QUROPE Quantum Information Processing and Communication in Europe

The plausibility for such an ambitious initiative as the ICT BEYOND LIMITS flagship derives from a number of various green indicators and ongoing progress which relates to the different components (e- Design, Supercomputing, Quantum Technologies, Phonons & Fluctuations) of the initiative. These include

• The current irruptive situation generated by the arrival of the multicore era and the prospects of Exascale computing has given opportunities to find ways to attack what otherwise might be a very static industrial dominance position in ICT technology. Championing supercomputing technology at the forefront will be pushing innovation on all other levels. Europe has a privileged position in terms of application and industrial software developers. It also has numerous SMEs and highly recognized research teams providing excellent technologies in areas of system software like storage, programming models, tools;
• Constant progress in the quantum technologies area has allowed many of its branches to go past the proof-of-principle phase; further advancements will be ensured by the integration of the scientific base in order to encompass the full range of quantum information processing from conception to development of devices and from computation and communication to other technological applications of quantum effects;
• Convergences of technologies that are allowed by mastering matter at the quantum level and the nanoscale; this convergence is accelerated by the development of nanosciences and of strategies of technological integration;
• Maturity of the large scale instruments and of their capabilities to validate models of unitary processes;
• Recent progress in theory and simulation both at the nanoscale and for multiscale integration to describe complex systems;
• Recent progress in realization of nanoscale devices and experimental investigation of physical properties at the nanoscale;
• Recent development in atomic and nanoscale science including non-equilibrium thermodynamics and associated basic statistical sciences as well as quantum physics;
• Proactive development of HPC in Europe leading to a large increase of the available computing power (Petaflop-class computers) and of the simulation expertise, following the existing PRACE agenda and the initiatives around Petascale software development;
• Development of distributed computation by cloud computing;
• Acceleration of the research agenda on adaptive databases and HIM;
• Experience of European CAD industry, to master numerical centers and simulation environments;
• Increasing interest in energy efficient ICT for the future reduction of the ICT originated Carbon footprint (SMART2020 report).

In fact, in the past twenty years, with a limited resource available, the e-Design, Supercomputing, Quantum technologies and Phonon & Fluctuations communities have been able not only to elaborate individual research strategies, but also to meet all the timelines identified for the various goals and proofs of principle. From this track of record it is to be expected that the leap in invested effort as well as the federation that ICT BEYOND LIMITS would ensure, will have an extremely high return on investment, with a new wealth of advanced technologies capable of unprecedented tasks being thought, developed and finally commercialized for the benefit and wellness of the whole European society.