IBM announced on June 13, 2019, the expansion of its quantum computing program to Africa through a collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Wits became the first African academic partner in the IBM Q Network, gaining cloud-based access to IBM’s quantum computing systems.
Under the partnership, Wits researchers were to investigate quantum computing and machine learning applications in cosmology and molecular biology, with a specific focus on HIV drug discovery. The collaboration also opened access for scholars from the 15 other universities in the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), including institutions in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Rwanda.
IBM also announced plans to host a Qiskit Camp in South Africa in December 2019 for 200 quantum researchers and computer scientists. Dr. Solomon Assefa, Vice President of Emerging Market Solutions and Director of IBM Research Africa, said the partnership was necessary for Africa “to remain competitive for the coming decades.”