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Quantum computing is an area of study focused on the development of computer based technologies centered around the principles ofquantum theory. Quantum theory explains the nature and behavior of energy and matter on thequantum(atomic and subatomic) level. Quantum computing uses a combination ofbitsto perform specific computational tasks. All at a much higher efficiency than their classical counterparts. Development ofquantum computersmark a leap forward in computing capability, with massive performance gains for specific use cases. For example quantum computing excels at like simulations.

The quantum computer gains much of its processing power through the ability for bits to be in multiple states at one time. They can perform tasks using a combination of 1s, 0s and both a 1 and 0 simultaneously. Current research centers in quantum computing include MIT, IBM, Oxford University, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. In addition, developers have begun gaining access toquantum computers through cloud services.

Quantum computing began with finding its essential elements. In 1981, Paul Benioff at Argonne National Labs came up with the idea of a computer that operated with quantum mechanical principles. It is generally accepted that David Deutsch of Oxford University provided the critical idea behind quantum computing research. In 1984, he began to wonder about the possibility of designing a computer that was based exclusively on quantum rules, publishing a breakthrough paper a few months later.

Quantum Theory

Quantum theory's development began in 1900 with a presentation by Max Planck. The presentation was to the German Physical Society, in which Planck introduced the idea that energy and matter exists in individual units. Further developments by a number of scientists over the following thirty years led to the modern understanding of quantum theory.

Quantum Theory

Quantum theory's development began in 1900 with a presentation by Max Planck. The presentation was to the German Physical Society, in which Planck introduced the idea that energy and matter exists in individual units. Further developments by a number of scientists over the following thirty years led to the modern understanding of quantum theory.

The Essential Elements of Quantum Theory:

Further Developments of Quantum Theory

Niels Bohr proposed the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory. This theory asserts that a particle is whatever it is measured to be, but that it cannot be assumed to have specific properties, or even to exist, until it is measured. This relates to a principle called superposition. Superposition claims when we do not know what the state of a given object is, it is actually in all possible states simultaneously -- as long as we don't look to check.

To illustrate this theory, we can use the famous analogy of Schrodinger's Cat. First, we have a living cat and place it in a lead box. At this stage, there is no question that the cat is alive. Then throw in a vial of cyanide and seal the box. We do not know if the cat is alive or if it has broken the cyanide capsule and died. Since we do not know, the cat is both alive and dead, according to quantum law -- in a superposition of states. It is only when we break open the box and see what condition the cat is in that the superposition is lost, and the cat must be either alive or dead.

The principle that, in some way, one particle can exist in numerous states opens up profound implications for computing.

A Comparison of Classical and Quantum Computing

Classical computing relies on principles expressed by Boolean algebra; usually Operating with a 3 or 7-modelogic gateprinciple. Data must be processed in an exclusive binary state at any point in time; either 0 (off / false) or 1 (on / true). These values are binary digits, or bits. The millions of transistors and capacitors at the heart of computers can only be in one state at any point. In addition, there is still a limit as to how quickly these devices can be made to switch states. As we progress to smaller and faster circuits, we begin to reach the physical limits of materials and the threshold for classical laws of physics to apply.

The quantum computer operates with a two-mode logic gate:XORand a mode called QO1 (the ability to change 0 into a superposition of 0 and 1). In a quantum computer, a number of elemental particles such as electrons or photons can be used. Each particle is given a charge, or polarization, acting as a representation of 0 and/or 1. Each particle is called a quantum bit, or qubit. The nature and behavior of these particles form the basis of quantum computing and quantum supremacy. The two most relevant aspects of quantum physics are the principles of superposition andentanglement.

Superposition

Think of a qubit as an electron in a magnetic field. The electron's spin may be either in alignment with the field, which is known as aspin-upstate, or opposite to the field, which is known as aspin-downstate. Changing the electron's spin from one state to another is achieved by using a pulse of energy, such as from alaser. If only half a unit of laser energy is used, and the particle is isolated the particle from all external influences, the particle then enters a superposition of states. Behaving as if it were in both states simultaneously.

