Greater Cleveland technology thread (sale, 2015, to buy)

[WRnative]

The Cleveland Clinic has had many firsts in advancing healthcare, but perhaps never one that put it at the forefront of information processing technology and artificial intelligence research.

This morning IBM announced that Cleveland Clinic will receive the first IBM quantum computer to be installed outside of IBM labs and data centers. One goal of the resulting research is to develop technologies to prevent the next epidemic. The Clinic and IBM announced the creation of a "Discovery Accelerator" partnership that will apply advanced technologies such as quantum computing and AI to "pressing" life sciences research issues.

<<After a year in which scientists raced to understand Covid-19 and to develop treatments and vaccines to stop its spread, Cleveland Clinic is partnering with IBM to use next-generation technologies to advance healthcare research — and potentially prevent the next public health crisis.

The two organizations on Tuesday announced the creation of the "Discovery Accelerator," which will apply technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence to pressing life sciences research questions. As part of the partnership, Cleveland Clinic will become the first private-sector institution to buy and operate an on-site IBM quantum computer, called the Q System One. Currently, such machines only exist in IBM (IBM) labs and data centers.

Quantum computing is expected to expedite the rate of discovery and help tackle problems with which existing computers struggle.>>

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/tech/...ing/index.html

<<The accelerator is part of Cleveland Clinic's new Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health, a facility introduced in January on the heels of a $500 million investment by the clinic, the state of Ohio and economic development nonprofit JobsOhio to spur innovation in the Cleveland area.

The new center is dedicated to researching and developing treatments for viruses and other disease-causing organisms. That will include some research on Covid-19, including why it causes ongoing symptoms (also called "long Covid") for some who have been infected.>>

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/tech/...ing/index.html

IBM says under the 10-year partnership, the Clinic not only will receive the first installation of its initial commercial quantum computer product, but also the first installation of the " first, next-generation IBM 1,000+ qubit quantum system in the coming years."

https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-03-30-...-Life-Sciences

The Discovery Accelerator partnership will anchor the Clinic's new Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health and the Cleveland Innovation District, which is supported by a $500 million investment from the State of Ohio, JobsOhio and the Clinic.

<<The Discovery Accelerator will serve as the technology foundation for Cleveland Clinic's new Global Center for Pathogen Research & Human Health, announced last month as part of the Cleveland Innovation District. The center, supported by a $500 million investment from the State of Ohio, Jobs Ohio and Cleveland Clinic, brings together a research team focused on broadening understanding of viral pathogens, virus-induced cancers, genomics, immunology and immunotherapies. It will build upon Cleveland Clinic's existing programs and expertise, with newly recruited world leaders in immunology, cancer biology, immune-oncology and infectious disease research as well as technology development and education. Researchers will expand critical work on studying, preparing and protecting against emerging pathogens and virus-related diseases.>>

https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-03-30-...-Life-Sciences

The Discovery Accelerator will develop capabilities, including work force training, in several technologies with potential apart from pathogen research. For example, quantum computers require extremely cold temperatures and therefore advanced cryogenic technology.

<<Quantum computers are complex machines to build and maintain because they must be stored at extremely cold temperatures (think: 200 times colder than outer space).>>

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/tech/...ing/index.html

Several other advanced technologies will be employed by the partnership, including the development of "cloud-based AI-driven autonomous labs" requiring robotic technology.

<<New technologies are enabling accelerated methods of discovery that include deep search, AI and quantum-enriched simulation, generative models, and cloud-based AI-driven autonomous labs. Leveraging these combined innovations will supercharge new generations of information technology, fuel important advances in science, and IBM will provide access to a variety of research and commercial technologies, education and tools to assist Cleveland Clinic in accelerating discovery in healthcare and life science, including RoboRXN, a cloud-based platform that combines AI models and robots to help scientists design and synthesize new molecules remotely; the IBM Functional Genomics Platform, a cloud-based repository and research tool, which uses novel approaches to reveal the molecular features in viral and bacterial genomes to help accelerate discovery of molecular targets required for drug design, test development and treatment; Deep Search, which helps researchers access structured and unstructured data quickly; and High-Performance Hybrid Cloud Computing technologies that can enable researchers to "burst" their workloads into the cloud and access the resources they need at scale. >>

https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-03-30-...-Life-Sciences

Clearly, commercial products which may result from the partnership include drug candidates and disease treatment solutions. It's unclear how IBM and the Clinic will split any eventual revenues. It's possible that new businesses will spring from the partnership, such as IBM's Explorys subsidiary which it purchased from the Clinic in 2015.

https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org...ed-healthcare/

https://www.cleveland.com/business/2...11_superi.html

However, IBM reportedly is mulling the sale or spin-off of its Watson health care unit, which includes Explorys.

https://www.reportdoor.com/ibm-repor...for-the-stock/

Will Cleveland's life sciences potential be realized in the coming decade, the length of the IBM/Clinic Discovery Accelerator partnership?

https://www.bizjournals.com/clevelan...cleveland.html

IBM's announcement immediately will confer, based on just this morning's national news coverage, millions of dollars worth of free publicity on the Clinic and on Cleveland.

[WRnative]

See article linked in post 4101 in this thread. The Cleveland Clinic's quantum computing partnership goal is as much educating and training persons in quantum computing technology as immediate product development. The Clinic's Global Center for Pathogen Research and Human Health, where quantum project will be located, will hire around 7,500 persons. Using a 3-1 multiplier effect, this could result in over 21,000 new jobs for the Greater Cleveland economy.

<<Quantum computing is still a rapidly developing technology, though researchers have discussed the concept for decades. The promises are astounding -- the ability to simulate complicated physical and chemical processes and crunch numbers quicker than any supercomputer. The draw for the IBM-Cleveland Clinic “Discovery Accelerator,” is the technology’s potential, not so much what it can deliver now.

The partnership will eventually make Cleveland a site for a 1,000+ qubit computer, a milestone in quantum computing science. Researchers will explore how quantum computing interacts with other technologies, like artificial intelligence, to solve problems in healthcare. The Clinic’s Global Center for Pathogen Research and Human Health, where the accelerator is housed, will hire around 7,500 people.

“The partnership is not just on technology,” Dr. Lara Jehi, chief research information officer at the Cleveland Clinic, said. “The technology is a tool towards a goal, and the goal is advancing discovery. That’s why we have the big education component and workforce development component that is included in the partnership.”>>

https://www.city-data.com/forum/clev...l#post60757171

Quantum computing apparently differs greatly from standard computing and can examine many processes concurrently.

<<Quantum computing relies on atomic devices called “qubits,” which represent both one and zero at the same time. That’s pronounced “cue-bit.”

Using qubits can help replicate complicated processes happening on a molecular level.

“What we’re trying to do is to understand how nature works as a computer, and then replicate and use its computing capabilities for our own reasons,” Sutor said.

He uses the example of chemistry, with a caffeine molecule. A quantum computer could simulate all the molecular reactions from that caffeine molecule, like the reactions that go on in the human brain.>>

[ohioaninsc]

This sounds incredibly advanced and quite beyond my understanding...that said, it's truly great news for the area.