. Prizes include access to quantum computing hardware (estimated for 2020) and support to develop their proposal into a viable technology. Teams will compete throughout 2019 to solve five key problems:

 - Aircraft Climb optimisation
 - Computational Fluid Dynamics
 - Quantum Neural Networks for Solving Partial Differential Equations
 - Wingbox Design Optimisation
 - Aircraft Loading Optimisation