Each qubit utilized could take a superposition of both 0 and 1. Meaning, the number of computations a quantum computer could take is 2^n, where n is the number of qubits used. A quantum computer comprised of 500 qubits would have a potential to do 2^500 calculations in a single step. For reference, 2^500 is infinitely more atoms than there are in the known universe. These particles all interact with each other via quantum entanglement.

In comparison to classical, quantum computing counts as trueparallel processing. Classical computers today still only truly do one thing at a time. In classical computing, there are just two or more processors to constitute parallel processing.EntanglementParticles (like qubits) that have interacted at some point retain a type can be entangled with each other in pairs, in a process known ascorrelation. Knowing the spin state of one entangled particle - up or down -- gives away the spin of the other in the opposite direction. In addition, due to the superposition, the measured particle has no single spin direction before being measured. The spin state of the particle being measured is determined at the time of measurement and communicated to the correlated particle, which simultaneously assumes the opposite spin direction. The reason behind why is not yet explained.

Quantum entanglement allows qubits that are separated by large distances to interact with each other instantaneously (not limited to the speed of light). No matter how great the distance between the correlated particles, they will remain entangled as long as they are isolated.

Taken together, quantum superposition and entanglement create an enormously enhanced computing power. Where a 2-bit register in an ordinary computer can store only one of four binary configurations (00, 01, 10, or 11) at any given time, a 2-qubit register in a quantum computer can store all four numbers simultaneously. This is because each qubit represents two values. If more qubits are added, the increased capacity is expanded exponentially.

Quantum Programming

Quantum computing offers an ability to write programs in a completely new way. For example, a quantum computer could incorporate a programming sequence that would be along the lines of "take all the superpositions of all the prior computations." This would permit extremely fast ways of solving certain mathematical problems, such as factorization of large numbers.

The first quantum computing program appeared in 1994 by Peter Shor, who developed a quantum algorithm that could efficiently factorize large numbers.

The Problems - And Some Solutions

The benefits of quantum computing are promising, but there are huge obstacles to overcome still. Some problems with quantum computing are:

There are many problems to overcome, such as how to handle security and quantum cryptography. Long time quantum information storage has been a problem in the past too. However, breakthroughs in the last 15 years and in the recent past have made some form of quantum computing practical. There is still much debate as to whether this is less than a decade away or a hundred years into the future. However, the potential that this technology offers is attracting tremendous interest from both the government and the private sector. Military applications include the ability to break encryptions keys via brute force searches, while civilian applications range from DNA modeling to complex material science analysis.

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What is quantum computing? - TechTarget

University of Marylands Quantum Startup Foundry Now Accepting Applications to their 2022 Pre-traQtion Program

The Quantum Startup Foundrys Pre-TraQtion Program draws entrepreneurs who are building Quantum-focused ventures and are looking for grant funding. The Pre-TraQtion Program is ideally valuable for early stage founders looking to commercialize their technology, build their companies, and engage the US Government for funding. The program helps companies navigate the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs for specific topics related to quantum technologies. The program will run from July to October 2022 and the final deadline for submitting an application is June 30, 2022. Additional information is available on the website of the Quantum Startup Foundry here and the link to the page for applying to the program can be accessed here.

June 3, 2022

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University of Maryland's Quantum Startup Foundry Now Accepting Applications to their 2022 Pre-traQtion Program - Quantum Computing Report

COMPUTING

Manipulating Photons for Microseconds Tops 9,000 Years on a SupercomputerJohn Timmer | Ars TechnicaThanks to some tweaks to the design it described a year ago, [quantum computing startup] Xanadu is now able to sometimes perform operations with more than 200 qubits. And it has shown that simulating the behavior of just one of those operations on a supercomputer would take 9,000 years, while its optical quantum computer can do them in just a few-dozen milliseconds.

