Bosch taps IBM Quantum Computers in Pursuit of new EV materials

Bosch, Europe’s biggest car parts maker, is affiliating with IBM to replace the rare and expensive metals essential to build electric vehicles.

Robert Bosch GmbH plans to utilize more than twenty of IBM’s quantum computers

Robert Bosch GmbH plans to utilize more than twenty of IBM’s quantum computers to assist identify alternatives to the metals and rare-earth elements presently used in electric motors and fuel cells, the German company said on Wednesday. The computers intend to replicate the properties of the new materials.

Nickel and copper have become fervently dubious commodities as auto and battery producers scour the earth for scarce resources. Demand for lithium is so extreme that a Chinese industrial unit that typically makes ceramics for bathroom tiles are currently supplying the business. Finding options would be one way to maintain expenses in check.

Quantum computers can crunch in seconds immense quantities of data that take even the most powerful computers hours or days to deal with. Companies including Alphabet Inc., Google, Microsoft Corp., and Intel Corp. are devoting millions of research dollars to technology.

International Business Machines Corporation first made a quantum computer available to the public in 2016 and has rolled out frequent enhancements. Bosch says it has about 30 people employed in the field.

Quantum technologies vital for technological sovereignty

 When it comes to software for quantum computers, science and industry in Germany engage a powerful position in global competition with the U.S. and China. Market research institutes see immense potential in technology. The Boston Consulting Group assesses that the market for quantum computing, as well as new products and services, will be valued at as much as 850 billion dollars in the subsequent 15 to 30 years. The forecasts for the field of quantum sensor technology are also promising McKinsey expects this market to grow to as much as seven billion dollars in the years ahead.

“Quantum technology is crucial for Europe’s technological sovereignty,’’ Stephen Hartung, Chairman of the Bosch board of management said.

Bosch at present has several thirty experts working in the fields of quantum sensor technology and quantum computing. Ever since the beginning of this year, a Bosch start-up has been working to accelerate the commercialization of quantum sensors. Bosch has been conducting research in this area for years and performs a leading role all over the world. Like quantum computers, quantum sensors also have massive capabilities. They accomplish unparalleled precision associated with conventional MEMS (microelectromechanical system) sensors. In the imminent future, it will be possible to use them to achieve a measurement accuracy that is 1,000 times larger.

In medicine, for instance, quantum sensors will be able to help diagnose neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s more precisely and effortlessly. It will also be proficient to sense nerve impulses, and in this approach move medical prostheses and facilitate control entirely by thought in virtual realities. All through its activities in quantum sensors and partnering with IBM in its research, Bosch is creating technology that is ‘Invented for life’ in its absolute best sense, Hartung said.

The optimum path to greater sustainability

The partnership with IBM underscores the significance that partnerships have for Bosch’s digital transformation: they are a way to pool the abilities required for the swift and successful expansion of capable regions. To leverage the opportunities of digitalization and engage in an effective role in defining the connected world. Bosch is also methodically recruiting partners with in-depth IT and software expertise.

At present, the company has about 40,000 software experts working in many areas of future prominence. The associates at the new Bosch start-up Decarbonize Industries, for instance, are developing a software solution that facilitates industrial enterprises to achieve carbon neutrality. The solution will be a platform, jointly developed by Bosch and the energy supplier EWE AG, which will represent current data from the legislation, energy market, and other sources to show businesses the optimum path to greater sustainability. If parameters such as government subsidies or energy prices change, the proposed methods are automatically regulated. As a result, a roadmap for a more sustainable future is just a click away.

At this year’s Bosch Connected World in Berlin, where people in the IoT and further revolutionary disciplines come together, over sixty exhibitors will be delivering the megatrends of artificial intelligence, digitalization, and sustainability. Bosch Connected World will take place on November 9 and 10, 2022 as a hybrid occasion: on-site at “Station Berlin” and in real-time. Besides Bosch chairperson Dr. Stefan Hartung, speakers will include Oliver Zipse (CEO of BMW) and Andrew Ng (CEO of Landing AI).