Quantum computing is setting the stage for a new generation of supercomputers. These quantum computers are expected to outperform existing technology in areas such as modeling, logistics, trend analysis, cryptography, and artificial intelligence.
Quantum Computing Explained
The idea of quantum computing was first imagined in the early 1980s by Richard Feynman and Yuri Manin. Feynman and Manin believed that a quantum computer could simulate data in ways that a desktop computer could not. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that researchers built the first quantum computers. The primary processing unit of quantum computing is quantum bits or qubits. Qubits are created in the quantum computer using the quantum mechanical properties of single atoms, sub-atomic particles, or superconducting electrical circuits. Qubits are similar to the bits used by desktop computers in that qubits can be in a 1 or 0 quantum state. Qubits differ in that they can also be in a superposition of the 1 and 0 states, meaning that qubits can represent both 1 and 0 simultaneously. When qubits are in superposition, two quantum states are added together and result in another quantum state. Superposition means that multiple computations are processed simultaneously. So, two qubits can represent four numbers simultaneously. Regular computers process bits in only one of two possible states, 1 or 0, and computations are processed one at a time. Quantum computers also use entanglement to process qubits. When a qubit is entangled, the state of that qubit depends on the state of another qubit so that one qubit reveals the state of its unobserved pair.
The Quantum Processor Is the Core of the Computer
Creating qubits is a difficult task. It takes a frozen environment to maintain a qubit for any length of time. The superconducting materials required to create a qubit must be cooled to absolute zero (about minus 272 Celsius). The qubits must also be shielded from background noise to reduce errors in the computation. The inside of a quantum computer looks like a fancy gold chandelier. And, yes, it is made with real gold. It’s a dilution refrigerator that cools the quantum chips so that the computer can create superpositions and entangle qubits without losing any of the information. The quantum computer makes these qubits from any material that displays quantum mechanical properties that can be controlled. Quantum computing projects create qubits in different ways, such as looping superconducting wire, spinning electrons, and trapping ions or pulses of photons. These qubits only exist in the sub-freezing temperatures created in the dilution refrigerator.
The Quantum Computing Programming Language
Quantum algorithms analyze the data and offer simulations based on the data. These algorithms are written in a quantum-focused programming language. Several quantum languages have been developed by researchers and technology companies. These are a few of the quantum computing programming languages:
QISKit: The Quantum Information Software Kit from IBM is a full-stack library to write, simulate, and run quantum programs. Q#: The programming language included in the Microsoft Quantum Development Kit. The development kit includes a quantum simulator and algorithm libraries. Cirq: A quantum language developed by Google that uses a python library to write circuits and run these circuits in quantum computers and simulators. Forest: A developer environment created by Rigetti Computing that writes and runs quantum programs.
Uses for Quantum Computing
Real quantum computers have become available in the last few years, and only a few large technology companies have a quantum computer. Some of these technology companies include Google, IBM, Intel, and Microsoft. These technology leaders are working with manufacturers, financial services firms, and biotech firms to solve a variety of problems. The availability of quantum computer services and the advancement in computing power gives researchers and scientists new tools to find solutions to problems that were previously impossible to solve. Quantum computing has reduced the amount of time and resources it takes to analyze incredible amounts of data, create simulations about that data, develop solutions, and create new technologies that fix problems. Business and industry use quantum computing to explore new ways of doing business. Here are a few of the quantum computing projects that may benefit business and society:
The aerospace industry uses quantum computing to investigate better ways to manage air traffic.Financial and investment firms hope to use quantum computing to analyze the risk and return of financial investments, optimize portfolio strategies, and settle financial transitions.Manufacturers are adopting quantum computing to improve their supply chains, create efficiencies in their manufacturing processes, and develop new products.Biotech firms are exploring ways to accelerate the discovery of new drugs.
Find a Quantum Computer and Experiment With Quantum Computing
Some computer scientists develop methods to simulate quantum computing on a desktop computer. Many of the world’s largest technology companies offer quantum services. When paired with desktop computers and systems, these quantum services create an environment where quantum processing—with desktop computers—solves complex problems.
IBM offers the IBM Q environment with access to several real quantum computers and simulations you can use through the cloud. Alibaba Cloud offers a quantum computing cloud platform where you can run and test custom-built quantum codes. Microsoft offers a quantum development kit that includes the Q# programming language, quantum simulators, and development libraries of ready-to-use code. Rigetti has a quantum-first cloud platform that is currently in beta. Their platform is pre-configured with their Forest SDK.
Quantum Computing News in the Future
The dream is that quantum computers will solve problems currently too large and too complex to solve with standard hardware—particularly for environmental modeling and disease containment. Desktop computers don’t have the space to run these complex calculations and perform this incredible amount of data analysis. Quantum computing takes the largest big data collections and processes this information in a fraction of the time it would take on a desktop computer. Data that would take a desktop computer several years to process and analyze takes just a few days for a quantum computer. Quantum computing is still in its infancy, but it has the potential to solve the most complex world problems at the speed of light. It’s anybody’s guess as to how far quantum computing will grow and to the availability of quantum computers.