Researchers in Japan Just Set a Staggering New Speed Record for Data TransfersAndrew Liszewski | GizmodoResearchers from Japans National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) successfully sent data down a custom multi-core fiber optic cable at a speed of 1.02 petabits per second over a distance of 51.7 km. Thats the equivalent of sending 127,500 GB of data every second, which, according to the researchers, is also enough capacity for over 10 million channels of 8K broadcasting per second.i

California Allows Driverless Taxi Service to Operate in San FranciscoAssociated Press | The GuardianCruise and another robotic car pioneer, Waymo, have already been charging passengers for rides in parts of San Francisco in autonomous vehicles with a backup human driver present to take control if something goes wrong with the technology. But now Cruise has been cleared to charge for rides in vehicles that will have no other people in them besides the passengersan ambition that a wide variety of technology companies and traditional automakers have been pursuing for more than a decade.

With Glass Buried Under Ice, Microsoft Plans to Preserve Music for 10,000 YearsMark Wilson | Fast CompanyLocated in Norway, its part of a cold-storage facility drilled into the very same mountain as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. While the seed vault protects the earths cache of seeds, the Global Music Vault aims to preserve the sonic arts for generations to come. Dubbed Project Silica, you could oversimplify [Microsofts] technology as something akin to a glass hard drive thats read like a CD. Its a 3-by-3-inch platter that can hold 100GB of digital data, or roughly 20,000 songs, pretty much forever.

How Do You Decide? Cancer Treatments CAR-T Crisis Has Patients Dying on a WaitlistAngus Chen | StatBy the fall of 2021, Patel saw only one possibility left to save Goltzenes lifea newly approved CAR-T cell therapy for myeloma. Its an approach that is transforming treatment of blood cancers: CAR-T therapy labs convert the immune systems T cells into assassins of cancer cells by inserting a gene for whats known as a chimeric antigen receptor. But the process is slow and laborious, and drugmakers simply cant keep up.

How to Make the Universe Think for UsCharlie Wood | QuantaPhysicists are building neural networks out of vibrations, voltages and lasers, arguing that the future of computing lies in exploiting the universes complex physical behaviors. McMahon views his devices as striking, if modest, proof that you dont need a brain or computer chip to think. Any physical system can be a neural network, he said.

AstroForge Aims to Succeed Where Other Asteroid Mining Companies Have FailedEric Berger | Ars Technicathe company plans to build and launch what Gialich characterized as a small spacecraft to a near-Earth asteroid to extract regolith, refine that material, and send it back toward Earth on a ballistic trajectory. It will then fly into Earths atmosphere with a small heat shield and land beneath a parachute. Acain and Gialich, veterans of SpaceX and Virgin Orbit, respectively, readily acknowledge that what theyre proposing is rather audacious. But they believe it is time for commercial companies to begin looking beyond low Earth orbit.

Eavesdropping on the Brain With 10,000 ElectrodesBarun Dutta | IEEE SpectrumVersion 2.0 of the [Neuropixels] system, demonstrated last year, increases the sensor count by about an order of magnitude over that of the initial version produced just four years earlier. It paves the way for future brain-computer interfaces that may enable paralyzed people to communicate at speeds approaching those of normal conversation. With version 3.0 already in early development, we believe that Neuropixels is just at the beginning of a long road of exponential Moores Lawlike growth in capabilities.

This Is What Flying Car Ports Should Look LikeNicole Kobie | WiredIt might be years before flying cars take to the skies, but designers and engineers are already testing the infrastructure theyll need to operate. to hail an air taxi, passengers will need to make their way to a local vertiport, which could sit atop train stations, office blocks, or even float in water. Figuring out exactly what these buildings will require isnt simple. Urban-Air worked with Coventry University on a virtual reality model to test the space before spending 11 weeks assembling Air One, [Urban-Air Ports 1,700-square-meter modular popup building].

Image Credit:Bryan Colosky / Unsplash

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This Week's Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through June 4) - Singularity Hub

The USs Frontier system is now the fastest supercomputer in the world. Its also the first exascale computer, meaning it can process more than a quintillion calculations per second an ability that could lead to breakthroughs in medicine, astronomy, and more.

Why it matters: Supercomputers arent a fundamentally different kind of machine, like quantum computers they work in the same basic way as your laptop, but with much more powerful hardware. This makes them invaluable tools for data-intensive, computation-heavy research.

