SQC and Schneider Electric Advance Quantum-Enhanced Energy Forecasting

Insider Brief

• Silicon Quantum Computing and Schneider Electric advanced to Stage 2 of Australia’s Critical Technologies Challenge Program with A$3.6 million in funding to expand their quantum-enhanced energy forecasting work with UNSW Sydney.
• In Stage 1, SQC’s Watermelon quantum-enhanced AI chip improved next-day energy forecasting accuracy by an average of 20% against a classical benchmark, with gains of up to 41%.
• Stage 2 will expand the modelling to hundreds of Australian homes and integrate Watermelon directly into Schneider Electric’s AI workflows.

PRESS RELEASE — Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC) and Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, have progressed to Stage 2 of the Australian Government’s Critical Technologies Challenge Program (CTCP), receiving A$3.6 million (US$2.5m) in funding to continue their work in partnership with UNSW Sydney.

Energy grids are under increasing pressure and urgent solutions are required. As rooftop solar, home batteries and electric vehicles become widespread, household energy systems have become more dynamic and difficult to predict. Schneider Electric uses advanced forecasting and optimisation technologies to help balance distributed energy resources, including forecasting when to switch back and forth to solar energy deployment.