BlackBerry inventors pump $100 mln into quantum technologies

By Himank Sharma

REUTERS - BlackBerry inventors Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin are pairing again to launch a $100 million fund to incubate and commercialize quantum science technologies capable of spearheading the next wave of computing.

Lazaridis, who stepped down as co-CEO of BlackBerry in January, 2012, is known for his passion for physics.

Last year, he launched the Quantum-Nano Centre, a research facility in Waterloo, Canada, to promote discoveries in emerging technologies underpinning quantum computing. He said he wanted Waterloo to become the hub of quantum technology.

"Nothing you see in the classical technology world can prepare you for what you will see in the quantum technology revolution," Lazaridis said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Our belief in the power of quantum physics to transform society inspired us to develop a strategy some 12 years ago that led to the world-class quantum research capability that exists."

Known as Quantum Valley Investments, the private fund would provide financial and intellectual resources to inventors and entrepreneurs working on quantum technologies.

Advocates for quantum computing technology say it works orders of magnitude faster than classical computing and has the potential to revolutionize fields such as drug development.

While the discipline has remained mainly an academic concept since its introduction 30 years ago, investors have begun to see commercial opportunities.

In 2012, D-Wave Systems, a Vancouver-based company working on quantum-computing applications received $30 million from Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos's venture investments and an investment arm of the Central Intelligence Agency.

A quantum computer should be able to tap the peculiar properties of matter itself to do calculations at the atomic level, doing away with the need for a transistor and allowing it to do massive numbers of calculations simultaneously. (Reporting by Himank Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Paul Tait)

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Illinois scientist wins MIT inventor's prize

BOSTON | Tue Jun 14, 2011 4:52pm EDT

BOSTON (Reuters) - A University of Illinois professor whose research has found applications from cardiology to solar power to sportswear on Tuesday won the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Prize for outstanding inventor.

John Rogers, 43, professor of materials science and engineering, won the award, given annually by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Lemelson Foundation, and its $500,000 prize for his work across a number of fields.

Rogers is regarded as one of the most prolific inventors in the United States. He holds more than 80 patents, 52 of which are in active use.

The scientist credits his parents, a physicist and a poet, for encouraging his imaginative brand of thinking.

"The laws of nature aren't simply a set of parameters that constrain the behavior of the natural world but a set of tools that allow you to predict the future and engineer the world for favorable outcomes," he said.

Rogers in 2008 co-founded mc10 Inc., based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which confronts the challenge of using traditional silicon wafer-based electronics for surgical procedures.

The devices, typically rigid and flat, cannot match the soft contours of the human body. Rogers devised a way to create systems with tissue-like characteristics that are now used in cardiology and neurology to, for example, map vital organs.

Mc10 recently started a collaboration with Reebok International to create athletic apparel using flexible, stretchable electronics.

Another project of the Rogers lab is to develop tiny, low-cost digital cameras similar in size and shape to the human eye. Others are focused on viable solar power systems and even military applications.

"Rogers can move effortlessly from science to technology and to practical applications, with a unique vision for the translation of science to products," said colleague Ilesanmi Adesida, dean of engineering at the University of Illinois.

(Reporting by Ros Krasny. Edited by Peter Bohan)

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