Ecosystems – networks of interconnected public and private organisations, researchers, investors, policymakers, and other stakeholders – are critical to the growth of new technologies and the creation of new industries.
And while ecosystem might be one of the most overused words of the 2020s, the idea it represents is still useful for thinking about how new technologies move from the lab to the market, to the homes and lives of everyday Australians.
Fundamentally, ecosystems are about connection. Connections between researchers and institutions are important to drive new ideas and discoveries. Connections between researchers and investors are necessary to turn innovative ideas into new companies, products, and services.
As an ecosystem matures, it reaches out, connecting with an increasingly wide network of suppliers, customers, employees, and end users.
In the quantum technology sector, these connections are especially important. Conservative modelling suggests that globally, quantum computing, sensing, and communication firms could generate around $86 billion in revenue by the 2040s globally, but the value created by the adoption and use of quantum technologies in the wider economy could be in the trillions.
The capabilities quantum technologies could unlock are vast, but we need a thriving technology ecosystem to fully capture their substantial economic, strategic, and social benefits. These are challenges that all levels of government have recognised.
This is why Australia’s National Quantum Strategy, the development of which I led on behalf of the Commonwealth government, prioritises ecosystem development.
Under the first theme of the strategy the government has funded establishment of the Quantum Australia consortium.
This group of organisations from across industry, academia, and government will raise awareness of quantum technology, foster collaboration between industry and universities, encourage the creation and growth of quantum startups, and connect quantum companies on a national and international scale.
It has been astounding to see the quantum community come together behind this project, and I am sure the breadth of the consortium will be key to its success.
Similarly, the Critical Technologies Challenge Program brings researchers and industry together to address challenges of national significance. These include optimising the performance, sustainability, and security of energy networks, improving medical imaging and medial sensors to support disease diagnosis and treatment, and monitoring activities inside the human body. They extend to enhancing communication with autonomous systems in varying environments, and optimising and reducing the impact of resource exploration, extraction, and mineral processing.
I hear there was an impressive response from the community to the first round of the program, which shows that the growth of the ecosystem is well underway.
A personal highlight for me this year has been running a series of Quantum Meets workshops with the CSIRO and other partners, to explore quantum use cases.
So far, we have run successful workshops on the intersection of quantum with sport, resources, space, and energy. Additional workshops for government, logistics, finance, health, communications, and First Nations communities are planned before the end of the year.
These workshops bring the relevant industry sector together with quantum startups, multinationals, government, and researchers to determine where quantum can impact their domain.
We have also seen direct government investments in quantum companies Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC) and PsiQuantum. These investments occurred at different stages of the capital-raising process, and support growth at different phases of company development.
This will help the ecosystem coalesce, stimulating creation of new supply chains and infrastructure, employment opportunities, and knowledge transfer.
Creating, nurturing, and growing an ecosystem in a deep-tech field is no small task, and the work of growing the Australian quantum ecosystem is far from over.
There are many requirements for a thriving ecosystem which need to be actioned if we are to succeed, including investment, particularly the availability of patient capital.
Access to the infrastructure needed to design, prototype and fabricate devices, the reliable and affordable supply of the relevant components and materials, and a robust startup culture and support for companies to bridge the mid-technology readiness level valley of death, are some.
The development of industry-relevant use cases and catalysis of demand for quantum solutions in the wider economy, and public outreach to build literacy and trust in this new, disruptive set of technologies are also important, along with responsible and inclusive technology development, fit-for-purpose standards, regulatory settings and robust intellectual property arrangements.
All these are important dimensions of any deep-tech ecosystem. I would argue, though, that developing people is the most important of all.
Our people are Australia’s most powerful asset when it comes to quantum technology. They are the reason international companies set up shop here. They are why our homegrown talent stays, even in the face of strong incentives to offshore.
Skills, training, and workforce form the foundation from which the quantum ecosystem grows and intertwines with the wider economy and community.
In Australia, Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence are the bedrock of our quantum ecosystem. We have four of these that are focused solely on quantum technologies, enabling domestic and international collaboration across universities, research institutions, and industry.
These Centres of Excellence have produced spinouts such as Diraq, Quintessence Labs, QuantX Labs, Q-CTRL, Quantum Brilliance, and Silicon Quantum Computing.
Australian quantum talent is at the forefront of the industry globally, with Australians in key leadership positions in companies such as PsiQuantum, Xanadu and IBM.
When our researchers and postdocs go overseas, they compete with the world’s best, forging new networks and collaborations along the way. When they return, they bring with them connections to quantum ecosystems across the globe.
As technologies mature and demand for quantum solutions grows, we will need more spinouts and will need to grow the firms we already have.
Current estimates put the size of the Australian quantum workforce at between 500 and 1,000. By 2045 that could increase to 19,400 or more. Looking at the number of small, medium, and large organisations in the industry now, it’s clear that we would need to see an increase in both the number of employees and the number of employers to hit this 2045 target.
Typically, the growth of a new technology can be graphed in an s-curve, growing slowly at first, accelerating dramatically, then tapering off once the technology hits a point of saturation.
We are rapidly approaching the point of dramatic acceleration, and we need the right settings in place to ensure we can meet the coming demand for quantum talent.
Even with the solid foundation provided by the Centres of Excellence, there are still challenges we need to overcome.
Chicken and egg
In growing the quantum workforce, we are in many senses building the aeroplane while it’s on the runway.
There are still major technical challenges to be overcome before some of the most transformational applications become possible. This makes the field exciting to work in, but it also creates complications as we navigate the emergence of the industry.
