Part 2: Australia’s Quantum Ecosystem
by Amara Graps
Australia’s Quantum Ecosystem
To support the Australian quantum industry communication with the Australian government, let’s see GQI’s Australian quantum ecosystem strengths via their Heat Map. In GQI’s Quantum Ecosystem PESTEL Report, Environmental is Australia’s quantum strength compared to its American and UK partners. Internationally, Australia’s quantum ecosystem is ranked #10, but in its Environmental dimension, it is ranked #1.
With respect to Export Controls, those policies are included in the Legal dimension of the PESTEL analysis, where Australia is ranked in the top third of the listed 32 countries, but near the bottom of that top-third, while the UK and the USA are second and third in the Legal dimension after Switzerland.
Australia’s Environmental ‘Mission Opportunities’
In GQI’s Quantum Ecosystems PESTEL Report, the Environmental dimension is “Mission Opportunities”: Wind, CO2, Solar, Water, Electric, Hydrogen, Migration, Human Rights.
These opportunities present a complex and often overlooked aspect of the quantum revolution, where GQI sees both the potential benefits of quantum computing for environmental challenges and the ecological footprint of quantum technologies themselves. In GQI’s assessment:
The alignment of quantum technology and the wider environmental agenda is set to become an increasingly important tool in maintaining public and governmental support. GQI believes that quantum technology has a very strong contribution to make to this agenda. This is set to be an important hedge against risks to continued support for the development of this new technology.
What environmental quantum activities, in particular, set Australia as #1?
It is Australia’s key end-use industries, where Australia is a major player:
- Mining: Quantum sensing technologies being applied for mineral exploration
- Agriculture: Potential applications in sustainable farming practices
- Energy: Quantum computing for optimizing renewable energy systems and smart grids
“Mission Opportunities” is a particularly apt phrase, because quantum technologies from the Environmental dimension can raise Australia’s international image from the Climate Change perspective.
Australia’s Climate Change Profile is Rising
Australia has long struggled to separate itself from fossil fuels, with its government not yet (2024) providing a concrete phase-out plan. Australia’s Climate Change status is on the rise however.
This year, Australia’s overall ranking in the Climate Change Performance Indicator improves by five spots to a 50th ranking out of 67 in this year’s Climate Change Performance Indictor (CCPI). Australia is now among the low performers, up from the very low performing countries in 2023 and earlier.
Australia has had fluctuations in its climate policies and performance after the May 2022 federal election. After gaining control of the government, the Australian Labor Party pledged to take more aggressive climate action. The Climate Change Bill 2022 established a 43% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 levels (an increase from the previous 26–28%) and a 2050 target of net zero emissions.
However, according to the CCPI, neither a phase-out of fossil fuels, nor a specific Australian government plan to restrict their extraction are in sight. CCPI notes that Australia has still not addressed the rising emissions from transport with either updated fuel policies or effective incentives to purchase battery-powered electric vehicles. Climate Action Tracker, amidst its criticism, highlights positive climate change mitigation practices implemented at a grass-roots level, despite the federal government’s slowness.
Australia’s Role in the Electric Decade
Repeating the last phrase: “battery-powered electric vehicles”, here is where Australia’s quantum technology sector can play a large role. As seen in the >30 climate change-themed WEF 2023 panels and the 48 Climate, Nature and Energy WEF 2024 panels, the world is now in the ‘Decarbonization’ first phase to 2035+, which is mainly driven by electrification. Some call this period: the “Electric Decade”. Countries and industries are committing to 2030, 2040, 2050 NetZero.
In quantum technology, well-regarded surveys for Use Cases in Climate Change, Next Generation Power Systems and Renewable Energy have been published since 2021. For Net-Zero (2050), ‘clean electrons’, the delightful phrase for ‘electricity’ used by Hans Kobler (Energy Impact Partners) in the WEF 2023 panel: Big Bets for Digital industries, is the fuel of choice. However, electricity intermittency is a problem, so we need: storage, in the form of batteries, and digitising interaction between supply and demand.
Batteries and the EV industry is Australia’s most impactful contribution to the Electric Decade. With battery minerals in abundance in Australia, its mining industry is under scrutiny. Case studies from Australia’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources include one prospecting use of quantum sensors with LANDTEM’s HT SQUID, which is a 3-component, B-field sensor, to find minerals.
Inside the mines, the scrutiny continues, with a ‘Mission Opportunity’ to address any human rights problems, and to be better than the competition.
For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accounts for about 68 percent of all cobalt production, but Australia is emerging quickly as a competitor. Due to human rights and child labour issues for miners in the DRC, Australia is a sustainable and more ethical alternative.
The article: The EV industry can’t shake its human rights abuse problem highlights additional areas for scrutiny, where we see mine locations, including in Australia, where Tesla and VW buy nickel, cobalt, copper, and gold products for their EV batteries. Such human rights violations for any in Australia are likely on the way out, due to the soon to be implemented regulations in digital battery passports. In summary, Australia’s #1 Quantum Environmental impact can raise #50 Australia’s Climate Change Environmental impact. With quantum technology development, there is an opportunity to be more visible in the international climate change landscape. Australia’s Quantum Ecosystem should leverage such strategic communication.
August 31, 2024