It took us a day or two [with the supercomputer] whereas it would have taken months on a normal computer.

When the pandemic first started, for example, researchers used Summit the worlds fastest supercomputer at the time to simulate how different compounds would attach to the coronavirus spike protein and potentially prevent infection.

Summit was needed to rapidly get the simulation results we needed, said researcher Jeremy Smith in March 2020. It took us a day or two whereas it would have taken months on a normal computer.

Other scientists use supercomputers to analyze genomes, map the human brain, simulate the formation of stars, and more.

The rankings: Twice a year since 1993, the TOP500 project has released a list of the 500 most powerful supercomputers in the world. To compile this list, it measures each systems performance in FLOPS (floating-point operations per second).

A floating-point operation is a simple math problem (like adding two numbers). A person can typically perform at a rate of 1 FLOPS, meaning it takes us about one second to find the answer to one problem. Your PC might operate at about 150 gigaFLOPS, or 150 billion FLOPS.

In 2008, a supercomputer crossed the petaFLOPS threshold (one quadrillion FLOPS) for the first time, and since then, the goal has been an exaFLOPS system, capable of calculating at least one quintillion FLOPS (thats a lot of zeroes: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000).

Frontier is ushering in a new era of exascale computing to solve the worlds biggest scientific challenges.

The fastest supercomputer: Frontier a supercomputer at the Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has taken the top spot on the latest TOP500 list, and its score of 1.102 exaFLOPS on a benchmark test makes it the worlds first exascale computer.

According to ORNL, creating a computer with that kind of power required a team of more than 100 people and millions of components. The system occupies a space of more than 4,000 square feet and includes 90 miles of cable and 74 cabinets, each weighing 8,000 pounds.

Frontier is already more than twice as powerful as the second fastest supercomputer on the TOP500 list Japans Fugaku, which had a score of 442 petaFLOPS and according to ORNL, its theoretical peak performance is almost twice as fast, a full 2 exaFLOPS.

Frontier is ushering in a new era of exascale computing to solve the worlds biggest scientific challenges, ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia said. This milestone offers just a preview of Frontiers unmatched capability as a tool for scientific discovery.

The caveat: Frontier might be the worlds fastest supercomputer and the first to cross the exascale threshold according to the TOP500 list, but China is suspected of having two exascale systems it just hasnt submitted test results to the TOP500 team.

There are rumors China has something, Jack Dongarra, one of the projects leaders, told the New York Times. There is nothing official.

Looking ahead: ORNL plans to continue testing and validating Frontier before granting scientists early access to it later in 2022. The system should then be fully operational by January 1, 2023.

Scientists and engineers from around the world will put these extraordinary computing speeds to work to solve some of the most challenging questions of our era, said Jeff Nichols, ORNL Associate Lab Director for computing and computational sciences.

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USs Frontier is the worlds first exascale supercomputer - Freethink

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--QuSecure, Inc., an innovator in post-quantum cybersecurity, (PQC), today announced that it has been selected to present at the IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference next week, being held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif.

Company Co-founder and Chief Product Officer (CPO) Rebecca Krauthamer will present Quantum Ethics in Security as part of the programs Track 2: Transforming Technology, Sustainable Technology, in Room 30CD at 1:15 pm PDT on June 6. Krauthamer is a strong advocate of building ethical technology and bringing awareness to cybersecurity and data privacy rights. Last year, she co-authored a report with a team of experts from the World Economic Forum on Quantum Computing Governance Principles, which was aimed at providing guidance to governments and organizations around policymaking for ethics-driven quantum computing development.

Im honored to speak with the current and future female leaders at IEEEs conference, said Krauthamer. We all have a responsibility to proactively protect peoples basic right to data privacy. It is critical to understand both the incredible opportunities quantum computers will afford us as well as the immediate threat they pose to our data privacy.

