In 2019 a paper by Google researchers appeared on a Nasa website. Although it was quickly deleted, the paper claimed that Google had built a Quantum computer that could carry out calculations beyond the ability of today's most powerful supercomputers.
Google have since confirmed that they have attained this capability; specifically: that their processor was able to perform a calculation in three minutes and 20 seconds that would take today's most advanced supercomputer 'Summit' 10,000 years to complete.
This landmark achievement heralded a new age of 'quantum supremacy'. But, how does this work? And, what does this mean for us?
The science that underpins quantum computing is a marvel in itself.
Traditional computers use binary elements or 'bits' which represent zero's or one's that store data and execute instructions. Conversely, quantum computing uses 'qubits', in essence the quantum version of a traditional bit. Quantum mechanics informs us that these 'qubits' can represent traditional 'bits' at the same time. In essence that the zero's and one's of traditional 'bits' can both exist at once. So, if we string these qubits together, the number of states they could represent rises exponentially, making it possible to compute millions of possibilities instantly.
So what...
Well, whilst the action occurs at the quantum level, the implications will be felt across the world. A recent BCG report proclaims: that Quantum Computing could 'change the game' in everything, from chemistry to cryptography; AI to agriculture.
And when you think about it, this makes perfect sense. Quantum computing, at its core, involves a vast increase in our computational capacity, allowing us to make calculations on a scale that is almost incomprehensible.
This is best illustrated by looking at some of quantum computing's potential 'action areas'.
The fusion of quantum computing and AI has become a booming research area. Take digital assistants for example, currently they are limited by their capacity to tackle problems. As Peter Chapman CEO of quantum computing start-up IonQ Inc notes, a quantum AI model, could see a digital assistant develop true contextual awareness and the ability to fully understand interaction with customers. A further explanation is provided here. The implications of this alone are vast- think e-commerce revolution!
This notion has been strengthened by IBM who claim that more generally quantum computing can allow AI systems to be faster; more accurate with their data classifications; and, to even identify patterns that are invisible to classical computers. With this we could according to IBM: solve traffic optimisation problems, discover new drugs, or detect new materials that are more energy efficient.
Another issue to be considered is security. This has been one of the major areas of concern relating to Quantum computing. Many important aspects of IT security rely on encryption and public key cryptography. These are based on mathematical algorithms that are hard to break. Usually these algorithms are immune to 'brute force attacks' (ie high computational capacity attacks), however it is possible to create unique algorithms for quantum computing that dramatically reduce the time it takes to break these algorithms,
This will break nearly every practical application of cryptography in use today, making e-commerce and many other digital applications that we rely on in our daily lives totally insecure. While quantum computing will offer us the ability to defend (as well as attack); our security, from our national defence systems all the way down to our online wallets, will likely, for at least a transitory phase, become more precarious.
Realistically we are looking at a horizon of between 5 and 10 years for the impact of quantum computing to really register, however be in no doubt that it will be a phenomenally salient force in all our lives. Yes, there are concerns; however, as has been noted in other articles, the scale and complexity of the challenges that we must solve this century are unprecedented and perhaps beyond the limits of our natural cognition. Quantum computing may well be the panacea for these problems and it should be welcomed.
That said, caution and a highly involved regulatory approach are needed. Unlike AI or bitcoin, we must not allow government to be playing catch up with this new and potent technological force.
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