Quantum Universe EXPO

From March 11 to 13, 2026, we held the QI4U Workshop in Peru.
In this event, participants learned the basics of quantum annealing and mathematical optimization, while also working on social challenges by developing their own ideas and presenting them in final presentations.

On the first day, we faced some technical and streaming troubles, and attendance at the beginning was lower than expected, which made for a somewhat tense start from the organizers’ point of view.
To respond to the situation, we adjusted the starting time and began with the opening session, followed by Professor Ohzeki’s lecture. Once the lecture began, the atmosphere in the room changed completely, and it was impressive to see how attentively everyone listened.

During one lecture, we asked the participants, “What is quantum?”
This immediately sparked lively discussion among them, and they shared surprisingly detailed ideas with one another.
At the same time, because the discussion became so animated in Spanish, it was sometimes difficult to shift the conversation back into English. Still, this showed how actively the participants were thinking and engaging with the topic, and we could already feel the strong energy in the room from the very first day.

Later, when we asked them to solve a QUBO optimization problem involving frustration, the discussion became even more active, and the venue was filled with excitement.
In the next session, Mr. Hayakawa from JICA gave a lecture. We were deeply impressed by the unexpectedly broad scope of the activities he introduced, and it was also clear that the students were highly interested in the issues affecting their own country.

In the afternoon, we gave lectures on quantum annealing and mathematical optimization. In Kato’s session, the audience actively participated in the discussion, creating an interactive environment in which everyone could learn about mathematical optimization together.
We were also amazed to find that one participant independently came up with a penalty-based approach that we had not even taught, demonstrating remarkable flexibility and creativity in their thinking.

At the end of the first day, Irina, a mentor from EQUIPU, a PUCP student organization, led an ice-breaking and brainstorming session.

This was followed by a talk from Sebastián, who runs a robotics business in Peru. In fact, this lecture only came together through last-minute coordination the day before the event, but it turned out to be a highly inspiring opportunity for the participants.

After that, the students began group work, exchanging ideas freely and building the foundation for the projects they would develop on the following days.

The second day was devoted to turning ideas into concrete problems and implementing them.
In particular, the formulation process proved to be very challenging for many groups. Deciding what variables to use, what objective function to define, and what constraints to impose is one of the most important parts of optimization, but also one of the most difficult.

Then, the groups gave interim presentations, followed by a lecture on presentation skills by Joseph from EQUIPU. The students listened attentively, eager to use what they learned to make their presentations clearer and more effective.

In the final stretch of group work, team members divided roles such as implementing SA,developing the frontend, and preparing the presentation materials, and continued working collaboratively. Even while facing technical challenges, it was very impressive to see how each team kept moving forward together.

The final day began with a last push toward the presentations.
Each group continued editing and refining their work until the very end, doing their best to complete everything in time for the final session.

In the final presentations, each group proposed an optimization-based approach to a different social challenge.

• Group C worked on optimization to reduce treatment cancellations.
• Group D focused on traffic signal optimization to reduce congestion.
• Group B tackled doctor-patient scheduling optimization to improve medical efficiency.
• Group A worked on optimization for skincare products.

Each presentation reflected the participants’ own interests and perspectives, making them all highly engaging.
The winning team was Group A. Their project was especially well received because of both the uniqueness of their theme and their attempt to go as far as mathematical formulation.

At the end of the event, we took a group photo together, bringing the three-day workshop to a successful close.

This workshop was not simply about teaching technology. It was also an opportunity to witness participants thinking in their own words, engaging in discussion, and creating something tangible together.
Between the language barrier, technical difficulties, the challenges of formulation, and all the preparation involved, these three days were far from easy. Nevertheless, being able to overcome these obstacles together and produce visible outcomes as a whole was a major achievement.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who participated, as well as all those who supported us through lectures and event management.
Through events like this, we hope to continue making quantum annealing and optimization more accessible, while also building a growing community of people who are ready to take on social challenges.