Launched in 2014, the mission of the IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference (IEEE WIE ILC) is to inspire, engage, and advance women in technology, whether in industry, academia, or government. The vision for the conference is to provide attendees with the opportunity to create communities that fuel innovation, facilitate knowledge sharing, and provide support through highly interactive sessions designed to foster discussion and collaboration. The IEEE WIE ILC focuses on providing leading-edge professional development for mid-level and senior-level women.

At QuSecure, Krauthamer heads product development for QuProtect, which provides quantum-resilient cryptography, anytime, anywhere and on any device. QuProtect uses an end-to-end quantum security as a service (QSaaS) architecture that addresses the digital ecosystems most vulnerable aspects, uniquely combining zero-trust, next-generation post-quantum cryptography, quantum-strength keys, high availability, easy deployment, and active defense into a comprehensive and interoperable cybersecurity suite. The end-to-end approach is designed around the entire data lifecycle as data is stored, communicated, and used.

About Rebecca Krauthamer

Rebecca Krauthamer is Co-Founder and CPO of QuSecure, Inc., which has developed quantum resilience, protecting the enterprise and government from quantum and classical hacking. Krauthamer is a Forbes 30 under 30 list honoree in the extremely competitive category of science for her outstanding work in quantum computing. She was also listed as one of the Top 12 Women Pioneering the World of Quantum Computing, and is a Quantum Futures Council member at the World Economic Forum. Krauthamer also formerly served as CEO of Quantum Thought, a venture studio creating quantum intellectual property. She graduated with a degree in symbolic systems from Stanford University.

About QuSecure

QuSecure is an innovator in post-quantum cybersecurity (PQC) with a mission to protect enterprise and government data from quantum and classical cybersecurity threats. Its quantum-safe solutions provide an easy transition path to quantum resiliency across any organization. The companys QuProtect solution is the industrys first PQC software-based platform uniquely designed to protect encrypted communications and data with quantum-resilience using a quantum secure channel. QuSecure has current customer deployments in banking/finance, healthcare, space/satellite, IT/data enterprises, datacenters, and various Department of Defense agencies. QuSecure is investor backed and has offices in Silicon Valley. For more information visit http://www.qusecure.com.

QuSecure and QuProtect are registered trademarks of QuSecure in the United States and other countries. All other company and product names are either trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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QuSecure Selected to Present at IEEE Women in Engineering International Leadership Conference Next Week - Business Wire

It can be hard to find among the headlines but some news is good news.

Here is your weekly digest of whats going well in the world.

These are this weeks positive news stories:

1. Scientists have identified the brain mechanism behind memory loss in old age

If youve ever forgotten where you left your keys or accidentally told the same story twice, help may soon be at hand.

Neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins have been working with rats to investigate the parts of the brain that control memory.

They have discovered a mechanism in the CA3 region of the hippocampus that appears to be responsible for a common type of memory loss and might turn out to be our greatest hope for combating Alzheimers and other age-related neurological disorders.

The Johns Hopkins team has found that the mechanism is responsible for two basic, co-dependent, memory functions pattern separation and pattern completion.

Lets say you visit a restaurant with your family and a month later you visit the same restaurant again with your friends. You should be able to recognise that it is the same restaurant, even though some details have changed, like the people who work there, the menu, the people eating there, and so on. Your ability to recognise it as the same restaurant is the responsibility of the pattern completion function of the brain.

Now pattern separation is what allows you to remember, for example, which conversation happened when, so you do not confuse two similar experiences or patterns. Lets say you talked about love with your friends, and money with your family. Pattern separation allows you to remember who you had the conversation with.

What the Johns Hopkins team has discovered is that as the brain ages, our ability to distinguish patterns diminishes, and as a result our memory becomes impaired, causing us to become forgetful or repeat ourselves.

Concretely what happens is that the pattern separation function of the brain fades away, and the other function, the pattern completion one, takes over.

In other words, your brain is focused on the common experience of the restaurant, but leaves out the details of the separate visits, so you might remember you had a conversation about love, but be unsure who you had it with, your family or your friends.

But researchers noticed that some of the older rats they worked with performed their memory tasks perfectly, even though their neurons and pattern-recognising functions were impaired.

