A relative newcomer to the quantum computing landscape is the MIT Quantum Index Report (QIR), launched in May this year by MIT’s Sloan School of Management. The broad idea, according Jonathan Ruane, the principal investigator on the project, is to provide a data-rich-resource for business leaders and others seeking to understand the emerging quantum science opportunity writ large.

There are, of course, many analyst firms tracking quantum computing development, including for example Hyperion Research, IDC, and Gartner. The MIT effort, emphasizes Ruane, is a not-for-profit effort willing to share its data freely.

Ruane recalled the project loosely grew out of a successful class and inspiration from his familiarity with the Stanford’s AI Index. Ruane and a physics professor colleague, Will Oliver, had began an interdisciplinary course at MIT called The Global Business of Quantum Computing, co-listed in the business school and the engineering school.

Jonathan Ruane, MIT Quantum Index Report

“We’re not creating physicists out of MBAs, but we get them into the same room, and it’s really growing legs. We started off with probably 15 students a year, and last year we had nearly 70, and what we’re seeing in that classroom and in those dynamics are the benefits of bringing these different kind of communities together,” said Oliver in a recent interview with HPCwire.

At the same time, said Ruane, “We noticed a dramatic uptick in those organizations asking MIT, in particular at the soul Business School, for more education around quantum.” The questions, said Ruane, were: What is this thing? When is it going to happen? Why should I care? What are the use cases?

“They don’t want the technical, they don’t want to read new physics papers. They want to be able to engage with the topic at, you know their level, which is really more of a commercial.” A longtime follower of AI, Ruane was familiar with the Stanford AI Index. “I took a lot of inspiration from that, and said wouldn’t it be great if we did something similar around quantum.”

Voila, the MIT QIR.

The MIT QIR is organized and run jointly with Accenture, a program sponsor. Ruane who leads the effort is a senior lecturer in the Global Economics and Management group at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Research Scientist at MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE). The QIR project is part of IDE. (Brief bio of Ruane at the end of the article)

“We’re open to having new partners, new co authors. We’re trying to have this as open as possible. Accenture, our sponsor, is a longterm, valued supporter of my research group but it’s not just me. There’s a number of faculty. It’s a large research group, the MIT IDE initiative on the digital economy. Accenture supports a lot of research there, and when we originally started discussing it with some colleagues they jumped at the opportunity,” said Ruane.

Here’s the mission summary from the report:

“The Quantum Index Report aims to reduce the complexity and make it possible for a wider audience to have a deeper understanding of the quantum landscape. Like most transformative technologies, the success of quantum will depend not only on inventors, physicists and engineers, but also on entrepreneurs, investors, designers, teachers, and decision-makers who can help shape how the technology is developed, commercialized, and governed. By making the field more accessible and inclusive, we stand a better chance of realizing its full potential—for science, industry, and society at large.

“Our vision for the Quantum Index Report is to create a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of the state of quantum technologies. For this inaugural edition we have focused on quantum computing and networking. The report tracks, measures, and visualizes trends across research, development, education and public acceptance. It aggregates data from academia, industry and policy sources and aims to provide nonpartisan insights. Where possible, the underlying data behind this report is available online where you will also find additional data and visualizations (www.qir.mit.edu).”

You won’t find a lot of technical primers. Instead, the MIT QIR focuses on the broader measures — IP, policy, investment, etc. — with a distinctly global perspective. You also won’t find forecasts by QIR. Think of it as a data-rich, web-based repository of information. The formal refresh cadence is yearly, though notable current news highlights are inserted into the report as they arise.

The report is organized as shown below.

Key Insights
Chapter 1 | Patents
Chapter 2 | Academic Research
Chapter 3 | Venture Funding
Chapter 4 | Quantum in Corporate Communications
Chapter 5 | Policy
Chapter 6 | Workforce
Chapter 7 | Education
Chapter 8 | Public Opinion
Chapter 9 | Quantum Networking
Chapter 10 | Quantum Processor Benchmarking

In the intro, the authors note that quantum technologies are evolving from theoretical concepts into tangible technologies with commercial promise. They suggest quantum computing’s rapid progress is capturing global attention and suggests we stand on the cusp of a second quantum revolution.

“Unlocking the quantum opportunity is not simple,” they write. “One challenge is that quantum technologies can present a high barrier to understanding for non-experts because they often rely on complex principles and concepts from a variety of specialist fields, many of which don’t lend themselves easily to analogy. Superposition and entanglement have no direct equivalence in our everyday experience. This can lead business leaders, educators, policymakers and others to feel quantum is ‘not for me’. For seasoned quantum computing industry watchers, much of the material in QIR is familiar and perhaps feel even a bit dated. The big difference is the global emphasis.”

For seasoned quantum computing industry watchers, much of the material in QIR is familiar and perhaps feel even a bit dated. The big difference is the global emphasis. Here are three representative slides and excerpts from from different sections in the QIR. There is, obviously, a good deal more to each section:

The report itself, both as a downloaded pdf or used directly online, is extremely easy to use — basically click on topics you’re interested in and you’re immediately brought to the relevant section and data. This first report, note the authors, focuses on quantum computing and networking.

Future reports will look at more pieces of the emerging quantum ecosystem. Also, given the relative lack of nitty gritty technical focus, it seems like a robust treatment of emerging use cases and the potential and obstacles would be warranted. Each section ends with a brief statement describing future research plans. All in all, the first effort is already a useful tool, but one challenge will be keeping up with the frenetic pace of changes in quantum computing.

Link to the MIT QIR, https://qir.mit.edu/

BRIEF RUANE BIO
Jonathan Ruane is a Senior Lecturer in the Global Economics and Management group at the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Research Scientist at MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy (IDE). His interests are at the intersection of digital technology, nascent markets and the global economy. He is an Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin and a Fulbright recipient.

Ruane teaches across Sloan (MBA, EMA, Exec Education) and EECS. He cofounded a number of pioneering graduate courses at MIT in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (with Professor Simon Johnson) and Quantum Computing (with Professor William Oliver). Both were the first of their kind in the world.

Principal Investigator for National Science Foundation (#1941583) Centre for Quantum Networks (CQN). Director of CQN Thrust 4 research focused on ensuring that society is well prepared for broad, affordable, and equitable access to the quantum internet and its economy.

Principal investigator and editor-in-chief for the MIT Quantum Index Report (QIR).

He was appointed by the Irish Government to the board of RTÉ, the State broadcaster with public service responsibilities across TV, radio, digital, and performing groups (chair of ‘Digital’ and ‘Strategy’ committees). He is a member of the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, tasked with providing the Irish Government with expert guidance, insights, and recommendations on emerging AI issues (chair of ‘Future of Skills and Work’ committee).