{"id":356,"date":"2020-03-26T11:53:37","date_gmt":"2020-03-26T11:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/51.75.254.207\/Club-Freelance\/?p=356"},"modified":"2024-03-19T08:45:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T08:45:58","slug":"brief-intro-to-quantum-computing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/?p=356","title":{"rendered":"Brief\u202fIntro\u202fto Quantum\u202fComputing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The advent of quantum computing marks a pivotal moment in the ever-evolving landscape of technology. From the inception of ENIAC nearly 80 years ago to the present day, the pursuit of computational power has driven innovation, leading us to the frontier of quantum mechanics. With traditional computing reaching its limits, the emergence of quantum computing offers unprecedented possibilities, revolutionizing how we process information and tackle complex problems. <\/p>\n

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Quantum computers<\/strong>, how they were created\u202f<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Computer manufacturers have\u202fbeen pushing the frontiers of engineering since then. To\u202fachieve\u202fexponentially\u202fmore\u202fpowerful computing\u202fwhile reducing\u202fhardware size.\u202fIntel co-founder Gordon Moore\u202ffamously predicted\u202fthat\u202fthe\u202fcontinuous shrinking of\u202ftransistors would\u202fallow\u202fcomputer\u202fchips to\u202fdouble their\u202fprocessing\u202fpower\u202fevery two years.\u202fThe forecast\u202fbecame known as Moore\u2019s Law, and it has\u202fguided\u202fthe semiconductor industry\u202ffor\u202fover\u202fhalf\u202fa century.\u202fBut things are changing.<\/p>\n

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It turns out\u202fyou can\u202fonly\u202fsqueeze\u202fso much\u202fout of\u202fa single\u202ftechnological development.\u202fWith time,\u202fchip components have become so small\u202fthat\u202ftheir\u202finnovation\u202fand manufacturing\u202fare\u202fbecoming\u202fprohibitively costly and slow.\u202fJust the research needed\u202fto\u202fstick\u202fto\u202fMoore\u2019s Law\u202fcosts silicon chip\u202fproducers 18 times more than it did in 1971; \u202faccording to economists<\/strong><\/a>\u202fat Stanford and MIT.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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As a result, we\u202fmust\u202fput\u202fthe\u202ffocus on\u202fdeveloping a\u202ftechnological successor\u202fthat allows us to\u202fkeep up with\u202four\u202fcurrent\u202fpace\u202fof progress\u202f–\u202fenter quantum computing.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Quantum vs\u202ftraditional\u202fcomputers<\/strong>\u202f\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Traditional computing is\u202fbased\u202fon\u202fthe accumulated interactions\u202fof\u202fbasic units of information: bits.\u202fThese can hold two possible values, either 1 or 0\u202f\u2013 hence the binary\u202fdenomination.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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However, quantum computers operate by leveraging\u202fquantum\u202fmechanics\u202fand information theory (i.e. the properties of atoms,\u202fof\u202fmatter itself).\u202fThe basic unit\u202fof\u202finformation in quantum information theory is called a qubit. It can hold the value of 1 and 0, but also of everything in between \u2013 all at the same time.\u202fThis property called quantum superposition describes the\u202funcertainty of a particle\u2019s state until\u202fthis\u202fis measured. And\u202falso it\u202fis best explained by using the example of Schrodinger’s cat.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Schrodinger theory application<\/h2>\n

In this classic problem of logic, Schrodinger puts a cat\u202fin a closed box with\u202fa\u202fdeadly poison. While the\u202fbox\u202fremains\u202fclosed, it is impossible to\u202ftell\u202fif the cat has taken the poison and is therefore dead, or if\u202fthe poison\u202flays\u202funtouched and the cat is\u202fstill alive. The cat being dead or alive\u202frepresents the 1 or 0 in a\u202fqubit.\u202fBut here it\u2019s where it gets tricky.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Since we can\u2019t\u202freally\u202fsay\u202fwhether the cat is still alive or dead; quantum mechanics tells us that the cat\u202fis both alive\u202f(1)\u202fand\u202fdead\u202f(0). And everything in between\u202fat the same time. That is, of course, until we open the box and see what happened. In this example, opening the box would be\u202fequivalent\u202fto measuring the state\u202for value\u202fof a\u202fqubit.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Down to\u202fthe practical level; and beyond giving some of us a mild headache; what\u202fall of\u202fthis\u202fessentially\u202fmeans is that\u202fquantum computers can\u202fperform some calculations\u202fincredibly\u202ffaster than traditional ones. And that is because they offer a completely different approach to mathematical problems.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Let\u2019s say we find ourselves in the middle of a labyrinth… And need to find the way out as quickly as possible. Whereas a traditional computer\u202fwould try the various possible routes one at a time, a quantum computer can try all the paths at once.\u202fThis allows\u202fthese machines to be way better than traditional computers at solving certain types of problems. Like\u202ffactoring large numbers or cracking a code.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Quantum supremacy <\/h2>\n