It's just like people, says James J. Knierim from the Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University. There's a lot of variability in humans in terms of their cognitive ageing and how their cognitive abilities can decline over age. So we see the same thing in our rat population.

Professor Knierim says that they want to turn all the rats, and subsequently people, into really high performers.

Something was allowing those rats to compensate for the deficit which we also see in those lucky humans who remain surprisingly sharp into their older years. If we can isolate this factor, the hope is that we can replicate it.

Is it just different strategies they use that they've learnt to compensate for deterioration in some of the brain function? Or is it the fact that their brains are not deteriorating as fast?

Identifying the memory loss mechanism could really help us understand what prevents impairment in some people and open the door to preventing or delaying cognitive decline in the elderly.

We know that this same region that we're studying is one of the first areas that is affected in Alzheimer's, explains Professor Knierim, so if we want to understand Alzheimer's and what it does, we need to understand how the brain ages normally.

2. The French village being lit up by the sea.

Living lamps are lighting up the small French town of Rambouillet, about 50 kilometres southwest of Paris.

Its the same natural phenomenon that allows fireflies to light up, and algae to glow at night when the water around them moves.

The lamps are the work of a French start-up called Glowee, which collects bioluminescent marine bacteria called Aliivibrio fischeri, which is then stored inside tubes filled with saltwater. This turns the tubes into fluorescent aquariums.

The goal is to create a living bioluminescent raw material to create urban furniture and redesign the city of tomorrow, to be more respectful of biodiversity and the environment, says Sandra Rey, founder of Glowee.

Mrs Rey says they are currently developing the first pilot project of bioluminescence urban furniture, which will be installed in the city of Rambouillet in the fall.

We are in the process of producing this urban furniture so that it can be tested in the field. And to then be able to, after this first pilot project, really deploy bioluminescence in the city of Rambouillet, but obviously in many other cities too.

The manufacturing process consumes less water than the production of LED lights and releases less CO2, while the liquid is also biodegradable.

Mrs Rey says Glowee works with almost 50 development projects today in France, with constructors, with developers and with municipalities directly.

3. We take a huge step towards a revolutionary quantum internet

Scientists are working on a groundbreaking new computer that will make the ones we use today seem like antiques.

They are using the mysterious powers of quantum mechanics, in a way Albert Einstein himself once deemed impossible.

Quantum mechanics could be revolutionary for modern life as we know it. Tasks that would take todays supercomputers thousands of years to complete could be performed in minutes.

But the thing is quantum computing needs another technological breakthrough to reach its full potential. It needs the equivalent of quantum internet a network that can send quantum information between distant machines without being connected.

It needs what Einstein called spooky action at a distance.

And a group of scientists at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands has done just that, spooky computing.

This team of physicists used a technique called quantum teleportation to send data across non-neighbouring locations in a quantum network.

Up until now, researchers have only been able to send data between neighbouring nodes, but the new study represents what they call a prime building block for the future of quantum networks and the advances in technology it will bring with it.

4. A new gel can absorb water from desert air and make it drinkable

Pulling water out of thin air just became a reality and not just for magicians.

Scientists and engineers at the University of Texas in Austin have come up with a gel film that could offer cheap access to clean drinking water for people living in arid regions around the globe.

A third of the world's population lives in drylands, which are areas that experience significant water shortages, so this advancement could have a huge global impact.

The gel can pull water from the air in even the driest climates, and its as cheap as it is efficient.

The material costs around 2 a kilogram, and a single kilogram can produce more than six litres of water per day in areas with less than 15 per cent relative humidity. To give you an idea, Las Vegas, a notably dry US city that sits in the middle of a desert, has an average humidity rate of a little over 30 per cent.

And although six litres doesnt sound like much, the researchers say they could drastically increase the amount of water the invention yields by simply making thicker films or absorbent beds.

Pulling water from desert air is usually energy-intensive and rarely produces much clean water, but this invention is set to change all that. Its also easy to use and simple to replicate.

It's very simple. It doesn't require advanced equipment or something else. You just mix it. Its even easier than making a meal, jokes Nancy Guo, lead researcher of the study.