Quantum is a growing industry comprised of a handful of multinationals and many pre-commercial startups and spinouts. Labour is a major expense for these companies.
The ability of these companies to take on more staff depends on development of commercially relevant use cases, ongoing funding, and the achievement of technical milestones.
While we wait for these developments, we need to continue to train the next generation of quantum workers – but these workers need to know there will be jobs for them to fill, either in academia or industry, at the end of their degrees.
This nascency also makes it hard to establish the training pathways we will need. Our already overstretched universities and VET providers respond to demand from learners. Given the time it takes to establish these pathways and train quantum workers, if we wait for that demand to emerge organically it may be too late.
Breadth and depth
‘Quantum’ is a slippery concept when it comes to workforce planning; it encompasses different disciplines and applications at quite different ends of the technology readiness spectrum.
In quantum computing alone, the knowledge required includes everything from the intricate design and manufacturing of quantum hardware, such as quantum processors and photon detectors, to developing sophisticated quantum software and algorithms necessary for practical applications.
Current global hiring is concentrated in quantum computing companies, followed by companies specialised in quantum hardware and quantum software.
In contrast, it is comparatively low for quantum communication and quantum sensing.
This non-uniform demand for quantum technology requires universities and governments to gather information on market dynamics, the types of jobs are available in the quantum industry, the relevant skills and degrees for these new jobs, and how students can tailor their degrees to best align with the current needs of the quantum industry.
The technological and engineering challenges remaining in quantum mean we will continue to need many highly trained experts in some very specialised fields for years to come.
Higher-degree research in physics, engineering, computing, mathematics, chemistry, materials science, and more is the basis of every successful quantum firm. That’s not likely to change any time soon.
Where do we get all these higher-degree researchers? The conventional approach to building a quantum workforce is to introduce concept-focused graduate and undergraduate degree programs. However, this approach is inefficient because of the multidisciplinary nature of quantum technology.
A cohort-based model like Sydney Quantum Academy offers an example of an approach that works well – replicating this around the country could make a significant difference.
We also need a clear understanding of when and why people choose quantum in the first place. It is in undergraduate and postgraduate coursework physics degrees, core units and electives that many of us get our first exposure to quantum, and this is the point at which many of us started our path to a quantum career.
Expanding opportunities for coursework students in a range of disciplines to experience quantum – through internships, placements, or subjects as part of a degree program – can help us stimulate demand for quantum coursework training, bring in the next generation of researchers, and prepare for the next generation of quantum jobs.
But it’s not only universities that have a role to play here. Specialised skills for trades like plumbers, electricians, and fitters and turners are already important for making quantum devices work, due to the exquisite engineering requirements of many quantum devices.
This extends to the need for people to operate the machines that make the devices. Many quantum devices need to be fabricated with nanometre precision, using specialised tooling in controlled environments to prevent contamination. Currently, these are roles that are often filled by people with advanced research degrees.
Higher-degree research programs, with their rightful emphasis on theory, don’t consistently prepare graduates well for the tasks they may be asked to do in the workforce, and on-the-job training can be ad-hoc and inefficient.
Setting up formal training pathways to address this need will take time. We need to ensure the graduates entering quantum companies have the relevant skills to hit the ground running in the meantime.
Soft skills matter too. As research leaves the lab and enters the market, quantum spinouts will need people who know how to operate in a commercial environment.
Greater commercial literacy for the technologists would help new founders navigate the financial, legal, and organisational complexities of starting and leading a company.
This cuts both ways though, as we also need greater quantum literacy for the CFOs, HR professionals, lawyers, business development staff, and everyone else whose supporting functions are critical to a successful quantum business.
STEM general or quantum specific?
Many of the most significant barriers to growing the quantum workforce are not really quantum problems at all – but rather cross-cutting, structural issues that require whole-of-nation, whole-of-system responses to address.
One of the biggest is STEM skills in schools and the wider community. If students are going to succeed in university-level quantum training, they need a strong foundation in maths and science.
Improving the teaching of STEM subjects in schools – an enormous challenge itself – will be critical to the growth of the quantum industry over the long term.
Quantum-specific initiatives are important, too, and there are a handful of great examples of what can be done around the country already – programs like Quantum Girls and Einstein First – but quantum-specific initiatives alone won’t get us where we need to be.
Similarly, the challenges that affect the tertiary sector more broadly – like reliance on income from international students, pressure on academics to publish, remuneration for academics not keeping pace with the private sector, safety, and job security for researchers – also affect quantum.
Like many STEM disciplines, the quantum workforce does not currently reflect the wider Australian community. Groups that are underrepresented in wider STEM fields are underrepresented in quantum, too.
We will need to harness the wide range of experiences, ideas, perspectives, and talent in the community to achieve the required level of workforce growth.
Funding is important, but these are not problems that funding alone can fix, nor are they problems we can solve overnight. The growth of the ecosystem depends on the growth of the workforce, and vice versa.
And across industry, university, and government we will need to stay connected and maintain the goodwill and collaboration that has underpinned the growth of the ecosystem so far.
The Australian ambition to build a quantum industry is coming together. The necessary ecosystem is forming. Australia has never really achieved a new industry that came from fundamental research before. But all indicators show that with quantum, we are giving it a red-hot go.
Dr Cathy Foley, Australia’s chief scientist. Before her appointment in January 2021, Dr Foley had a long career at the CSIRO and became the agency’s chief scientist in August 2018. Dr Foley made significant contributions to the understanding of nitride semiconductors and superconducting electronics during her time at CSIRO. She and her team’s most successful application was the LANDTEM sensor system, used to locate valuable deposits of minerals deep underground.
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