Accelerating Discovery to Solve Grand Challenges

<!--HTML--><p><span><span><span><span><span><span>For the last 60 years, the world of computing has been dominated by binary bits representing the intersection of information and mathematics. We have constantly pushed the boundaries of computation in this paradigm, with innovations in semiconductors reducing energy or increasing performance to enable more sophisticated calculations. Now, working at the intersection of information and biology, artificial intelligence advances and permeates through ever more applications affecting business and science. We have witnessed its power to learn and reason in human language. Powerful models are now emerging that evolve AI from discrimination to creation, enabling AI to create in new domains. We will discuss the underlying techniques enabling this future and their transformative impact. Finally, we are witnessing the growth of a new computing paradigm combining physics and information—quantum computing, with the potential to solve problems out of reach for even the most powerful supercomputers. We will discuss the opportunities and challenges defining the future of quantum computing.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span><span><span>We marvel at the power of each of these computing technologies, but we haven’t fully grasped their most profound implication, one we will see this decade when we witness their convergence. The result will be the creation of unseen computational power accelerating the rate of scientific discovery. We will conclude with a reflection on this future of computing and the implications of this convergence of technologies.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><strong><span><span><span>About the speaker</span></span></span></strong></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Dr. Gil leads the technology roadmap and the technical community of IBM, directing innovation strategies in areas including hybrid cloud, AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, and exploratory science. Dr. Gil is responsible for IBM Research, one of the world’s largest and most influential corporate research labs, with over 3,000 researchers. He is the 12th Director in its 76-year history.&nbsp;He is also&nbsp;responsible for&nbsp;IBM's intellectual property strategy and business.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Dr. Gil&nbsp;is a globally recognized leader of the quantum computing industry.&nbsp;Under his leadership, IBM was the first company in the world to build programmable quantum computers and make them universally available through the cloud.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>An advocate of collaborative research models, Dr. Gil co-chairs the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, which advances fundamental AI research to the broad benefit of industry and society. He also co-chairs the COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium, which provides access to the world’s most powerful high-performance computing resources in support of COVID-19 research.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Dr. Gil is a member of the National Science Board (NSB), the governing body of the National Science Foundation&nbsp;(NSF), serves on the President’s Research Council of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research&nbsp;(CIFAR), and the MIT School of Engineering Dean's Advisory Council.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span><span><span><span>Dr. Gil is on the boards of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), New York Academy of Sciences, New York Hall of Science, and Research!America.<br /> <br /> Dr. Gil received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT.</span></span></span></span></p>