The triumph of quantum computers over traditional ones is what is known as quantum supremacy. Such\u00a0a\u00a0milestone\u202fwill be\u202freached when a quantum computer\u00a0can\u00a0beat the most advanced supercomputer\u00a0at\u00a0the planet at a\u202fparticular task\u202for benchmark test.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Google claimed to have achieved quantum supremacy last year. Although\u202fmany\u202fhave cast<\/strong><\/a> \u202fa shadow of doubt over that claim, it gives us a good idea of what this technology can achieve. But also what this technology will achieve soon enough. The company\u2019s quantum computer allegedly took 200 seconds to\u202fperform a task that would take\u202fIBM\u2019s\u202fSummit\u202f<\/em>(the world\u2019s fastest supercomputer)\u202f10,000 years to complete.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Quantum Computing and Cybersecurity<\/h2>\n

In the realm of cybersecurity, quantum computing presents both opportunities and challenges. On one hand, the immense computational power of quantum systems has the potential to revolutionize encryption algorithms. Rendering current cryptographic methods obsolete. Quantum-resistant cryptography, such as lattice-based cryptography and quantum key distribution, offers promising solutions to mitigate the threat posed by quantum computers to conventional encryption methods.<\/p>\n

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However, the same quantum capabilities that enable advancements in cryptography also pose a threat to cybersecurity infrastructure. Quantum computers could theoretically break widely used encryption protocols, jeopardizing the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data. As quantum computing continues to advance, it becomes imperative for cybersecurity professionals to adapt and develop quantum-safe cryptographic techniques. This to safeguard digital assets in the quantum era.<\/p>\n

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What\u202flies\u202fahead for\u202fquantum computing<\/strong>\u202f\u00a0<\/h2>\n

So, when will\u202fI\u202fbe able\u202fto buy a\u202fquantum computer?\u202fWell,\u202fit is highly unlikely that you\u2019ll be carrying around a quantum laptop in the year 2050\u202f–\u202for any time after that\u202ffor that fact.\u202fAnd\u202fthat\u2019s not\u202fonly\u202fbecause of technical limitations (which of course\u202fare plenty), but\u202falso\u202fbecause you will not need to.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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On the hardware side of things, the biggest limiting factor is the high instability of quantum states.\u202fMaintain qubits stable and superposed\u202frequires cooling them at temperatures near absolute zero.\u202fIn plain language:\u202fto have a controllable and accurate quantum computer, you need, as of today, a huge refrigerating apparatus.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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As for their potential applications — quantum computers\u202fcannot only\u202fbe extremely advantageous in certain fields\u202fand problems of today; they also open the doors to a new realm of capabilities that we are not even\u202fable\u202fto imagine at this point.\u202fHowever,\u202fall\u202fthese applications will probably have nothing to do with the everyday tasks reserved for\u202fpersonal\u202fcomputers\u202fand smartphones.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The true power of quantum computing, at least in theory, resides in their power to\u202fmake endless calculations possible\u202fin a reasonable amount of time. There are already\u202fmany algorithms<\/strong><\/a>\u202fdesigned to exploit\u202fthese capabilities, promising great leaps forward in areas like data analysis, cryptography and artificial intelligence.\u202fAdditionally, there are other quantum properties, like entanglement, which we are barely starting to study\u202f–\u202fwe will be discussing them in a future article.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Only time will tell which\u202fpaths\u202fare viable.\u202fThe clock is ticking, and it\u2019s a quantum one.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Also discover our articles: 4 Things Sci-Fi Might Still Get Right by 2029<\/a> and The Advantages of Working On-Site in Times of COVID-19<\/a><\/p>\n

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It was the first purely electronic computational machine : brief\u202fIntro\u202fto\u202fQuantum\u202fComputing\u202fwith Mission Control Center news by Mindquest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[775,755],"tags":[149,146,147,574,112,148],"class_list":["post-356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-review","category-tech-magazine","tag-computers","tag-future","tag-it","tag-quantum-computer","tag-quantum-computing","tag-quantum-supremacy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=356"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9438,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356\/revisions\/9438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-uk.mindquest.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}