Moody’s recently sponsored the MIT iQuHack 2025, a significant event in the quantum computing community. Held in Boston from January 29 to February 2, the hackathon attracted over 1,600 students both in-person and online. The event featured keynotes at the MIT Stata Center, where Professor William Oliver discussed quantum technologies and their future potential.
The hackathon included a challenge set by Moody’s on topological data analysis (TDA) for financial bubble early warning. This task involved using quantum algorithms to detect shifts in financial structures by analyzing high-dimensional data. Quantum computers are seen as having the potential to accelerate TDA algorithms significantly.
Fifteen teams participated in Moody’s challenge, with twelve completing and presenting their projects. Three teams were awarded prizes for their innovative solutions. Notably, Saleh Naghdi, a former intern and previous winner of iQuHack 2024, returned to participate and secured second place.
The winning team, “Submitted by God at 11:59 p.m.”, included Alex Gu, Nishan Choutaje Jayarama, Seth Cox, Srishti Nautiyal, and Zhi Lin. They impressed judges with their presentation and optimization techniques for the quantum algorithm.
“The most outstanding aspect of the challenge for us was to explore and conceptualize financial applications of abstract concepts such as the Quantum Phase Estimator that until now we had only seen in our coursework,” said the winning team. They appreciated the interdisciplinary nature of the challenge while maintaining mathematical rigor.
Moody’s expressed gratitude to all participants and highlighted hackathons as valuable opportunities for innovation and talent discovery.
