22 April 2026

ICTP and IBM recognize quantum computing pioneer Ignacio Cirac

Ignacio Cirac, MCQST co-Speaker and Director of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics is awarded the inaugural ICTP–IBM Richard Feynman Prize in Quantum Computing. The award recognizes his seminal contributions to quantum optics, quantum information science, quantum many-body theory, condensed matter theory, and mathematical physics. The prize committee acknowledges his central role in establishing the theoretical foundations of quantum information processing — including entanglement theory, quantum simulation, and tensor-network methods — whose influence spans both experimental realization and theoretical progress across modern physics.

Cirac’s ideas have turned fundamental concepts in quantum mechanics into concrete proposals that have shaped quantum science and paved the way to its technological applications. The intuition that atoms and molecules could be used as qubits for quantum computing led Cirac and Peter Zoller in 1995 to develop a protocol to build quantum computers using trapped cold ions—an idea that is still pursued in experiments. Cirac also developed a framework that has changed how physicists think about entanglement, by showing that this property can be properly quantified, controlled and used in applications. He understood that systems of many body quantum particles can be used as quantum simulators to tackle problems in chemistry and materials science, currently one of the most promising near-term applications of quantum technology.

The first ICTP-IBM Richard Feyman Prize for Quantum Computing was awarded during a dedicated ceremony on 21 April 2026 at the ICTP. At the event, Ignacio Cirac gave a lecture on “Quantum computers and many-body states,” discussing how small-scale quantum computers and simulators can help us address challenging problems in many-body physics.

About the Award

The ICTP-IBM Richard Feynman Prize in Quantum Computing was established jointly by the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics and IBM in 2025. It is awarded to established career researchers who have made significant contributions to quantum computing, including theory, algorithms, applications, or simulations. The ICTP-IBM Richard Feynman Prize in Quantum Computing, named in honor of quantum mechanics pioneer Richard Feynman, is open to established career researchers who have made significant contributions to the field of quantum computing, including theory, algorithms, applications, or simulations. It is intended to be a top award in its field.

Source: Text adapted from the ICTP announcement.