Tommaso Calarco
Die zweite Quantenrevolution – vom Labor zur Industrie
My talk will explain how key concepts developed in basic research in quantum physics are being translated into new technologies such as quantum computing, quantum simulation, quantum communication, and quantum sensor technology: What can these technologies achieve, and what can’t they achieve? How is the boundary between academic research and technological application being redefined by industry, start-ups, and public-private partnerships? Finally, I will address the wider implications of the second quantum revolution: economic and labor market challenges, questions of technological sovereignty, ethical and social considerations, and the need for new forms of interdisciplinary dialogue between the natural sciences and political decision-makers.
Tommaso Calarco is Director of the Peter Grünberg Institute for Quantum Control at Forschungszentrum Jülich, and Professor of Quantum Information at the Universities of Cologne and Bologna. Previously, he held senior positions at the University of Ulm and the BEC Center in Trento, and conducted research in Innsbruck and at Harvard University. He is one of the first scientists to apply optimal control methods to quantum computing and many-body systems. He is the author of the Quantum Manifesto, which laid the foundation for the European Commission’s Quantum Flagship, where he serves as Chair of the Quantum Community Network. He is also Secretary of the European Commission’s Top-Level Advisory Board on Quantum Technologies and co-founder of the European Quantum Industry Consortium. Since 2025, he has represented Italy as scientific delegate in the G7 Working Group on Quantum Technologies under the Canadian presidency.
The German talks will be simultaneously translated into English.