The Perimeter Institute has established a new partnership with quantum software startup Haiqu (pronounced as ˈhaɪku) that will bring fundamental research and technological innovation closer together. Haiqu has established operations in the US, UK, and Ukraine. Through this partnership, the company will base its first Canadian hire, Dmitri Iouchtchenko, at the Perimeter Institute Quantum Intelligence Lab (PIQuIL).
"The historical divide between curiosity-driven research and commercial application just keeps shrinking," said Roger Melko, PIQuIL's founder and director. "Having a stellar researcher like Dmitri here who bridges that gap is a sign of where quantum research is headed overall. Our lab gains a team member who is a major innovator in quantum software. Haiqu gets access to bleeding-edge ideas in quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Everybody wins."
Iouchtchenko has a PhD from the University of Waterloo, with expertise in novel applications and enhanced workflows for near-term quantum computing. He is a natural fit for Haiqu, which recently raised $4 million in pre-seed Venture Capital to support the development of platform-agnostic technologies to extend and broaden the capabilities of existing quantum hardware. Working at Perimeter places him in the heart of Waterloo's "Quantum Valley," an ecosystem of researchers and innovators pushing the limits of quantum computing.
"In the quantum computing sector, ideas change quickly, and everybody is competing for talent. There are fewer than 10,000 people within the industry and only tens of people within specific sub-niches," said Richard Givhan, an American entrepreneur who co-founded Haiqu with quantum physicist Mykola Maksymenko. "Perimeter Institute is widely recognized as a world leader in quantum research. We're excited for this partnership, and confident it will lead to new ideas that will fundamentally change how we solve problems."