#researchanddevelopment

As an academic looking at industry, it appears that Chevron’s attendance of petrotech science meetings is way down the last few years. Does this reflect a shift in focus to other technologies (AI?), or just a declining investment in R&D and staff development?

Was AK correct that the quantum age is nigh?

https://www.barrons.com/articles/quantum-ibm-cleveland-clinic-dr-gs-35cf1909

By: Mackenzie Tatananni |
Updated May 05, 2026, 12:08 pm EDT / Original May 05, 2026, 12:01 am EDT

As investors await a quantum revolution, researchers are already delivering the first tremors.Look
no further than the latest study from International Business Machines,
conducted alongside Riken and Cleveland Clinic. Scientists linked IBM quantum systems
to two of the world’s most powerful supercomputers: Fugaku at Riken and
Miyabi-G, operated by the University of Tokyo and the University of
Tsukuba.The end
result was a protein complex spanning more than 12,000 atoms. While
highly technical, the demonstration has clear applications in dr-g
discovery and medicine, potentially delivering the transformation that
quantum enthusiasts have long promised.“They’re
the largest known molecules to be simulated thus far with quantum
computing,” Jerry Chow, IBM’s chief technology officer of
quantum-centric computing, said ahead of the announcement.He
is describing what IBM and Cleveland Clinic define as “biologically
meaningful molecules.” The protein simulated in this case is called
trypsin, a heavyweight in the world of biology. Without it, the body
would struggle to perform one of its most basic functions: breaking down
proteins into the building blocks it needs to survive.A lot of quantum research
has centered on this type of work, which has clear applications in dr-g
development. However, investors have been eager for results that prove
quantum computers are useful for something other than lab-scale
demonstrations.“The
hook here is that we want to go to a world where we have much better
therapeutics and things that make all of our lives better,” Chow
explained. “Fundamentally core to that is understanding how molecules
behave, how molecules interact with things such as water. In many ways,
this is the largest demonstration to date.”Kenneth
Merz, the lead author of the study, agrees. “I always go to the dr-g
discovery angle,” Merz said. “We’re developing methods to discover dr-gs
to improve human health. But there’s also this concept of divide and
conquer.”Merz, a
staff scientist at Cleveland Clinic, leads a lab dedicated to building
computational tools that apply theoretical math to biological research.
The latest experiment shows how existing hardware can be paired with
quantum machines to solve problems that today’s computers cannot handle
alone, he said.“You
take a very big problem and break it into small pieces that are able to
run on current-generation hardware, and then stitch it together to get
the global answer,” Merz explained.The team stopped short of claiming quantum advantage, a milestone many investors are watching closely.Quantum
advantage refers to a system’s ability to outperform classical
computers at a range of tasks, doing so more efficiently, accurately,
and inexpensively. While often viewed as the true tipping point for the
technology, focusing solely on this milestone risks overlooking the
incremental progress made along the way.Chow
emphasized that any claim of quantum advantage must be validated
against established, rigorous testing frameworks. The scientific
community isn’t there yet, and to date, there is no consensus whether or
not true advantage has been achieved.“What
we’re seeing is this groundswell of pushing the envelope of what can be
done,” Chow continued. “We’re using these machines and these
capabilities to look in these areas where we know classical methods will
struggle.”He views
the latest study as part of a larger puzzle. “It’s not a singular moment
in time for quantum advantage,” Chow said. “But we’re certainly in this
phase where we’re absolutely using these machines to do real exciting
work.”

Staff reductions at Harvard's engineering school are impacting daily academic life. Approximately 40 staff members were cut due to financial pressures. Financial challenges cited include a federal endowment tax and research funding uncertainty. Laboratories now operate with fewer technicians and slower equipment maintenance. Students are modifying projects and courses are changing due to reduced staffing.

https://education.economictimes.indiatimes.com/amp/news/international/harvard-engineering-layoffs-disrupt-research-labs-courses-and-student-projects/129630750

Oil price is declining. R&D being trimmed down to help achieve structural cost savings on target. Poor value delivery observed in emtech and IP walking out the door.

Attrition is not winding it down fast enough as hoped. Some hipos will be sent to business over next few months in prep.

Recommend requesting a move out of emtech if possible

I’m not going to disclosure company confidential information but that was a lot of good things shown and discussed at the town hall.

So much for all your past x% growth on a small amount is still a small amount commentaries related to Viya.

Ok now discount everything that was said and tear into the demos as subpar engineers. Go.

Large number of layoffs and “early retirements” at the central RandD center in Research Triangle Park, NC 2 weeks ago. Whole R&D team at the site is on notice and expecting the axe to fall before the holidays

Quantum is not even close to commercial viability despite what AK likes to spout.

https://www.wsj.com/tech/quantum-could-be-techs-next-big-thing-but-for-investors-its-all-about-timing-aeebc9ff

Quantum computing has made big strides in recent years, but there’s danger in getting in too early

By: Asa Fitch
Nov. 7, 2025 5:30 am ET

Quantum computing is drawing renewed attention owing to a recent advance from Google and talk of the U.S. government taking stakes in companies working on the technology. But the industry has a way to go before the rewards for investors outweigh some glaring risks.

