Quantum computing: technology and applications in the natural sciences

Over the last few decades, quantum information processing has emerged as a gateway towards new, powerful approaches to scientific computing. Quantum technologies are nowadays experiencing a rapid development and could lead to effective solutions in different domains including physics, chemistry, and life sciences, as well as optimisation, artificial intelligence, and finance. To achieve this goal, noise-resilient quantum algorithms together with error mitigation schemes have been proposed and implemented in hybrid workflows with the aim of improving the synergies between quantum and classical computational platforms. In this talk, I will review the state-of-the-art and recent progress in the field, both in terms of hardware and software, and present a broad spectrum of potential applications developed at IBM Research, with a focus on natural sciences and machine learning.