CLEVELAND — IBM Quantum System One is the first quantum computer in the world dedicated to healthcare research. And it's here in Northeast Ohio at the Cleveland Clinic.
That inspired Cleveland Tech Talent Pipeline, a partnership between Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, to stage a workshop for aspiring coders curious about the latest technology.
"It's an up-and-coming new thing in the tech world,” said Harlei McCoy, a sophomore at John Hay School of Science and Medicine. “And in the next ten years or so, it'll probably be more of a need for people with knowledge in that field."
Some students didn't know what a quantum computer was before coming here.
"Just like a strong computer, a huge calculator that can calculate a lot," explained Cleveland Early College High School senior Jayden Duncan.
A quantum computer operates completely different than today's computers. They even use a different language. Among the students’ final assignments, designing quantum circuits that allow these super computers to complete a task. Combined with artificial intelligence, that's quantum machine learning. And what sounds like science fiction is becoming science fact.
"I never thought that A I machine learning specifically and quantum would be like together,” said Jackson Evans, a junior at Jay Hay Architecture & Design. “But now that I'm learning it, it might help both fields become better and more useful to us in the future."
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"Usually it's like, oh, wow, this is a really impactful field. and they see lots of different applications for it," said Chelsey Kohn, Tech Talent Pipeline Director.
While learning the basics, they have a vision of where this quantum technology is headed.
"I'm excited to see how life will become easier for us on an everyday level. It's a lot of things that it can help us with that we don't even realize," said McCoy.
Workshop leaders are amazed how quickly students grasp these complex concepts.
"The moment you show them something they understand is even beyond the teacher. And I am so surprised how well they are able to experiments and graphs things easily," said Temitope Adeniyi, a PhD Student at Cleveland State University who was instructing the students.
"High school students can learn about quantum computing, and they're actively coding quantum circuits. It's mind blowing, but it's real," said Kohn.
This was the three year for the Quantum Machine Learning workshop.