Toronto, Ontario — AkzoNobel is getting in on the cutting edge of computer science, announcing Monday that it has partnered with Microsoft to utilize the company’s quantum computing capabilities to run simulations on chemical reactions.
The partnership will see scientists from both companies collaborating to develop a “virtual laboratory” where experiments can be conducted via Microsoft’s Azure quantum computing service.
Quantum computing is a highly advanced branch of computer science that is useful in managing large databases, as well as running large-scale simulations, such as those AkzoNobel is seeking to conduct.
In the company’s press release, AkzoNobel said that access to this technology will help overcome many of the practical boundaries associated with traditional laboratory methods, such as availability of raw materials, physical equipment capacity constraints, toxicity and environmental conditions.
“Combining our track record for pioneering product development with Microsoft’s cloud and quantum computing expertise represents another huge step forward in the digitization of our research,” said technology director of research and design at AkzoNobel, Pim Koeckhoven.
“Up until now, the quality of traditional computer simulations hasn’t been up to the task. Microsoft’s Azure Quantum system offers incredible opportunities for us to take our research into an entirely new digital realm and speed up the development of new novel catalysts and chemical reactions.”
