SoftServe partners with NQCH and IMDA for Singapore's inaugural Quantum Bootcamp 2023

• 8-week program touted as the first of its kind in Asia, ran from 22 May to 14 July
• Three winners were picked based on overall project, technical contribution, and value

SoftServe, an IT consulting company offering software development and digital services, in partnership with the National Quantum Computing Hub (NQCH) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), announced the launch of Singapore's first Quantum Bootcamp, an educational program for students pursuing careers in quantum computing.

The 22 students selected from 91 applicants were selected to receive an allowance of US$605 (SG$800) monthly and participate in the programme. Participants in the boot camp are undergraduate or postgraduate students or recent graduates of the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Technology and Design or the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

"We look forward to driving more initiatives like this, playing our part in positioning Singapore as a global innovation destination," said Wen Huang (pic below), SoftServe APAC's CTO.

The Quantum Bootcamp is an eight-week program and is touted as the first of its kind in Asia. It ran from 22 May to 14 July 2023. It offered participants a comprehensive curriculum with academic instruction, practical applications, hands-on experiences with real-world use cases and guidance from industry experts. 

"Quantum technologies are here to stay, and the field is moving very fast," said José Ignacio Latorre, lead principal investigator for the NQCH and director of the Centre for Quantum Technologies. 

Additionally, the boot camp provided exclusive networking opportunities with multinational companies, including NVIDIA, IBM, and AWS.

"This entire program has already shown us a myriad of possibilities to leverage this technology across several sectors and predicaments," said Koh Wee-Sain, Acting Cluster Director, Engineering, Biztech Group, IMDA. 

The program is pinnacled with presentations demonstrating the benefits of quantum computing.

The Quantum Bootcamp awarded three winners in the following categories: best overall project, best technical contribution, and most valuable to the industry. 

Best Overall Project and Most Valuable to Industry

Topic: Path-Planning of Drones in Unmanned Traffic Management System

Members: Lee Jung Ha (Physics) from NUS; Joshua Tan Yue Ming (Business and Mech Eng) from NUS; Lim Zhi Yong (Physics) from NTU and worked with SUTD; Tu Yaowei (Electrical Eng) from NUS; Lhui Kay Kin, Clyde (CS and Physics) from NUS; Meng Fanyi (CS and Design + Maths) from SUTD

Best Technical Contribution

Topic: Quantum Gaussian Process Regression for Fatigue Assessment

Members: Chue Zi Jie Jason (Physics) from NUS; Liu Deren (Physics) from NTU; Yuki Tai-Kotsuji (Physics and Data Science) from NUS; Bryan Poh (Applied Math) from NUS; Denzel Loh Yu Xuan (Physics and Math) from NUS

[Ed: Para updated with details of the winners.]

Winning entries were selected based on quality evaluation, including research and development attributes such as demonstrating a functional proof of concept (PoC) based on the curriculum, presenting innovative solutions and, more importantly, highlighting the significance of quantum solutions when addressing these industry cases.