Interview: Michael Brett, SVP of Applications, Rigetti Computing

Michael Brett is SVP of Applications at Rigetti Computing and is leading the company's application development mission to connect customers and their use cases to Rigetti's quantum cloud service. 

What are you most looking forward to at the AI & Data Science in Trading conference?

The past 12 months have been an exciting time for the whole quantum computing ecosystem with new hardware and application studies being released on a regular basis. For example, in November, Rigetti released results of our work with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia to use quantum computing to optimize a portfolio re-balancing strategy. This is just the beginning of what financial institutions will be able to tackle with this technology. I look forward to finding new opportunities for quantum computing on specific applications to optimize the complex processes that financial services face daily.

Can you share an example of how your system has been used by a new customer? 

Rigetti’s computers are now available on Amazon Braket, a new service from AWS that connects its users with quantum hardware providers in a single place. Our mission is to build computers that solve the world’s toughest problems, so we're excited that opening up access to our systems via AWS will give more users an opportunity to explore their tough challenges.

What is your advice for financial institutions who want to implement a quantum computing strategy?

First, get started now. Quantum computing is a tough subject matter and it takes time to build organizational understanding. Those that are investing a modest amount now to develop a quantum computing strategy will be at a competitive advantage as these computers become more capable over time. Second, invest in your workforce.  Ensure your team has strong math, computer and data science skills.  Train them in quantum computing technologies. Finally, work directly with a company like Rigetti for application identification, development and deployment.

How will quantum computing impact the finance industry?

Quantum computing gives the financial industry an exciting new tool to continue advancing its ability to solve tough problems with technology. The kind of large-scale optimization and machine learning challenges that quantum computing is good at will help with forecasting, risk management, improving compliance outcomes.

When will I know if my company is ready for quantum computing?

If you’ve already invested in people with a strong AI and machine learning background, then you are in a great position to add quantum computing to the mix. You likely have a budget and a team in place who are ready to start identifying problems and use cases that have been challenging to solve with quantum computing as an additional capability for optimization problems.

To view when Michael is speaking at AI & Data Science in Trading, go to: https://www.aidatatrading.com/speakers/michael-brett