The Port of Los Angeles is the largest facility for handling shipborne cargo in the United States. With the help of quantum computing, the port’s second-largest shipping container terminal, Pier 300, dramatically streamlined its operations.

As renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind become more popular, they face challenges becoming part of electric grids designed for traditional sources of power. Now researchers suggest another promising technology, quantum computing, may help lead to major advances.

Recent moves from computer titans such as Google and IBM and pharmaceutical giants like Roche and Merck & Co., Inc. suggest drug research might prove to be among quantum computing’s first killer apps. The reasons? Time and money.

Somewhere between microwave ovens and infrared night vision, there’s a once-neglected space overlooked by engineers called the Terahertz Gap.

Dr. Yaakov Weinstein is chief scientist of quantum technologies at The MITRE Corporation, a major research organization that conducts and supports research from government and industry on topics important to national security and stability.

Dr. Joseph S. Broz is vice president for quantum growth and market development at IBM, where he’s responsible for driving commercial quantum applications and business adoption of advanced quantum computing capabilities.

Jay Lowell is a principal senior technical fellow at The Boeing Company, where he helps guide technical strategy and research implementation regarding disruptive emerging technologies.

This issue of Virginia Economic Review takes a deep dive into the controlled environment agriculture industry’s past, present, and future, while highlighting traditional agricultural operations in Virginia. Article highlights include:

When The Turman Group began focusing on exporting nearly 20 years ago, they saw the potential for new markets, increased sales, and improved resiliency with domestic economic issues, but also saw the potential downsides that come with opening up to new clients. When they hired someone to oversee exports in 2006, one of their first major projects was a VEDP trade mission to China.

The most advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) operations are fully automated systems that deliver the exact environmental conditions required by specific plants, including the optimum temperature, humidity, and light levels. CEA operations can grow large amounts of produce while using significantly less water and land and eliminating the need for certain pesticides and fertilizers. VEDP spoke with CEOs from major CEA companies on how technological advancements will affect the future of the agriculture industry in Virginia and beyond.