A demonstration of quantum computing's calculating power is a watershed in a hype-filled field
What might quantum computing actually be used for? That question is obscured by the piles of money and hyperbole that surround it. Along with 5, it is one of the technologies that presidents, of both countries and companies, love to cite. China and America have pledged to invest billions of dollars in it. There is excited talk of a race, and of the riches and power that await the first to seize the “Holy Grail of computing”.
Despite the breathlessness, quantum computers are not magical. A rich body of theoretical work proves that they will be potent, but limited. For all the talk of supremacy, quantum computers are not superior in every regard to their classical cousins. Indeed for many tasks they will offer little improvement. Yet for some problems—but only some—clever programmers or mathematicians can create algorithms that exploit the machines’ quantum capabilities.
Several of these algorithms have been developed. They offer a glimpse of where quantum computers might excel. In encryption, for example, a quantum machine could quickly untangle the complex maths that underlies much of the scrambling that protects information online. A world with powerful quantum computers, in other words, is one in which much of today’s cyber-security unravels.
As Feynman pointed out, classical computers struggle to simulate the quantum-mechanical processes that underpin physics and chemistry. Quantum computers could do so with aplomb, a useful trick for developing everything from pharmaceuticals to petrochemicals. Their ability to solve optimisation problems could help financial firms improve their trading algorithms. Artificial-intelligence researchers hope that quantum computers could offer a boost to their algorithms, too.
For now, though, all that lies in the future. Google’s machine is best thought of as a Sputnik moment. By itself, Sputnik did nothing but orbit Earth while beeping. But it proved a concept, and grabbed the world’s attention. Google’s accomplishment is one in the eye for quantum-computing sceptics. It strongly suggests the promise of quantum technology can be realised in practice as well as theory. And it will draw even more money and attention to a red-hot field.
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