Quantum for SDGs
Harnessing quantum computing for the achievement of the SDGs
QCentroid is fostering a stakeholder ecosystem where sustainable transformation and prosperity are incentivized and aligned. We believe that science, data, and exponential technologies will be quintessential in realizing sustainable new ways of working, living, and driving sustainable industry transformation forward. We see QCentroid’s future as a mission-driven ecosystem of the Web 3.0 era.
One of the focus areas of QCentroid is quantum computing for sustainability. In a previous article, Quantum Against Climate change, we explored how quantum computing, a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology that we believe will form the base layer of the future technology stack, can have an exponential impact on the fight against climate change. Please refer back to that article for an introduction to quantum computing and sustainability.
In this article, we explore how quantum computing can help achieve the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The possible use cases mentioned here are not exhaustive, and for some SDGs it’s not clear to us what the implications of quantum computing would be. We ask for your help in driving discussion on this topic and creating pertinent knowledge in the ecosystem. Please reach out to us at info@qcentroid.xyz or leave your comments below on possible use cases you can think of for the various SDGs.
Quantum for SDGs
The UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also called the Global Goals, outline these problems as an urgent call to action and provide guidelines for proliferating peace and prosperity worldwide. Technology will play a crucial role here in helping us achieve these goals. Quantum computing will form the base layer of the future technology stack. We here highlight the different ways in which quantum computing can contribute to the achievement of SDGs.
SDG 1 - No Poverty:
By making risk and multi-dimensional credit scoring exponentially faster and cheaper, quantum computers could greatly expand financial inclusion, thereby alleviating poverty and fostering social protection.
SDG 2 - Zero Hunger:
Quantum simulation could help with the creation of cheaper and cleaner fertilizers that give better agricultural yield.
Quantum simulation can help in-silico development of artificial food, such as low cost and low emissions synthetic proteins, that is needed to support the world’s burgeoning population.
Quantum computing can be used for cross-breeding of plants to find higher yield crops.
Quantum optimization can be exploited for better food warehouse inventory management and distribution.
Dynamic route optimization using quantum computing can ensure that perishable goods reach their final destination on time.
Quantum enhanced hyperlocal weather forecasting for agricultural management and prediction can improve food availability.
Quantum enhanced machine learning for better data analytics across various agricultural use cases such as precision farming, livestock management, land use management etc.
SDG 3 - Good health & well-being:
Drug discovery - drugs will be faster and cheaper to make thanks to virtual experiments that can be run on quantum computers.
Enzymes -quantum simulations can be used to model enzymes that play a critical role in various life functions.
Diagnostics and decision assistance -quantum machine learning (QML) could be used to improve the diagnostic and decision assistance programs that can be prone to high error rates
Protein folding - Modelling proteins, for example, entails understanding how the amino acid chains that make up the protein would fold onto itself. Quantum computers can address these computational challenges by scoring the multitude of different possible structures and identifying the most likely configuration.
Medical triage: quantum optimization can be used for dynamic medical triaging, a combinatorial optimization problem that’s often too complex for classical computers to handle.
Quantum computing can be harnessed for gene study and gene editing to cure hereditary diseases.
Please refer to our Quantum for Sustainability in Healthcare article for more details.
SDG 04 - Quality education:
Personalized learning: quantum machine learning and quantum-inspired optimization algorithms could play a key role for big data analysis of individualized student learning. Quantum optimization could be applied for adaptive learning models.
Quantum Natural language processing(QNLP) could significantly improve the use of voice and speech assistants for educational purposes, thereby improving learning experience without the need for more teaching personnel.
SDG 05 - Gender equality:
Application of quantum computing for the finance industry could improve financial inclusion, thereby also promoting gender equality, especially in the developing world.
AI can be a way of identifying unfair bias in systems - provided that the data used to train those AI models are unbiased to begin with. Ensuring that the data is unbiased can involve using copious amounts of data that conventional computers would find hard to process. Quantum machine learning could help here.
SDG 06 - Clean water & sanitation:
Quantum simulation could be used to develop better catalysts for water purification
Quantum optimization techniques could be used for better water distribution and usage in water supply networks.
Quantum sensors could enable better detection of impurities in water.
SDG 07 - Affordable & clean energy:
Quantum computing can positively impact the energy sector in several ways:
Renewable energy management - quantum optimization can help mitigate the unreliability of renewable energy sources
Renewable energy storage - quantum simulation can help make better batteries
Location scouting - quantum optimization can help find the right places to play energy assets.
