Mizzou’s Quantum Innovation Center to join Payne Energy Innovation Center - themaneater.com

Mizzou’s Quantum Innovation Center to join Payne Energy Innovation Center Researchers investigate how quantum computing could make AI models quicker, more accurate and less power-dependent Daniel Davis II, News Reporter September 8, 2026 Grace Morgan /The Maneater The University of Missouri’s Quantum Innovation Center will be moving to the Payne Energy Innovation Center, an interdisciplinary research center at the university scheduled to be completed in 2028. The QIC is currently an assortment of faculty and students with access to IBM’s quantum computers. This center currently lacks an official physical location. The university is building the Payne Energy Innovation Center to bring students and researchers together to create sustainable energy practices and to address increasing energy needs. Chi-Ren Shyu, chair of the executive committee for the QIC, believes quantum computing is one solution to more efficient energy use, especially when it comes to AI use and development. Jim Fitterling is a member of the Payne Energy Innovation Center’s advising board and donated $10 million to the center. “Energy competitiveness has always been America’s competitive advantage,” Fitterling said in a speech at the Payne Energy Innovation Center’s groundbreaking ceremony. “Turning it into available and reliable dispatchable power is what makes Missouri and America able to win the race for innovation.” Mizzou’s Quantum Innovation Center, established in 2024, is one of four academic quantum research centers in North America collaborating with IBM. “Quantum computing is a different way of computing than the classic computing that you use in your iPhone,” Shyu said. Classic computing and AI operation use independent “bits” that the computer tries to connect. These bits are pieces of information consisting of 1s and 0s in code. Quantum computing works beyond this binary. Qubits, quantum computing’s version of bits, can consist of values anywhere between 1 and 0. Qubits are also connected to each other, meaning each change in code can have a ripple effect, changing another qubit. “So how they entangle together, how that (tries) to mimic the nature phenomena — quantum computing is very good about that,” Shyu said, referring to the ripple effect apparent in quantum computing. In certain cases, this type of computing can lead to more advanced and accurate calculations in AI systems, according to Shyu. He used UPS delivery as an example. “You try to optimize the most houses you visit within that period of time. In (classic) computer science, to solve this problem (on a city scale), it’s going to take our entire lifetime to find the best solution,” Shyu said. An AI program using traditional computing will solve this problem with a workable but imperfect solution. A perfect or near-perfect solution would use what the program deems an extensive amount of time and energy. “Quantum (computing), on the other hand, can provide you close to the optimal and then give you multiple solutions,” Shyu said. Quantum computing uses significantly more time and energy than classic computing to make small calculations. In the near future, it will likely be used with classic AI systems rather than replacing them. The QIC uses cloud computing, meaning the internet is used to run and create quantum algorithms. This also means the center does not rely on a full sized, physical quantum computer, which can cost upwards of millions of dollars. The creation of the Payne Energy Innovation Center will allow members of the QIC to collaborate with computer scientists, AI researchers and others who can help them apply quantum computing to the world’s increasing demand for energy. Edited by Theo Agniel | [email protected] Copy edited by Devin Kraber and Braeden Perry | [email protected] Edited by Mary Corkery | [email protected] View Story Comments 0 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story Leave a Comment About the Author Grace Morgan, Graphics Editor Grace is a Graphics Editor for The Maneater. She is a sophomore at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Outside of her work at The Maneater, she loves to make art, spend time with friends and play video games.