Quantum computing is the most mysterious and as yet unexplored area of all quantum technologies. New materials for cars and airplanes, medicines for previously incurable diseases, instant optimization of hundreds of different parameters – all this is expected from a quantum computer in the next decade.
What is quantum computing?
Quantum computing is the solution of problems by manipulating quantum objects: atoms, molecules, photons, electrons, and specially created macrostructures. Their use allows scientists to achieve two quantum phenomena – superposition and entanglement. Thanks to this, researchers can synthesize new materials, drugs, as well as model complex molecules and solve optimization problems that are currently inaccessible to the most powerful computers.
If you look at the English term (English quantum computing), you will find that a quantum computer is essentially the future product of those very mysterious quantum computing. In general, quantum computing systems are divided into two main classes – quantum computers and quantum simulators.
Quantum physics technologies — communications and sensors — are actively used in modern world practice, unlike quantum computing, which has only just begun to enter the specialized market. Thus, in 2017, the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched a quantum communication line that connected Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the first quantum communication satellite. Sensors are now used in astronomy, geography, meteorology and medicine.
The current development of physics is considered to be the era of the second quantum revolution . The starting point of the first is considered to be the discovery of quantum theory in 1900. Thanks to the development of this area of physics, lasers and computers appeared, and with them – the Internet, cellular communications, consumer electronics, LED lamps, complex microscopes, digital cameras and magnetic resonance imaging.
How is a quantum computer different from a regular one?
Because scientists build quantum computers on several different platforms (which we’ll discuss below), the appearance of these machines also varies from one to another.
Modern superconductor quantum computers look more like steampunk chandeliers and operate at a specific temperature: each level of the machine requires its own microclimate. If the room gets warmer or colder, the computer becomes useless. Quantum computers use a liquid helium cooling system to operate. The computer itself is enclosed in a cylindrical case with cooling system pumps. A number of traditional computers are connected to this structure to solve problems. Inside, the quantum computer consists of connections and pipes that transmit signals to the quantum “brain” of the machine.
How does a quantum computer work?
To solve any algorithmic problems, quantum computers use qubits, which take the value 0 or 1 when exchanging information. However, unlike bits, qubits can simultaneously be in the state 0 and 1, thanks to the property of quantum objects – superposition. This is what helps speed up the solution of problems tens of orders of magnitude faster than classical computers.
Qubits do not sequentially sort through all possible variants of system states, combinations, like a regular computer, but make calculations instantly. This property can be used when searching for information in databases, creating a route, modeling the behavior of complex molecules and synthesizing materials. Solving problems that require sorting through hundreds and thousands of variants is accelerated many times over.
Multi-qubit quantum computers now cost millions of dollars, and their manufacture is a complex process. A quantum computer today is an installation that does not imply personal use at home. To work with this class of devices, it is necessary to have special competencies and be able to break down tasks into a language understandable to the machine.
What platforms are being discussed in connection with quantum computers?
Quantum computers are built on four main platforms:superconducting chains, ions, neutral atoms, and photons. In fact, there are many more platforms: there are also integrated optics, quasiparticles (excitons, polaritons, magnons, etc.), impurity atoms, molecules, semiconductor quantum dots, and color centers. One computer can be built on several platforms. They can all work separately from each other.
Just a few years ago, all commercial computing devices worked exclusively on superconducting chains. Unlike other types of qubits, they scale well, are stable in operation, allow parameters to be controlled, and are easier to manage. However, now we see that the international quantum community has become increasingly interested in ions.
The first commercially available ion quantum computer was presented in December 2018 by the technology startup IonQ. As the developers themselves stated, the system they built is capable of performing more complex calculations than all existing analogues on the market. And at the end of 2020, the American corporation Honeywell announced that it had managed to create the most accurate ion quantum computer. However, this technology also has its drawbacks: ion computers are difficult to scale due to abnormal heating.
Ultracold atoms are also among the three most promising platforms for implementing a universal quantum computer. Academic institutes and universities are most often involved in developing such systems, such as the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Nizhny Novgorod.
What is a quantum computing cloud platform?
Today, quantum computers and simulators operate only in laboratories, and cloud access is the only way for external customers to work with them. However, in the long term, using a cloud platform is also more economically justified than purchasing expensive equipment yourself.
Microsoft has launched open testing of its own Azure Quantum service, which provides cloud access to quantum computing. An hour of work with it costs from $10 to $900. However, Microsoft does not have its own quantum computer. The system runs on solutions from the corporation’s partners, such as Honeywell Quantum Solutions and IonQ.
According to the quantum computing roadmap developed by the Rosatom State Corporation and experts from the Russian Quantum Center, the Russian cloud platform will be created as a pilot project by December 2022. In 2024, the platform will allow calculations to be performed on Russian quantum computers.
In what areas will a quantum computer be particularly relevant?
Finance
- optimization of investment portfolios;
- predicting financial crises;
- predicting customer creditworthiness;
- construction of credit risk models;
- fraud protection through transaction history analysis;
- recognition of fraudulent activities.
All these processes are significantly transformed by the computing power of quantum computers. Problems will be solved instantly, not within hours and days.
Medicine and pharmaceuticals
Quantum computers will help optimize the search for protein structures. This will lead to faster production of new drugs and personalized medicine, as well as faster assembly of genomes. The latter process can be used in cancer diagnostics, since gene fusion and rearrangement are common causes of malignant tumors.
D-Wave has already used its quantum annealer (a computer suitable for solving only some optimization problems) to detect adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, two types of the deadly disease, in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
Logistics
Optimization of logistics chains will reduce the length of routes and enable businesses to reduce fuel costs. Quantum algorithms calculate all possible travel options several times faster and select the most optimal ones.
The first project of this kind was carried out in 2019, when technology company Groovenauts, together with Mitsubishi Estate, were able to optimize the network of waste collection routes and the sizes of shipping containers for 26 large office centers in central Tokyo.
Information security
Today, algorithms have been developed that allow a quantum computer to reduce the time it takes to select a password and decrypt information to several hours or minutes.
Chemical industry
“Quants” will help create new composite materials for such industries as aircraft construction and chemical industry. The resulting compositions will improve the functional properties of airliners, reduce their weight by 20-40% and increase wear resistance;
The use of quantum sensors in the production of materials will make it possible to track critical deformations of structures, reducing the costs of diagnostics, technical inspection and repair work.