Quantum computing can help meet the computing needs of the nuclear energy sector
Please refer to the Quantum For Sustainable Energy article for more details.
SDG 08 - Decent work & economic growth:
Quantum computing for financial inclusion could lead to better employment opportunities and economic growth.
Quantum computing can improve manufacturing processes and thereby spur economic growth.
As quantum computing will form the base layer of the future technology stack, massive employment opportunities could open up just as is happening with AI right now. Auxiliary industries related to quantum computing, such as the dilution refrigerators for superconducting quantum hardware architectures, will help spur economic growth.
SDG 09 - Industry, innovation, and infrastructure:
Quantum computing can improve manufacturing processes
Quantum computing could help create clean cement that is much less polluting - currently cement accounts for 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions!
Quantum-enabled extreme efficiency data centres could drive forward industry innovation.
Quantum cryptography could be used to prevent cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
Quantum optimization techniques can be used for logistics optimization across various industries
Innovation processes throughout industries could be improved with quantum simulation and optimization.
SDG 10 - Reduced inequalities:
Quantum computing can drive financial inclusion through optimization and hence decrease inequality
Better and lower cost healthcare can reduce inequalities by providing better healthcare to everybody who needs it irrespective of their socioeconomic circumstances.
SDG 11 - Sustainable cities & communities:
Quantum optimization techniques can improve traffic management with shorter routes travelled and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Cement is the second most-consumed resource on the planet, second only to water. It’s also the most widely man-made material on earth, literally making up the foundation of the urbanized world we live in. As useful as it has been for advancing civilization, it comes at a terrible environmental cost – 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions!Polymer concrete made possible by the power of quantum simulations could reduce cement related emission by more than 5%.
Quantum optimization can help better manage energy needs of cities and communities.
New catalysts developed using quantum computing can help in carbon capture and sequestering, ensuring clearer air and mitigating climate change.
New catalysts can help with water purification for urban areas.
Low-cost, low-GHG emissions synthetic meat and food could foster sustainable eating habits.
SDG 12 - Responsible consumption and production:
Quantum-enabled extreme efficiency data centres and supercomputers
Low-cost, low-GHG emissions synthetic proteins
SDG 13 - Climate action:
Carbon capture and sequestering using catalysts developed with quantum simulation
Quantum computing can help develop better batteries for renewable energy
Fertilizers contribute to 1-2% of global energy consumption and 3-5% of the world's gas consumption. Quantum computing can help develop green ammonia that addresses this problem.
Clean cement can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Quantum enabled route optimization can reduce vehicle emissions and energy use.
Quantum computing could help improve the aerodynamics of vehicles and aircraft, thereby reducing their carbon emissions.
Please refer to our Quantum against climate change article for more details.
SDG 14 - Life Below Water:
Quantum simulations could be used to tackle marine plastic pollution by helping create enzymes and catalysts that can effectively break down plastics.
Quantum sensors could be deployed to monitor and mitigate ocean warming.
Quantum sensors could help in monitoring and mitigating ocean acidification.
Quantum enabled data platforms could be used to monitor and manage fishing activity and compliance.
Quantum enabled fishery stock forecasting to foster sustainable fishing practices.
SDG 15 - Life On Land:
Quantum machine learning (QML) could be used for real-time habitat monitoring and land-use mapping.
QML and quantum optimization could be used for training real-time autonomous-vehicle-navigation algorithms for vehicles and drones for planting and feeding.
QML for remote sensing and quantum remote sensing could help combat deforestation .
Quantum enabled portfolio optimization can help make healthy trade-offs between business and sustainability targets, thereby increasing financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems.
Advances in applications of quantum computing for genetics could promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.
SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions:
Quantum cryptography could be used for preventing cyberattacks on government computing infrastructure.
Current generation cryptography methods are easy for quantum computers to crack. Quantum cryptography can provide the next generation of encryption that is resilient to such attacks.
SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals:
We hope this article inspires conversation about leveraging quantum technologies for achieving the SDGs. We look forward to joining forces with other stakeholders in the quantum ecosystem by creating fruitful partnerships. To this end, we are creating a Quantum for Sustainability symposium towards the end of the year and look forward to contributors and speakers for the event. Please contact us via the comments tab below or by emailing us at info@qcentroid.xyz.