IIT Bombay, one of India’s top educational institutions, has recently joined the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) as an international partner, according to a joint announcement made by the governments of India and the United States. This development is part of a new collaborative science and technology partnership between the University of Chicago and IIT Bombay, aimed at promoting cooperation in various fields including quantum information science, climate and energy, advanced microelectronics, artificial intelligence, and data science.
The announcement was made during a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit in New Delhi, India. It signifies the commitment of both countries to elevate and expand their strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation, as outlined in the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).
Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director of IIT Bombay, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating that it provides a great opportunity for IIT Bombay to collaborate with the University of Chicago on critical and evolving technologies that hold immense potential for both nations. He emphasized that the collective strength of the two institutions will pave the way for impactful breakthrough innovations that benefit society at large.
One of the key aspects of this partnership is IIT Bombay’s inclusion as one of only five worldwide academic partners of the Chicago Quantum Exchange. CQE serves as an intellectual hub for advancing the science and engineering of quantum information, with its headquarters at the University of Chicago. The exchange is anchored by the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, along with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University.
This news follows recent quantum-focused announcements made by the University of Chicago in Japan, where they unveiled partnerships with the University of Tokyo, IBM, and Google to build the world’s first quantum supercomputer. Additionally, they formed another collaboration with Tohoku University to accelerate quantum research.
In addition to quantum, the University of Chicago and IIT Bombay will collaborate and conduct joint research in fields such as climate, energy, advanced microelectronics, artificial intelligence, and data science. This partnership will involve a wide range of activities, including joint research ventures, conferences, exchanges of information, as well as visits by faculty members and scholars.
For joint conferences and research visits to India, the University of Chicago’s Delhi Center will serve as a valuable resource. The center, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2024, is poised to facilitate collaborations and interactions between researchers from both institutions.
Supratik Guha, Faculty Director of UChicago Delhi Center, expressed the university’s commitment to strengthening collaborations with Indian counterparts in the fields of science, technology, and engineering. He emphasized that the partnership with IIT Bombay presents an exceptional opportunity to build shared scientific knowledge between the United States and India.
This collaboration between IIT Bombay and the University of Chicago represents a significant step in advancing scientific research and innovation. By pooling their resources and expertise, both institutions aim to make substantial contributions to these cutting-edge fields, ultimately benefitting society as a whole.
