EPB launches $22M quantum computer to solve grid problems, boost economy - timesfreepress.com

EPB launched a $22-million quantum computer Friday morning, making Chattanooga's municipal utility the first company in the world to combine commercial quantum computing and quantum networking in one center.The computer, the IonQ Forte Enterprise, sits behind glass at the EPB Quantum Center in what officials said may be the cleanest air in the city. Any dust or other particles in the air can disrupt the computer's fragile laser-based system that processes information through photons, the smallest units of light.Through a $4 million federal grant, EPB hired eight graduate researchers to develop the first algorithms, or problem sets, to run on the computer. The researchers ran their first algorithms Friday, marking the computer's official commissioning. The initial problems involve how EPB can best run its smart electric grid switches to prevent loss of electricity and save customers money.Most quantum computers in the U.S. are sealed away from commercial use at research centers or government laboratories. EPB's quantum work dates back to 2016 through a partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory to study cybersecurity applications for the electric grid.(READ MORE: How EPB harnessed light to become city's strongest selling point)Businesses will be able to pay EPB to use the quantum computer, a piece of next-generation technology that harnesses the strange behavior of the universe's smallest particles to solve problems that classical computers either cannot solve or cannot solve in a practical time frame."This investment we've made, it's not practical for a variety of companies to have made that investment themselves," Robert Long, EPB president of strategic initiatives, said on a tour of the quantum center. "They can rent time on the computer, run their algorithms, see their results, understand those results and toss them back to their offices."Photo GalleryEPB launches $22M quantum computer to solve grid problems, boost economy Quantum infrastructure has been a revenue source for EPB for years. The utility launched the nation's first commercial quantum network in 2023, using the network of fiber optic cables it had built more than a decade before to provide internet and automate its grid.The network has already paid for itself, EPB officials said Friday. The computer adds problem-solving capacity to the EPB Quantum Center, while customers have used the network to demonstrate secure movement of information along EPB's fiber optic system.OPEN FOR BUSINESSThe Forte Enterprise is the fourth-generation computer from Maryland-based IonQ, the nation's largest quantum computing company and the first to be publicly traded.IonQ's computers use a specialized chip called a linear ion trap that holds atoms of a metal called ytterbium in space and manipulates them with lasers. At the ceremony Friday, EPB CEO Janet Rehberg unveiled a replica of the chip, which she called the "brain" of the computer."Our quantum computer is open for business," Rehberg said.(SIGN UP: Get Business news from the Times Free Press in your inbox five days a week by going to timesfreepress.com/business)EPB is the first company to launch a commercial trapped ion quantum computer from IonQ, said Scott Millard, chief business officer at IonQ. The utility and IonQ partnered with leading chip maker Nvidia to integrate classical computing hardware into the EPB Quantum Center."Tennessee as a whole is dramatically ahead of most of the other states, and they're racing to catch up," Millard said in an interview. "It's certainly bringing a lot of jobs and investment into the community that I think everyone benefits from."The state of Tennessee launched a $43 quantum grant program Monday to support companies building quantum infrastructure and conducting research in the state.IonQ announced in August it would invest $15 million over five years to establish the Tennessee Quantum Communications Research Center in Chattanooga, staffed by its scientists. The company contributed $15 million to the EPB quantum computer project and opened an office at the Edney Innovation Center in Chattanooga earlier this year.LOCAL VALUEEPB and Vanderbilt University announced in December they would each contribute $750,000 over three years to establish the Institute for Quantum Innovation in Chattanooga. EPB has partnered with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for years on research and talent pipeline projects related to quantum.The educational value of EPB's quantum infrastructure starts earlier with K-12 education, said Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp. The county and EPB are partnering to establish the Energy and Quantum Industries Academy at the Franklin-Roberts Future Ready Center, a career readiness center under development to serve 11 district schools."We have set the stage for as many people as possible from every neighborhood and every socioeconomic background to benefit," Wamp said at the ceremony. "It's about the future of how you train a workforce and don't leave anybody behind."(READ MORE Why Chattanooga business leaders should be paying attention to quantum now)For the local business community, EPB's quantum infrastructure could generate up to $1.1 billion of economic impact by 2035, according to a study published by UTC in partnership with EPB.While local utilities are not typically known for innovation, EPB has set itself apart thanks to its vision to build a fiber optic network to serve customers, said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. The quantum center is the latest evolution of that decision, and it has given Kelly a national and international platform in the quantum sector."For a municipal public utility to do it is downright bizarre in the best way," Kelly said at the ceremony. "It is something that every Chattanoogan should be extraordinarily proud of."Contact business reporter Daniel Dassow at ddassow@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318. Daniel Dassow ddassow@timesfreepress.com Daniel Dassow is a business reporter for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He earned degrees in English and religious studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2023, where he served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Beacon. He previously worked as a tech and energy reporter for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He is the youngest of six siblings. Contact him at 423-757-6318 or ddassow@timesfreepress.com. Title X Did you mean: Sign In With Email OR Opt-in for our Morning newsletter. Opt-in for SMS Updates. Create an Account Comments Popular Stories Upcoming Events