Hackathon Summary
SC QUANTATHON V1 was held at the Darla Moore College of Business in Columbia, South Carolina. From October 10 to 13, 2024, developers came together to innovate, with 14 projects submitted. Prior to this, a virtual qBraid bootcamp was held from September 16 to October 9. Key features of the event included a welcome reception, team challenges, project presentations, and a unique quantum music-making workshop. Notable attendees included Eric Powers from the University of South Carolina and Joe Queenan from SC Quantum, highlighting the event’s focus on quantum computing challenges and innovations.
Participants enjoyed meals catered to a variety of dietary needs from local vendors. The Hackathon culminated in an awards ceremony on October 13 to promote innovation and collaboration in the field of quantum computing. This goal was achieved through the active participation and contributions of academic and industry professionals.
Hackathon Winners
Grand Prize Winners
The team developed a quantum random number generator that leverages the IBM QPU. They implemented the Concatenation and Reduce XOR algorithms, analyzed the effects of decoherence, and enhanced entropy using the Toeplitz and Von Neumann methods for practical QRNG applications.
DoraHacks Challenge Winners
Xanadu Challenge Winners
Xanadu :
This project calculated the spectral gap of carbon monoxide using VQE and VQD on the Pennylane platform. With adaptive quantum gate pruning, the calculation was completed in less than five minutes and the parameters were optimized to maintain a 4% accuracy deviation.
IonQ Challenge Winners
The team improved the quantum layer in the image classification system by integrating quantum elements into the classical machine learning pipeline. They presented their research results and provided detailed documentation online to promote the development of hybrid machine learning applications incorporating quantum principles.
To view the project, visit the SCQuantathon v1 page.
About the Organizer
Founded in 2022, SC Quantum is dedicated to advancing quantum information science and technology through strategic collaborations between academia, industry, and government agencies. As a leading force in the region, SC Quantum advances partnerships to leverage quantum technologies to solve major challenges in areas such as healthcare, cybersecurity, and logistics. The organization plays a key role in transforming South Carolina and its Southeast region into a hub for quantum technology breakthroughs. SC Quantums mission is to drive technology discoveries that benefit multiple industries and foster unprecedented regional collaboration.