Most U.S.-listed quantum stocks have risen sharply in recent months, including IonQ IONQ which has nearly doubled in the past six months, and D-Wave Quantum QBTS which has more than quadrupled.

That enthusiasm reflects budding interest in an industry that, like artificial intelligence, may become a crux of geopolitical competition that the U.S. seeks to dominate. But it also reflects quantum computing’s significant underlying promise.

Quantum computers make calculations differently than conventional computers. Instead of representing data with bits that can be either one or zero, quantum computers harness the quantum-mechanical properties of so-called qubits that can be a combination of the two at the same time.

That tweak allows quantum computers to juggle more possibilities at once, opening the way for solutions to problems that would take conventional computers a near eternity. A powerful quantum computer, for example, could test complex molecular combinations quickly, potentially leading to the rapid discovery of new dr-gs. Already, scientists have used quantum computers to identify materials that could make solar cells more efficient, simulate Airbus’s aircraft performance and optimize power grids.

But performance is uneven. Even today’s most advanced quantum computers for the most part don’t outperform regular computers in arenas where quantum computing should excel. That is mostly because today’s quantum computers don’t have electronic brains that are large enough and don’t fix calculation errors reliably enough.

And it has proven extremely difficult to build large and error-free quantum computers. Many of them have components that need to be cooled to near absolute zero for quantum effects to become usable. They are often physically large and delicate. International Business Machines IBM has been at it for about a decade and produces some of the most powerful quantum computers, but its most advanced system has just 156 qubits.

Analysts say quantum computers will need much larger numbers of qubits to tackle many problems ordinary computers can’t. IBM released a road map this year that lays out a path to 2,000 qubits in 2033. Google, the other Big Tech company considered a leader in the arena, has a quantum chip with 105 qubits and is aiming to hit a milestone of 1,000 qubits, although its timeline is less clear.

Google last month said its chip could make certain computations 13,000 times as fast as an ordinary computer, providing a taste of the advances that quantum computing could bring.

“Scalability is the primary question as you look from now to the next five years or the end of the decade,” said Wamsi Mohan, an analyst at Bank of America who covers the quantum computing industry. “If you can make them scalable then the usefulness of this technology really becomes quite significant.”

Who will win the scaling-up battle is far from clear. While IBM and Google have poured in money, so have their Big Tech rivals Amazon AMZN and Microsoft MSFT. One of the smaller listed quantum-computing players could also come in from below and prevail in the market. Or it could be a startup like PsiQuantum, which is building large-scale quantum computers in Australia and in Chicago, where it broke ground in September.

Quantum computing is so nascent that it isn’t even clear which basic technical approach to it will scale up best. Some companies, like IBM and Google, use materials cooled to near absolute zero. Others—including IonQ—use charged particles trapped and suspended in space. PsiQuantum uses the quantum properties of light.

For potential investors—including the Trump administration, which has denied The Wall Street Journal’s reporting late last month that it is considering taking stakes in companies including IonQ and D-Wave—there is therefore no lane for exposure to the quantum-computing phenomenon that doesn’t entail a big dose of risk. Any of today’s approaches could easily fail, just as Betamax lost out to VHS in the videotape format war decades ago. Early-stage government backing of one approach over another could also have the perverse impact of holding back the industry if the state bets on the wrong horse.

How long it will take to shake out is also uncertain. BNP Paribas analyst David O’Connor said in a recent note that quantum computing was now less of a science experiment than an engineering problem involving how to make computers bigger. That could take three or four years to work out, he estimates.

Whether that holds is hard to predict. But it seems likely that quantum computing will grow fast and generate significant returns for investors if those challenges get worked out. Mohan estimates quantum-computing revenue could reach $4.25 billion by 2030. That isn’t an incredible amount, but also nothing to laugh at: It is about what Nvidia NVDA was pulling in about a decade ago.

The question now is more one of when, not if, quantum computing becomes a technology worth investing in. And that could be a while.

TScan Therapeutics is laying off 30% of its workforce as the T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy biotech abandons a phase 1 solid tumor trial and focuses on patients with blood cancers.

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/tscan-lays-30-workforce-halts-phase-1-solid-tumor-t-cell-receptor-trial

it always seems like the first thing to go in a mass layoff like this.

Hi. I’m a fairly new employee joining R&D and I’ll admit I’m a bit shaken by the Denise and Rene news. I guess I’m still kinda figuring out the corporate bs from
Reality but I thought Denise and Rene seemed like they were really loved and big advocates for R&D?? Is that not the case? I thought I was doing right by

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/us-may-slap-tariffs-on-it-service-exports-which-indian-tech-jobs-are-at-risk-and-who-could-gain/articleshow/123762260.cms

Is Support and R&D considered outsourcing ?

Major shake up in R&D leadership. Announcements sent on a Friday afternoon. So many things going on.

What sellable products has F5 developed internally/organically in the last 10 years?

It is going to be 12-18 months to transfer pads and pencil product lines Costa Rica and Mexico (thanks for outsourcing our jobs Medtronic). Going to try to keep current permanent employees by transferring them to other openings as they come up but it is expected there will be more than a few that lose their jobs. Probably me at this rate. I love that this John Jordan guy says our facility is an "R&D" campus and mature products are built elsewhere. How many decades have we built pads and pencils? 30+ years?