Cohosted by the NSERC CREATE NUCLEUS program and FABrIC, this ecosystem development event will bring together technology leaders’ perspectives on photonics-enabled hardware solutions for Bridging AI and Quantum Computing.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing are the leading candidates for the future of computing, with photonics playing a crucial role in advancing both fields. Supported by NSERC CREATE, the Network for Ultrafast Computing with Light on Emerging Unconventional Semiconductors (NUCLEUS) is launching Canada’s first formal training program in photonic computing, bridging AI and quantum technologies. AI-enhanced quantum systems and quantum-enhanced AI systems could address complex challenges in areas such as search optimization for drug discovery, compressed sensing in astronomy, deep neural network training for AI, and resource optimization for wireless networks, unravelling quantum phenomena and cosmology, which remain challenging even for supercomputers. In collaboration with SiEPIC and FABrIC basecamps, the symposium will spotlight key research areas, including Photonics and Quantum for AI, and AI for Photonics and Quantum. Through invited talks, participants will be brought to the forefront of research and commercialization of photonics as a foundation for future hardware by networking with peers from academia, industry, and the public sector.
Target Audience
Researchers, Engineers, and Students in Photonics, AI, Quantum, and Computing
Speakers
The following is a list of confirmed speakers and topics, which may be subject to change.
| Name | Title and Institution | Topic |
| Jim Banting | Associate VPR Partnerships and Innovation, Queen’s University | Role of Canada and Queen’s in Supercomputing |
| Ryan Grant | Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Queen’s University | Bridging AI and Quantum Computing with Supercomputers |
| Alex Sludds | Photonic Architect at Lightmatter Corporation | Photonics in Computing and Interconnects |
| Rafal Janik | Chief Operating Officer, Xanadu | Photonic Quantum Computing at Xanadu |
| Jason Mak | Photonics Design Engineer, SCINTIL Photonics | Perspectives on Back-side on BOX III-V Integration for External Laser Sources |
| Jacob Ewaniuk | PhD Candidate, Queen’s University | Quantum Photonic neural Networks |
| Nayem AL-Kayed | PhD Candidate, Queen’s University | Hopfield-inspired Photonic Ising Machine for Solving Protein Folding and Number Partitioning |
| Stephen Thomas | Executive Director (Analytics and AI Ecosystems), Assistant Professor Queen’s University | AI In Business |
