A quantum leap in agriculture
Could this complex computer solve agriculture's most pressing problems?
Syngenta and QuantumBasel have teamed up to explore the potential of quantum computing for agriculture. What is the new technology at the heart of the deal, and what does it mean for farmers?
In person, a quantum computer doesn’t look remarkable. In one form, it is literally an enormous black box, standing two meters tall. Safely secured in a spotless, temperature-controlled room.
But inside that black box is, for some, a work of art: intricate veins of light weaving towards a delicate golden chandelier. A structure so precise and vulnerable that it needs to be kept behind four walls, in a cool, clean environment.
QuantumBasel houses Switzerland's first commercial quantum computer.
QuantumBasel houses Switzerland's first commercial quantum computer.
The breakthroughs it could unlock for farmers around the world could be revolutionary. Just what those innovations are, is something a new partnership between Syngenta and Swiss-based QuantumBasel will endeavor to find out.
Thomas Jung, Chief Data and AI Officer at Syngenta Group, says:
“Using quantum technology, we finally have a computer that works almost like nature itself. For the first time, computers will not abstract into just binary but actually follow the natural principles of how atoms work, how physics work. And what's more natural than agriculture?”
What is quantum computing?
Quantum computing is an incredibly complex technology. Think of it as a new type of problem solver. It uses quantum mechanics – a type of physics that describes how objects move at a molecular, atomic, and sub-atomic level – to model and find new solutions.
Classical computing works like billions of switches, each operating in tandem – where each switch can only be on or off. This ultimately limits what the computers can do.
In quantum computing, those switches can exist in infinite positions between on and off too, giving it vastly more potential power.
As Dr. Frederik Flöther, QuantumBasel’s Chief Quantum Officer, explains: “A quantum computer gets its power from representing and manipulating information in a fundamentally different way. Its basic unit of information is a qubit, which can exist in a superposition (being in multiple states at once) of 0 and 1, rather than being limited to one or the other. With multiple qubits, a quantum computer can represent a combination of an exponentially increasing number of possible states. This can provide a computational advantage for certain problems.”
But qubits are a bit like cats – difficult to herd, and for quantum to work, you need them to stay in sync. That’s where the real challenge is – a tiny disturbance can put them out of sync, and the more qubits you have, the harder it becomes.
This is why quantum computers are held in such stable environments. Mapping quantum algorithms to real-world industrial problems is now a highly active area of research, with the goal of identifying where advantages are possible and translating those into tangible scientific and business value.
It is possible that quantum computers will eventually outpace so-called ‘classical’ computer systems and supercomputers that we use and rely on for much of modern life - from ordering food to landing planes all over the world.
Quantum computers can potentially solve challenges that have been too complex for existing computing resources.
Everything from how matter (the physical stuff that makes up everything in the universe) itself works, to the new types of active ingredients or molecules that form the base of crop protection products.
Using quantum computing, we can potentially unlock new ways to optimize supply chains, boost the adoption of green technologies, and bring the next agricultural breakthrough to life.
Creative computing
Quantum technology represents a fundamentally new approach to computing.
“The whole world, the whole universe, is based on quantum mechanics," Frederik says. "With quantum computing, we use that to try to solve some problems that we couldn't solve before.
Dr. Frederik Flöther, Chief Quantum Officer, QuantumBasel.
Dr. Frederik Flöther, Chief Quantum Officer, QuantumBasel.
“You're not running the same algorithms as you are in classical computing – it’s not only faster, you’re actually breaking down the problem and solving it in a completely different way. It’s almost a more creative way of computing.”
Quantum meets agriculture
Now, that new approach has come to agriculture. A partnership between QuantumBasel and Syngenta combines industry-leading quantum and AI capabilities and knowledge with deep agronomic expertise to use this superpowered problem-solver to bring new solutions to farmers around the world.
Thomas says the partnership’s first projects will explore how molecules behave, to ultimately develop new approaches and active ingredients that power the crop protection products growers use to care for their crops.
“The closest problems we can try to solve right now are in chemistry. That’s where quantum science is probably most advanced – so our own research in new chemical molecules will likely benefit first. In the very long term, if you're able to simulate the whole natural ecosystem at some point, it would be amazing.”
Thomas Jung, Chief Data and AI Officer, Syngenta Group.
Thomas Jung, Chief Data and AI Officer, Syngenta Group.
Quantum meets agriculture
Now, that new approach has come to agriculture. A partnership between QuantumBasel and Syngenta combines industry-leading quantum and AI capabilities and knowledge with deep agronomic expertise to use this superpowered problem-solver to bring new solutions to farmers around the world.
Thomas says the partnership’s first projects will explore how molecules behave, to ultimately develop new approaches and active ingredients that power the crop protection products growers use to care for their crops.
Thomas Jung, Chief Data and AI Officer, Syngenta Group.
Thomas Jung, Chief Data and AI Officer, Syngenta Group.
“The closest problems we can try to solve right now are in chemistry. That’s where quantum science is probably most advanced – so our own research in new chemical molecules will likely benefit first. In the very long term, if you're able to simulate the whole natural ecosystem at some point, it would be amazing.”
While the initial focus is molecular modelling, the partnership will also help Syngenta assess where else quantum methods could become relevant to agricultural research as the technology develops.
With potential applications across the business, quantum computing could enhance Syngenta’s capabilities in:
Modelling proteins (the building blocks of life) to better understand and predict their structures and design new types of crop protection products.
Pattern discovery and optimization in everything from breeding and designing new types of vegetable seeds, to production and supply chain inventories and logistics.
Long-range forecasting in weather and in plant behavior - such as predicting how much nitrogen (the essential element that fuels plant growth) will be taken up by a crop or soil.
Playing the long game
As powerful as quantum computing could be, many of its most transformative applications are still some years away. Early estimates suggest that realizing its full potential could take a decade or longer. But the agricultural breakthroughs that farmers use every harvest are often borne of years, if not decades, of hard work.
“Syngenta has always been a science company, and we always invest in the long term,” Thomas says. “Working on a new technology for 10 years is our core business, in a way - we know how to do this and it's who we are. It's critically important to our identity and the quality of our science to really be here, engaged, this early in the process.”
As Thomas Landolt, QuantumBasel’s Chief Executive Officer, sees it, quantum computing could drive computer science development one step forward.
Thomas Landolt, Chief Executive Officer, QuantumBasel.
Thomas Landolt, Chief Executive Officer, QuantumBasel.
“It's a revolution in the making. It's early days, and it's a completely different concept - it's also intellectually quite challenging and interesting - but then also what you can do with it, what it means, or possibly also means, for applying that to the real world - that's massive.”
Learn how the fusion of quantum computing, AI, and machine learning is revolutionizing the agricultural technology space.
