Nov

4

Quantum computers seem like a promising technology.

1. "Imagine you have a maze and there are billions of ways to turn left and right and you are given five minutes to get through. With conventional computing you would try each path sequentially." But quantum computing would allow all possible paths to be tested simultaneously with an answer given immediately. This is the power that is possible with the technology, he said."

2. "In classical computers, data is rendered as binary bits, which are always in one of two states: 0 or 1. However, a qubit can exist in both of these states at once, a condition known as a superposition. A qubit operation exploits this quantum weirdness by allowing many computations to be performed in parallel (a two-qubit system performs the operation on 4 values, a three-qubit system on 8, and so on). As a result, quantum computers will far exceed today's most powerful super computers, and offer enormous advantages for a range of complex problems, such as rapidly scouring vast databases, modelling financial markets, optimizing huge metropolitan transport networks, and modelling complex biological molecules."

3. With its extraordinary computing power, a quantum computer is potentially able to solve highly complex problems, in particular optimisation issues. In the field of healthcare, quantum computers will "make it easier to analyse genetic information and identify a person's genetic heritage," Murray Thom, Director of Professional Services at D-Wave, one of the first companies to develop commercial applications for quantum computers, explained to L'Atelier, adding: "Researchers will then be able to use this information to decide on treatment options."


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  1. Big Al on November 4, 2015 5:03 pm

    “But quantum computing would allow all possible paths to be tested simultaneously with an answer given immediately”

    According to the strap-line of Scott Aaronson’s website ( http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/ ) a quantum computer would not test all possible paths simultaneously.

  2. MattF on December 17, 2015 1:26 pm

    Quantum computing is like Sea-Monkeys - a wonderful prospect followed by deep disappointment. Yes, working qubits can be manufactured, but encoding a real-world problem, no matter how trivial, into a quantum-solvable physical representation requires a self-defeatingly colossal amount of work.

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