A quantum computer could design your next smartphone

Canadian researchers are using quantum computing simulations to accurately predict the colour of light emitted from molecules that produce the colours we see in the latest smartphones, tablets, and TV screens.

Designing complex molecules for electronics and pharmaceuticals is beyond the capabilities of current quantum computers—but we’re getting closer to building them. Working with Toronto-based OTI Lumionics Inc., UBC professor Zac Hudson believes this research could be game-changing for materials design, as it opens the door to using quantum computers to design molecules.

The model the researchers used predicted the properties of these light-emitting materials as or more accurately than the best classical models, showing that quantum models could soon be used to design bespoke materials with specific properties, including pharmaceuticals, or materials for electronics.

Luminescent materials in the Hudson Lab. Credit: Dr. Zac Hudson

Currently, most materials are designed by first creating hundreds of molecules in a lab, which are then tested for the desired properties. Accurate quantum models would save time and money, as well as reduce waste, Dr. Hudson says, putting Canadian companies at the forefront of materials design.

Interview language(s): English (Hudson)

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A reaction to make light-emitting materials. Credit: Dr. Zac Hudson