{
  "id": 19285621,
  "title": "Quantum could solve AI energy drain, says tech founder",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/quantum-could-solve-ai-energy-drain-says-tech-founder",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-10T04:19:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Economic Times Tech",
    "slug": "economic-times-tech",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/quantum-could-solve-ai-energy-drain-says-tech-founder/articleshow/135699105.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Quantum computers may alleviate the significant energy consumption of artificial intelligence data centers, according to Andrew Dzurak, a pioneer in the field. Australian startup Diraq is currently performing the first worldwide field test, placing a small quantum computer in a commercial data center in Sydney. Large data centers, akin to warehouse-like buildings housing servers for AI tool training or operation, demand enormous amounts of power, often leading to new power plants or grid pressure and causing community opposition.\n\nDzurak elucidates that quantum computing is progressing from university labs and could address data center energy demands within five years. He attributes this increasing energy demand to AI solving complex problems that quantum calculations handle more efficiently. Quantum computers leverage quantum mechanics, governing physics at atomic and sub-atomic scales, to process information unlike traditional computers. However, they require extreme cryogenic temperatures to operate.\n\nDiraq's model, a self-contained system, consumes less than 20 kilowatts while running alongside a room-temperature computer in the data center. Potential applications extend beyond AI, including efficient molecular behavior calculations for pharmaceuticals, lighter batteries, and chemical industry processes. Dzurak estimates that quantum computing could enhance drug trial success by 10 percent and cut the cost of new medicine development by a third, provided the technology operates under $100 million annually.\n\nAustralia's Silicon Valley, spearheaded by Diraq among six global companies in the third stage of the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) quantum benchmarking initiative, is experiencing a quantum boom. Another Australian startup, PsiQuantum, backed by a significant Australian government investment, is also involved in building a quantum computer in Queensland. The nation, a global leader in quantum science for decades, boasts over 50 quantum-related businesses. However, commercializing these discoveries remains a significant challenge. The Australian government's AUKUS defense technology partnership with Britain and the United States has eased security barriers for sharing quantum technology, aiding Diraq's operations across Australia and the US market. Diraq's eight-qubit quantum computer in a Sydney data center is set to expand to 150,000 qubits by 2029, achieving DARPA's definition two years earlier.",
  "summary": "Quantum computers could curb the vast energy demands of artificial intelligence data centres with their ability to run complex calculations, one of the tech's pioneers told AFP. Australian startup Diraq is conducting the first field test worldwide putting a small quantum computer based on a silicon chip in a commercial data centre in Sydney. Diraq's computer installed in Equinix's Sydney data…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}