The quantum edge: Why mining must prepare for the next industrial revolution

Technology has always driven progress in the mining industry, from the earliest equipment, to the fleets of autonomous technology, and now AI. Advances in every high-technology industry – mining and minerals included – are built on a foundation of high-performance computation and careful, practical experimentation. However, work in the lab or in the field can be slow and very costly, which is why simulation, calculation, and modelling is increasingly front-and-centre in technology breakthroughs. But what do we do when our conventional processors – even the world’s most powerful supercomputers or even AI – cannot do the job?

These problems that are impossible for a regular high-performance computer can be calculated by a quantum computer – a device that uses the laws of quantum physics to process information. The world does not have a commercially-useful one of these yet, but PsiQuantum is en route to building the first – in Brisbane, Australia – and later its sister in Chicago, USA, over the next few years. It is a grand challenge, because it involves controlling the world at the single-particle level well enough to tackle the most difficult processing problems that we know of. That means accessing at least a million qubits – quantum bits, the quantum replacement for the zeros and ones of a regular computer – far beyond anything the industry has achieved to date. PsiQuantum’s approach, however, is based around scalability, leveraging existing technology from the high-end semiconductor industry to shortcut the path to scalability and fast-track utility-scale quantum computers.

A utility-scale quantum computer is expected to unlock unprecedented breakthroughs in chemistry, materials science, fluid dynamics, physical systems, and more. So, what does this mean for mining?

Imagine being able to design new catalysts that extract more metal from lower-grade ore with less energy, or to simulate complex fluid dynamics in tailings dams to better predict and prevent failures, or to model new materials that resist corrosion and fatigue, extending the life of mining equipment and infrastructure. The promise of this technology is being translated from theory to practical, high-impact use cases that a fault-tolerant quantum computer will be able to unlock, and where PsiQuantum is focusing its time.

In addition to the impacts directly on day-to-day mining operations, quantum computing is expected to have a massive impact on the development of green energy technologies. Breakthroughs for new solar cell materials, for aerospace and defence, and for resisting materials ageing. This new tool will lead to a brand new and transformed understanding and control of chemistry, enabling novel life-saving pharmaceuticals and cleaner fertilizers. This is just the starting point. These and many other advances will follow from one simple but profound fact: that chunks of the fields of chemistry, physics, and maths are completely unsuited to being simulated on a regular computer, but can be handled just fine by a quantum computer.

Quantum computing is in its infancy – but a machine capable of changing our fundamental understanding of the physical world is just a few years away. We know that, with this reality only a handful of years away, companies need to prepare for quantum computers now to avoid playing catchup as has been seen with other new technologies. Much of the world was late to understanding the role semiconductors and manufacturing capacity have in the global economy, but we appear to be getting ahead this time. Governments are creating quantum strategies and putting resources behind the quantum race. By industry engaging now with PsiQuantum, it can understand the needs and challenges of resource and companies, and partner together to identify use cases as the technology is developed. The demand will be huge, and supply will be limited, so to get in on the technology on the ground floor resources companies must start planning now.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/15052025/the-quantum-edge-why-mining-must-prepare-for-the-next-industrial-revolution/