Quantum technologies break into advanced manufacturing through AI
The Tekniker technology centre develops Quantum Machine Learning solutions to improve the performance of intelligent systems.
The continuous advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have allowed the integration of these technologies in industrial processes in sectors such as energy, agri-food and advanced manufacturing. In the latter case, the introduction of AI has made it possible to optimise the best initial production parameters and predict critical failures in the production chain in order to anticipate errors.
Until now, these AI models have been trained with classical machine learning techniques on conventional computers. However, the emergence of quantum computing has given rise to the concept of Quantum Machine Learning, a new approach that seeks to make a leap forward in this field and improve the performance of traditional AI.
The Basque technology centre Tekniker, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), with more than 20 years of experience in the design and development of intelligent information systems to support industrial processes, has been working for the last two years on the development of these new quantum technologies to accelerate the training of AI models and, consequently, improve the efficiency and accuracy of these systems.
‘The development of quantum AI could solve real problems that until now have been computationally intractable in classical computers due to their complexity,’ say Eider Garate and Meritxell Gómez, researchers at Tekniker.
Application in industry
In the framework of the collaborative research project BRTA Quantum, funded by the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, Tekniker has managed to apply a quantum machine learning model efficiently to estimate the final state of a metal in a solidification process in laser additive manufacturing.
‘Although quantum computers are still under development, our work shows that the quantum variational algorithms developed at Tekniker can compete with classical machine learning models, paving the way for a promising future when these technologies reach maturity,’ the researchers explain.
This work has been presented at two important conferences. Firstly, at Quantum Matter, held in San Sebastian last year, and subsequently at Borderless Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing, in France, where it received the prize for the best paper of the conference. This recognition not only validates the progress achieved, but also reinforces the commitment to research in this line for future projects.
The entire project has been developed in collaboration with other Basque centres and positions Tekniker as one of the leading technological agents in the field of quantum computing.
The next objectives of the technology centre are to continue working with quantum technologies to improve the performance of machine learning, simulation and optimisation algorithms, to explore their capabilities and to evaluate the possibilities of reducing the high computational load of some tasks associated with some complex physical processes.
Quantum Year
UNESCO proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. The aim is to raise awareness among society of the potential applications of a discipline that is set to revolutionise all fields, including industrial manufacturing.
As part of this initiative, Tekniker is collaborating in the Tabakalera exhibition ‘Quantum Visions’, which opened on 20 February and will be open to the public until 8 June.
At the end of 2025, the Basque Country will also be positioned as a benchmark in quantum computing thanks to one of the six quantum computers of the multinational technology company IBM worldwide, which will be located in San Sebastian. The milestone is the result of the BasQ Alliance, which has the collaboration and participation of institutions, companies and R&D agents in the Basque Country, such as Tekniker.
