As technology continues to expand, develop, and evolve at an exponential rate, humans keep pushing the boundaries on how we interact with our devices and the world as a whole. One of the ways in which computers have evolved is the creation of quantum computing and although it sounds like something straight out of a science fiction movie, it is not from the 23rd century. Nevertheless, it is still in its beginning stages of development.
The race is on as the largest companies research and develop their own quantum computing systems, but what is this new technology that is still in its early developments? Let’s look at what the future holds for computing.
What is Quantum Computing?
We all know that computing refers to our devices and computers specifically, but what is the quantum part of quantum computing? The word quantum here is referring to quantum mechanics, a branch of physics that is much more complex than what we can perceive.
But what is a quantum computer exactly? The complexity behind quantum mechanics also applies to quantum computing; our classical computer models rely on a binary system of 1s and 0s; in contrast, quantum computing works with all the numbers between 1 and 0.
These bits between 1 and 0 are called qubits (qu is pronounced like the letter q) and because of quantum mechanics principles such as superposition and entanglement, they can run multidimensional quantum algorithms beyond the ability of normal computers. As the world continues to tackle more complex and confounding questions and issues, quantum computing can meet the required levels of complexity that classical computers just can’t with their binary systems. So how do these futuristic machines work?
How Do Quantum Computers Work?
A computer comes in many forms and has changed its shape since its inception, having shrunk down to the size that fits in the palm of your hand; however, in the case of a quantum computer, we are just discovering what this machine can truly do. Just like those first super computers that were created in the 1960s, quantum computers require a lot of space for its hardware: approximately the size of a car. Despite this, a quantum processor is similar in size to that of a laptop processor. The hardware is so large mostly due to the need for cooling systems that maintain its very low temperature.
The quantum mechanics concepts of superconductors, superposition, entanglement, and interference hold great importance for carrying out quantum computing. Let’s dive deeper into their roles in making quantum computing possible.
Superconductors
For quantum computing to happen, scientists must lower temperatures to a fraction above absolute zero to ensure that electrons move through certain materials without resistance and maintain a quantum state. When these materials display this quantum effect, they become superconductors that the electrons pass through and find pairs that carry a charge across insulators through quantum channeling. When you have two superconductors on both sides of an insulator, you create a Josephson junction, which superconduct qubits. In doing so, the qubits can be controlled and provide quantum information.
Superposition
Now that we know that the basic unit of quantum computing is a qubit, we also need to be aware that on their own, they do nothing; however, by applying the concept of superposition, or the ability to hold a quantum multiple states, all the qubits with their quantum information puts the quantum information into a state of superposition and as a result, all possible configurations of the qubit are shown.
When scientists can cause a group of qubits to enter a state of superposition, they create multidimensional computational spaces that can handle tricky and highly complex problems and represent those problems in new ways.
Entanglement
Unlike superposition, entanglement is a concept that you may be more familiar with since it is simpler and more popular as an idea that quantum mechanics has explored and discussed openly. Quantum entanglement describes the idea that two separate objects share the same correlative behavior and regarding qubits, if they are entangled, modifying one affects the other directly.
Interference
When we combine the previous concepts and create a space where entangled qubits are in a state of superposition, waves of probabilities exist and represent the probabilities of an outcome. Given the probability of one wave or another, they can build on one another or cancel each other out, which both count as different types of interference.
Thanks to interference, the higher probability outcomes triumph over the lower ones that end up canceling each other out; thus, scientists have a final answer, which is composed of the amplified outcomes.
Although these concepts are confusing, it’s important that you understand the main idea behind all these complex concepts: quantum computers manipulate the laws of quantum mechanics that create multidimensional quantum algorithms capable of solving highly complex problems in a fraction of the time than classical computers can.
How Can We Use Quantum Computing?
Quantum computing is not something that we will see in people’s homes any time soon, especially since you would need a space that could keep the hardware near the temperature of outer space. The largest companies and organizations in the world are investing both their money and time into research and development, attempting to unlock the mysteries behind quantum computing.
We know that quantum computing is best applied to complex problems since it can run quantum algorithms in several multidimensional computational spaces at once. So what are the issues that quantum computer services can solve? Let’s dive in
Cybersecurity cryptography: quantum computers have the ability to break past cryptographic systems that would be impossible to do on a classical computer and thanks to quantum key distribution, they can improve security.
Simulation and modeling: one of the strengths of quantum computing is not using its brute force to reach the final solution, so when it comes to creating models and solutions where the possibilities and probabilities are unknown, they are very efficient. For scientists in the fields of chemistry and material science, the creation of these models benefit their work greatly.
Weather forecasting: have you ever carried your umbrella around the whole day and not felt a raindrop touch your head? Weather forecasts are still unreliable sometimes; however, quantum computing could significantly enhance their certainty.
Drug discovery: instead of using traditional methods that take a long time to complete, chemists can leverage quantum computing to simulate how molecules interact.
Financial modeling: requiring a large amount of data to predict, financial models are useful for avoiding risky investments and ensuring safer choices are made since they include data from many factors and possible scenarios.
Traffic optimization: infrastructure is a complex interconnected system that constantly shifts due to neverending movement patterns of people, weather conditions, schedules, public transportation, and traffic signals. With the aid of quantum computing, traffic would be regulated more efficiently than ever before.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence: although machine learning and artificial intelligence are already quite fast, quantum computing can speed up the process, which in the case of AI handling large datasets makes a huge difference in completion time. The use of quantum computing with machine learning and artificial intelligence will revolutionize their future application.
As quantum computing evolves and researchers dive deeper into its potential, more uses will come to light and the future application of quantum computing will change the world.
Quantum Computing Companies
There are many companies that are putting their resources into discovering more about the power of quantum computing because they know the future is quantum. Some of these companies include:
IBM
Microsoft
Google
Rigetti Computing
JPMorgan Chase
ProteinQure
Quantinuum
Baidu
Post-Quantum
Alibaba Group
Toshiba
D-Wave Systems
There are many more than just these companies that are researching quantum computing and there are even organizations and universities that have their toes dipped into the pool alongside them. It’s important to remember that the idea was formed as early as the 1980s and the use of the first quantum computing model was demonstrated around 1998. More than twenty years of research and effort may seem like a lot; however, given the complexity of the theories alone, there are still kinks to work out.
Quantum computing obstacles
Despite its clear potential as a technological marvel that will change the world, there are still some obstacles to overcome, which include:
Error correction: these machines are quite sensitive to errors because they are dealing with algorithms in a quantum state where there is a lot of quantum noise and the possibility of decoherence. To remedy this, developers need to design robust error-correction mechanisms that reduce the probability of it happening.
Scalability: qubits are sensitive in their quantum states and to maintain and manipulate them, they require more reliable quantum computers. As the number of qubits in a quantum computer increases, the more difficult it can be to create the right environment for them, so adapting and scaling is quite the arduous undertaking.
Hardware requirements: we already know that the hardware required for quantum computing is difficult to create and it is a major barrier to anything beyond company use. Recreating and maintaining an almost absolute zero environment is not only complicated, but also expensive.
It’s clear that quantum computing is difficult to carry out but nevertheless, its potential is limitless. Little by little, researchers and scientists are discovering more and more about how to better manipulate, maintain, and leverage qubits and it’s a truly exciting field since it’s still early in its development.
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