Today, the world is facing centuries of revolutionary and groundbreaking discoveries. Advances such as the invention of the microscope or the discovery of the structure of DNA laid the foundation for numerous scientific advances. In doing so, they have deepened our understanding of nature and led to technologies that shape our daily lives. The symbiosis of these knowledge and technologies plays a crucial role in modern science. They open the door to new possibilities for researchers to efficiently process large amounts of data, simulate complex models and promote interdisciplinary collaboration.
Accelerating academic research and influencing the pace of science: this is the task that hardware and software developer and technology giant Microsoft has turned to. With its cloud platform Microsoft Azure and the Azure Quantum solution, Microsoft offers researchers worldwide tools that integrate both traditional and groundbreaking new technologies. This technological revolution marks a significant advance in the way scientific discoveries are made and implemented, and helps to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
Getting started with Microsoft Academic
The software company Microsoft has been involved in the academic and scientific field for many years. A well-known example, which found its home in German universities between 2016 and 2021, is Microsoft Academic. With this product, the company pursued the goal of supporting scientists and students in their research. Microsoft Academic used artificial intelligence to analyze scientific documents and extract relevant information. This enabled precise semantic search and personalized recommendations that helped users find important and current research results.
Another ability of the system was to evaluate and classify scientific papers. This enabled it to highlight the most relevant content. Although Microsoft Academic was discontinued on December 31, 2021, it laid the foundation for Microsoft’s involvement in scientific research. The knowledge and technologies gained were used to develop new tools and platforms. These are now offered by Microsoft – including Microsoft Azure and Azure Quantum.
Research and cloud computing
Accelerate academic research: The Microsoft Azure cloud platform has established itself as an indispensable tool for scientific research. It offers researchers worldwide an open, flexible and global infrastructure that supports a variety of programming languages, tools and frameworks. These functions enable scientists to analyze large amounts of data more efficiently and simulate complex models more quickly. This enables them to accelerate the gain of their research results.
One example is the collaboration between Politecnico di Milano University, which used cloud computing to develop an IoT system for monitoring archaeological sites. The Australian National University also used the system’s features to conduct groundbreaking genomic studies.
Another example that illustrates in more detail how cloud computing accelerates research comes from the University of Pittsburgh. Here, researchers were able to use Microsoft Azure to create a secure research environment to analyze sensitive biomedical data:
“Researchers in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Biomedical Informatics needed to provide access to sensitive biomedical data to several outside researchers to expedite treatment for patients in need. They worked with Microsoft cloud solution architects through Pitt Information Technology, the university’s central IT department, to quickly set up a secure research environment using Microsoft Azure. Now the university has a blueprint for replicating that secure environment, allowing broad and secure access to sensitive data from multiple sources. University officials expect this will speed up clinical trial approvals and facilitate access to funding for Pitt’s extensive research community. ”
- Costumer Stories: University of Pittsburgh (July 8, 2021) – University of Pittsburgh innovates in biomedical research by securing data in the cloud
The future of quantum research
The functions of the symbiosis AI (artificial intelligence), cloud and IoT (Internet of Things) also marked a significant step in quantum research. In this context, the focus is on the Azure Quantum solution. This deals extensively with quantum computing. These are systems that use the principles of quantum mechanics to carry out complex calculations. These cannot be carried out by classical computers because they use quantum bits (qubits) and the physics phenomena Superposition and entanglement cannot handle. By exploiting the phenomena, quantum computers can solve a variety of problems in different fields – including cryptography, data analysis and drug discovery.
Azure Quantum is considered an advanced quantum computing platform that enables scientists to develop quantum algorithms and run them in a cloud environment. This enables them to tackle complex scientific challenges and gain new insights. In addition to the platform, Microsoft has also set itself the goal of developing a fully scalable quantum computer with more than a million stable qubits. This quantum computer is intended to set new standards for researchers and scientists around the world and enable revolutionary discoveries in chemistry, materials science and many other disciplines.
The future of science
In conclusion, research benefits significantly from innovations in AI, cloud computing and IoT. These technologies enable researchers from different disciplines, such as biomedicine, materials science and environmental research, to collaborate and solve complex problems. Students and researchers alike have the opportunity to accelerate their research and gain new insights.
The integration of different systems, far beyond Microsoft’s offerings, enables precise analysis of large data sets, while IoT sensors can collect and process data in real time. For scientists, researchers and students, it may be crucial to deal with the topics of technology and digital in the future. The rule is: If you want to shape the future, you have to be familiar with the present. In order to be informed about the latest systems and technologies, platforms such as Winboard.org represent a valuable resource. Such websites and forums provide up-to-date information about new technologies and systems. In addition, opportunities for discussion and exchange of experiences can be crucial for innovative research approaches.
05.07.2024