The present, as we know it, is a result of all the things we did in the past: discoveries, technological inventions, software development. But if you ask a hundred people how the future will look like, you will receive a hundred different answers. We all think about what will be next, according to the things we have already seen, experienced, and utilized. Now, the evolution of our society lies in digital transformation – a concept that we can’t also clearly define or predict. The nature of change tends to follow a step-by-step tendency but, sometimes, humankind has to turn back in the past to improve some steps and give more power to the present and the future.
Computer reinvention – a need or a whim?
Therefore, IT outsourcing and many others worked hard on a revolutionary technology that could change our vision about the future – the quantic computer. As the name suggests, this new computer uses the quantic physics laws to solve very complex problems faster than any existent computer. For example, a quantum computer managed to complete in just 200 seconds a calculation that would have taken 10,000 years for the most powerful computer to complete, as Google states. How is that possible? Surprisingly, Google already achieved ”quantum supremacy” by using a quantum computer that performs many tasks impossible for a usual computer. If not Google, then who?
However, why do people complicate themselves with such obscure technology when ordinary computers do their job? Probably, many have wondered this. Well, the answer is simple. And it’s not only because quantum computers are unbelievable fast and powerful computers.
Quantic computers – from zero to hero
To understand all the benefits brought by this computer, we have to understand how it works first. The very known binary code is the basic principle of the computing world. Ordinary computers process one bit at a time – so it is 0 (off) or 1 (on). So far, nothing unusual. But from this point, things take a spectacular turn. Although quantum computers are based on the binary code, they use qubits instead of bits.
How do qubits differ from bits?
Qubits are not limited to a single state of existence, as bits do. These qubits can exist in the on and off state at the same time, or in a state between these two. It seems paradoxical, but quantum computers obey the quantum physics laws at a sub-atomic level. According to the principle of superposition, a quantum particle can exist in several states at the same time.
The study of subatomic particles stared in the early 20th and overtime scientists discovered that information between two particles is shared faster than the speed of light. Though, we still use the same computers as people in 1980 did.
The first quantum computer available to the public was provided by IBM in 2016. Three years later, in 2019, Google adopted this revolutionary technology. Now, the biggest technology companies in the world, like Google, IBM, Microsoft work hard to build much more powerful quantum computers than we can imagine.
The most important advantages of quantum computing
- The acceleration of artificial intelligence. All the new inventions like ML, RPA, AI are based on computers. The ability to operate beyond the binary code brings the possibility to enrich the data set on which rely on the quality of these software products. For example, an NLP (Natural Language Processing) algorithm successfully understood a whole sentence with the help of a quantum computer, not only singular words.
- The reduction of negative impacts of climate change. Scientists among the world intent to use quantum computers to find effective ways to remove the pollution with carbon from the atmosphere. Also, they are working on new batteries based on green energy, which don’t waste power or cobalt – a globally dwindling metal.
- The discovery of new drugs. The ability of quantum computers to perform every calculating step simultaneously helps the pharmaceutical industry to process the atomic reactions much faster and discover new cures for severe diseases. This technology contributed to the creation of a cure for Covid-19.
- It gives more power to the automotive industry. Quantum computers are also used in the automotive engineering industry to create eco-friendly cars. Volkswagen already started to develop electric vehicle batteries based on quantum computers. They also calculated the traffic flow in several large cities such as Tokyo or Barcelona and managed to anticipate people’s needs and streamline the traffic.
Conclusion
The invention of the quantum computer is a big step forward digital transformation, and it changes everything we used to believe about the future. Just imagine that 300 qubits sum up more data than all the atoms in the observable universe. Fortunately, for our individual needs, it won’t be necessary to give up on our smartphones. But it can bring real benefits in the future because our planet faces major problems which can’t be solved with the limited power of usual computers.
