image: Quantum Research Sciences has received a contract from the Defense Logistics Agency to create a tool to enhance DLA’s supply chain management capabilities and reduce the challenges associated with obsolescence. QRS personnel are (left to right) Andreas Jung, chief operating officer and Purdue University associate professor of physics and astronomy; CEO Ethan Krimins; and AJ Wildridge, chief technology officer and Purdue University doctoral student.
Credit: Purdue Research Foundation photo/Jennifer Mayberry)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University-connected software company Quantum Research Sciences (QRS) has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which contracts, purchases, distributes, stores and disposes of items for the Department of Defense.
QRS will leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing technologies to create the Product Obsolescence Prediction (POP) tool. This tool will enhance the DLA’s supply chain management capabilities and reduce the challenges associated with obsolescence.
Headquartered in Lafayette, QRS is a Purdue Innovates client company and an affiliate company of the Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute.
Challenges and risks caused by obsolescence
Ethan Krimins, chief executive officer of QRS, said the ability of the DOD to effectively defend the nation hinges on the efficient functioning of its thousands of systems, all of which are reliant on parts, materials and code.
“However, the life cycle of these components is not infinite, and any unplanned obsolescence threatens operational efficiency and force readiness,” he said. “Predicting and managing obsolescence is a complicated task. It necessitates a delicate balance between fulfilling combat requirements, budgeting, ensuring supplier stability, mitigating material failures, accommodating design alterations and monitoring system life cycles, among many other variables.”
Krimins said effective obsolescence management is fundamental to DLA’s mission and a cornerstone of a resilient and effective logistical operation.
“Managing obsolescence will streamline the procurement and upkeep of components within the supply chain, reducing operational disruptions and bolstering readiness,” he said. “This capability not only ensures the availability of needed parts but also contributes to a robust supply chain that can adeptly respond to evolving demands.”
The POP tool
Andreas Jung is chief operating officer at QRS and an associate professor of physics and astronomy in Purdue’s College of Science. He said leveraging the POP tool’s cutting-edge computing technologies will improve the DLA’s ability to manage part obsolescence.
“Combined, these technologies will provide predictive capabilities, analyze the complex web of interdependencies and automate obsolescence management processes that are, today, largely manual,” he said. “By innovating with AI/ML/QC-powered obsolescence process, DLA can also work toward its overarching objectives of supporting nuclear enterprise, force readiness and efficacy, and supply chain innovation and assurance.”
About Quantum Research Sciences
Quantum Research Sciences (QRS) is an American technology company focused on the discovery, development and delivery of practical quantum software. QRS created the DOD’s first operational quantum software and is working toward new quantum software applications every day. For more information on QRS, visit https://quantumresearchsciences.com/.
About Purdue Innovates
Purdue Innovates is a unified network at Purdue Research Foundation to assist Purdue faculty, staff, students and alumni in either IP commercialization or startup creation. As a conduit to technology commercialization, intellectual property protection and licensing, startup creation and venture capital, Purdue Innovates serves as the front door to translate new ideas into world-changing impact.
For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about involvement and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact Purdue Innovates at purdueinnovates@prf.org.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.