"Our principal task is to elevate the entire economy to a qualitatively new level based on big data," Russian President Vladimir highlighted in his speech at the plenary session of the forum on July 13. As per the president, it would mean a substantial increase in the quality of management and productivity.
Putin particularly proposed preparing a new national project until 2030 on the formation of "the data economy" and identifying measures to support basic research, including an increase in funding.
"We must have not just scientific developments and basic solutions, but the entire technological and production chain," the head of the Russian state emphasized. "We are talking, in fact, about the backbone infrastructure for our further development, for the future of our economy as a whole. And it is obvious that any dependency in this area means a serious threat to national security, as well as weakening, and even loss of the country's sovereignty."
Russian state corporations presented their products in the field of quantum technologies at the forum. Rosatom State Corporation demonstrated a 16-qubit ion quantum computer, which runs a molecule calculation algorithm using a cloud platform. For its part, the Russian Railways unveiled its plan to construct a backbone quantum network as part of the implementation of the Quantum Communications roadmap by 2030. In accordance with the plan, the network will embrace 34 Russian regions. What's more, Russia is already among the world leaders in terms of the length of the quantum backbone network.
The Russian AI Alliance, comprising the country's leading companies - Yandex, SBER, VK, Gazprom Neft, MTS and RDIF - is currently working on using quantum technologies in the field of artificial intelligence. The alliance's mission is to be the center of AI development in Russia.
The creation of a quantum cluster based on the infrastructure of the Skolkovo innovation center by the end of 2024 was also announced at the forum in Moscow. The creation of the cluster has become a key provision in the cooperation agreement signed by Rosatom State Corporation and the Russian Quantum Center. Another agreement inked by the Russian Quantum Center and VK will accelerate the development of quantum computing in the cloud.
International observers assume that the widespread practical use of quantum computing may begin as early as 2025. According to some estimates, the global market for quantum communications by 2035 will amount to $20 billion.
"Leading countries are actively investing in quantum technologies, realizing the need to ensure national security and transition to new economic models," stated Anton Kobyakov, adviser to the president of the Russian Federation and executive secretary of the Organizing Committee of the Forum. "Today, the most important task is to enhance our competence and launch pilot projects for quantum solutions. The Forum showed the readiness of the state, society and business to jointly resist external threats, create and implement breakthrough technologies."
The forum has been attended by more than 1,400 people, including 750 specialists from more than 80 Russian and foreign educational and research institutions and 250 media representatives.
The Future Technologies Forum was held under the auspices of the Decade of Science and Technology, announced by President Putin in 2022. The event was hosted by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Sciences.