All the materials are easy to find, she says, adding that they were inspired by stuff in the kitchen, like salt, flour and sugar.

5. An EU plan to make solar panels mandatory on all new buildings

The outlook for Europes energy crisis might soon get a little sunnier.

A new proposal from the European Commission intends to make solar panels mandatory on all new buildings within the European Union.

The goal is to make solar energy the largest electricity source in the bloc, replacing reliance on Russian oil and gas supplies with renewable energy.

Following Russias invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission is speeding up their original green energy transition plans, increasing the renewable energy goals to 45 per cent of electricity consumption by 2030.

In 2020 renewable energy sources already made up 37.5 per cent of the EUs electricity consumption, meaning the continent is already well on track.

"The big lessons that we have to take from this war are that renewable energies are not only fundamental to facing the climate goal, but it's the best ally for the European Union for its independence and strategic autonomy, said Pedro Snchez, the Spanish prime minister, speaking at a World Economic Panel on energy in the Swiss resort town of Davos.

Theres still work to be done, however, and the Commissions REPowerEU plan and the solar rooftop initiative is introducing a phased-in legal obligation to install solar panels on new public and commercial buildings, as well as new residential buildings, by 2029.

If the plan is successful, solar energy will become the largest electricity source in the EU by 2030, with more than half of the share coming from rooftops.

As well as the obvious environmental benefits, the EU hopes the plan will help reduce energy prices over time. In its World Energy Outlook 2020 report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) confirmed that solar power schemes now offer the cheapest electricity in history and predicted that by 2050 solar power production will skyrocket to become the worlds primary source of electricity.

6. The Canadian chef helping immigrants into the workplace

Jessica Rosval has worked alongside triple-Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura in his restaurant Osteria Francescana, in Modena, Italy, for over a decade. Shes received many awards along the way, but her most recent recognitions are for her humanitarian work.

This year she opened a brand new culinary venture that helps women who immigrate to Italy to find careers and integrate into life in a new country.

Roots, the social enterprise restaurant she opened in March with her friend Caroline Caporossi, showcases the cultural diversity of Modena's immigrant women.

Rosval says that the menu is inspired by her chefs-in-training and where they come from. You know, the story of the trip from Cameroon to Modena or from Colombia to Italy.

Rosval says the training teaches the women participating the technical skills needed to be able to pursue a professional career in cooking, But also non-technical skills that really help in terms of better understanding Italian bureaucracy, culture, the history of Modena, the food culture that exists in Modena, which are all also very fundamental and important aspects of cooking in this new country.

Dishes inspired by Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria, Tunisia and Ghana are all on this seasons menu.

For example, Zaira is one of our trainees, she's from Tunisia and in Tunisia they make brik, which is a rolled fried savoury dumpling filled with a lot of different things. It can be interpreted a lot of different ways in Tunisia, but there is always fresh cheese in the original Tunisian recipe. But when Zaira moved into Modena, she started making it with Parmigiano Reggiano. And when she told us that story, we thought it was great.

Rosval says that sometimes the best ways for us to get to understand new places is by picking out these little ingredients, and tasting the food and seeing what the actual land is giving us.

And how are the Italians taking it?

We were unsure of what people's reactions would be. But it has been miraculous. We have had so much support from our community. We have had from the florists to the electricians to the plumbers, everybody donating their time, everybody donating their energy, their services. The restaurant is full every single night that we're open, Rosval told Euronews.

Besides teaching women how to cook and run a kitchen, Roots taps into a wide network of government agencies, small businesses and volunteers who help train the women in everything from how to open a bank account and manage household finances to workers' rights and dealing with Italian bureaucracy.

During this year alone, more than 17,000 migrants have arrived in Italy via boat, according to the UNHCR. Seven per cent of these are women, who can be doubly disadvantaged, both socially and economically.

Roots is part of the Modena-based Association for the Integration of Women, and just one of the incredible examples of local commitment to bringing these women into the workforce.

And if you're still hungry for more positive news, there's more below

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Good News: Big step towards quantum internet and a village lit up by the sea - Euronews