Mohammed Mohaisen, president of the Mena region and Turkey at Honeywell, at a press conference announcing plans for the US Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. Antoine Robertson / The National
Mohammed Mohaisen, president of the Mena region and Turkey at Honeywell, at a press conference announcing plans for the US Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. Antoine Robertson / The National
Mohammed Mohaisen, president of the Mena region and Turkey at Honeywell, at a press conference announcing plans for the US Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. Antoine Robertson / The National
Mohammed Mohaisen, president of the Mena region and Turkey at Honeywell, at a press conference announcing plans for the US Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. Antoine Robertson / The National

Expo 2020 Dubai: US pavilion to showcase quantum computing


Kelsey Warner
  • English
  • Arabic

Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, the Ferris wheel and the zipper were all introduced to the public eye by the US at world fairs past, setting the stage for decades of innovation.

Quantum computing will be added to that list at Dubai Expo 2020.

Technology company Honeywell announced on Tuesday that it will present the capabilities of the rapidly evolving field at the US Pavilion.

It is therefore with great pride that we are bringing our latest innovation milestone – quantum computing – to Expo 2020
Norm Gilsdorf,
Honeywell

“Society still faces many complex challenges, from medical discoveries needed to keep us safe to the long-term sustainability of our planet. It is therefore with great pride that we are bringing our latest innovation milestone – quantum computing – to Expo 2020, a radical leap forward in technology that can unlock solutions to those challenges,” said Norm Gilsdorf, vice president of global high growth regions at Honeywell.

Honeywell, which began developing quantum computing for commercial projects in 2018, expects the cutting-edge technology to become a $1 trillion industry over the next three decades.

In June 2021, Honeywell announced it would invest $250 million to $300m to acquire and spin-off UK-based Cambridge Quantum Computing to form the world’s largest stand-alone quantum computing company.

Dubai Expo 2020 will be the first time Honeywell has presented its capabilities in quantum computing to the Middle East.

A quantum computer is a kind of supercomputer, defined as a machine that can compute at a much faster rate than a typical modern version.

Honeywell is part of a growing field of corporations, nations and universities that are racing for quantum computing supremacy. In March, Abu Dhabi announced it would start building its own quantum computer to focus on breakthroughs in medicine and battery technology.

Honeywell began developing quantum computing capabilities in 2018 and is now working with paying clients.

Logistics company DHL has worked with Honeywell to develop more efficient cargo packing, Samsung and Imperial College London are using Honeywell's quantum computing to create longer-lasting and more durable batteries, and BMW is looking to make improvements to its supply chain.

“You won't see a quantum computer doing Excel for you,” said Tony Uttley, president of the Honeywell quantum business. “That's not what quantum computing does.”

What it does, he said, is take on difficult problems that have a high number of probable variables and outcomes.

Components from Honeywell Quantum Solutions.
Components from Honeywell Quantum Solutions.

“Imagine that you are trying to solve the world's food problem. The world wastes 35 per cent of all food created on the planet, despite the fact that there are people who go hungry,” he said.

“That seems like a simple problem. But the variables are immense. It does not need to be refrigerated. How long does it take before it spoils?

"Those become very complex problems. And as powerful as our computers are today, they are problems that are what we call intractable. They are not solvable by today's classical computers. And that is where quantum really comes into play.”

Dubai Expo is expected to attract more footfall than the 2016 Olympics and 2018 World Cup combined, the US Pavilion organisers said.

The US Pavilion is being developed under the theme "Life, Liberty and Pursuit of the Future".

Honeywell and PepsiCo are the two major sponsors.

The pavilion is to include a replica of the Statue of Liberty’s torch, plus artefacts from telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The Mars Opportunity Rover and a piece of the Moon will also be on display.

In the courtyard, visitors will be able to roam under a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. A nightly “blast off” is planned each night, where a projection will transform the rocket into a large canvas, showing the history of US space exploration.

Google's quantum computer - in pictures

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.

The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.

Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.

However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.

Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.

Sheikh Zayed's poem

When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.

Your love is ruling over my heart

Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it

Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home

You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness

Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins

You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge

You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm

Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you

You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it

Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by. 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

THE BIO

Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.

Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.

Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.

Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.

 

 

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Updated: July 14, 2021, 8:13 AM`