Information security based on the laws of physics, the ability to design and create new materials and pharmaceuticals at a fraction of today’s costs are just a few of the possibilities described by University of Bristol academic Professor Jeremy O’Brien at the World Economic Forum meeting of the new Champions 2012, which took place in Tianjin, China.

Professor O’Brien, Director of the Centre for Quantum Photonics at the University of Bristol gave an invited talk on the future of information and communications technology (ICT) and the impact the quantum technologies revolution will have on the future of society and economics.

As one of only three young scientists selected by the European Research Council (ERC) to give a talk, Professor O’Brien articulated his vision to an international audience of senior political and business leaders.

‘Quantum technologies offer ultra-secure communications, sensors of unprecedented precision and computers that are exponentially more powerful than any supercomputer for some tasks,’ he said. 'Quantum technologies will fundamentally change our lives and the first devices are only a few years from market.’

As the holder of a prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Quantum Engineering, Professor O’Brien has a ten-year vision to engineer new quantum technologies that will inevitably disrupt today’s ICT models, creating new businesses and valuable new markets.

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions provides a platform for the rising generation of global leaders from business and society to contribute to broader policy discussions and engage with the world’s top business executives. The New Champions are led by the Forum’s growing Global Growth Companies Community as well as the communities of Technology Pioneers, Young Global Leaders, Global Shapers and Young Scientists.