Quantum, the term has been banded around a bit and added to totally irrelevant products. Here we look at some hype associated with the quantum technology space. We’ll loosely call it quantum hype, some of which is subtle, but we think you’ll find this a helpful guide.
Quantum Hype
The use of the word Quantum is not new and has been used to brand all kinds of products (washing powder to toothpaste ) that have nothing to do with Quantum physics. That we don’t take issue with; it’s more the insidious thinking that somehow quantum technologies like quantum computing can solve vastly more problems than, in reality, they can. Often on the excitement, journalists and writers without the necessary background get caught up in this tangential belief that all computation can be sped up with a quantum computer and that the only thing holding us back is the number of qubits. Here we’ll try and attack some misnomers and hype around quantum technologies.
As with any area of technology, there is a danger that we don’t accurately assess the potentiality. But then, prediction is never easy. Yoga Berra once said: “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”, However, there is also the danger that potential is underestimated. Many thought that the machine learning revolution would be a long way off. But likely, what doesn’t help is hyperbole without foundation.
Quantum isn’t just faster.
Quantum isn’t just another faster CPU or an upgrade. It is a fundamentally different way of computing, and only specific algorithms can offer a faster way of doing certain tasks. Quantum algorithms are not just a quantum flavour of a quantum algorithm. Only algorithms like Shor and Grover offer theoretical speed-ups over classical techniques for factoring and searching.
Quantum does everything in parallel.
The easy way to think about quantum algorithms providing a speed-up is by assuming that each quantum bit or qubit can be in two states simultaneously. Therefore the power of a quantum computer comes from being able to compute 2^N simultaneously. However, in reality, the power of the quantum computer comes from answers that are not relevant being cancelled out by destructive interference leaving the desired answer.
All cryptographic schemes are at risk.
Quantum computers are still in a very early stage of development. Practical, large-scale quantum computers capable of breaking cryptographic systems are not yet a reality. The most advanced quantum computers today have a maximum of no more than 433 qubits, but it’s estimated that breaking modern encryption methods would require millions of physical qubits.
Active research into new cryptographic algorithms that are resistant to both classical and quantum attacks is happening all the time. Often referred to as post-quantum cryptography. Potentially these new cryptographic methods could be standardized and implemented before quantum computers become a practical reality, and the threat posed by quantum computers could be mitigated.
While quantum computers can potentially break algorithms like RSA and ECC, which rely on the difficulty of factoring large numbers or computing discrete logarithms, not all cryptographic algorithms are thought to be vulnerable to quantum attacks. Symmetric cryptographic algorithms, for example, are considered secure against quantum attacks as long as the key lengths are sufficient.
We’ll all have quantum desktops soon.
OK, there is a desktop computer you can buy. SpinQ recently exposed its intentions to sell a desktop quantum computer created for $5,000. The SpinQ desktop is not the company’s first attempt at quantum computer creation, and has initially sold one of its first quantum desktop computers (SpinQ Gemini) for $50,000. The Gemini device was hefty and weighed 55kg (121bs), hence the emergence of a new design. SpinQ says that its new machine is more sizable, weighs lesser, and is more affordable than its predecessor.
Cloud computing is a model of delivering computing resources—like servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence—over the Internet (“the cloud”) to offer faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale. It eliminates the need for users to maintain expensive hardware and software infrastructure, providing services on a pay-as-you-go basis. Services offered through cloud computing include Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), covering a broad spectrum of use cases. Major benefits include accessibility from any device with an internet connection, high scalability, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to handle large amounts of data and computational needs. It’s likely that Quantum services will also be delivered in the same way – i.e. over the cloud. There isn’t a need for a “local” quantum device for most purposes.
Quantum computing is just analogue computing with a different name.
No, quantum computing is not just analogue computing. While both types of computing represent a departure from the traditional digital, or binary, computing model, they fundamentally differ in how they operate and their potential applications.
Analogue computing, popular before the advent of digital computers, works with continuous physical quantities such as electrical voltages or mechanical positions, directly representing the quantities of the problem to be solved. Analogue computers are often designed for specific tasks, and their performance and accuracy can be affected by various factors, such as changes in temperature or other environmental conditions.
Quantum computing, on the other hand, is based on the principles of quantum mechanics, the theory that describes the behaviour of matter and energy at the small scales of atoms and subatomic particles. Quantum computers use quantum bits, or “qubits”, which, unlike classical bits that can be either 0 or 1, can exist in multiple states at once thanks to a quantum property called superposition. Qubits can also be entangled, a unique quantum phenomenon where the state of one qubit becomes instantly correlated with the state of another, regardless of distance.
We know what qubit technologies will win out.
There are several types of qubit technologies that underpin different approaches to quantum computing.
Superconducting Qubits are technology used by companies like IBM and Google. They create circuits of superconducting materials that carry an electric charge, and the quantum state (0, 1, or both) is determined by the direction of the current flow.
Trapped Ion Qubits originate from companies like IonQ and Honeywell use this technology. They trap ions in electromagnetic fields and use lasers to induce quantum states. The advantage is that ions are identical and can stay in a quantum state for a long time, which can help reduce errors.
Topological Qubits have been popularized by Microsoft is working on this type of qubit, which is based on a theoretical particle called a Majorana fermion. These qubits would be more robust to errors because their quantum state is stored non-locally.
Photonic Qubit technology is being developed companies like Xanadu, are working with photonic qubits that encode information in the quantum states of photons. This approach can work at room temperature, unlike many others that require extremely cold temperatures.
Semiconducting qubits are a type of qubits that are built using semiconductor materials, often based on similar fabrication methods to those used in traditional silicon chip technology. One common type of semiconducting qubit is the “spin qubit”. In these systems, the “spin” of an electron trapped in a semiconductor quantum dot (a small region in a semiconductor that confines electrons in all three spatial dimensions) is used to represent the quantum state.
It’s still unclear which qubit technology will win out. Superconducting qubits are currently leading in terms of the number of qubits (433 qubits from IBM), but they also suffer from relatively short coherence times (how long they can maintain their quantum states), which is a significant challenge. Trapped ions have longer coherence times and strong qubit-qubit interactions but face difficulties in scaling up to larger systems. The evolution of quantum qubit count (a brief look at the rise of the qubit) has been studied for all the differing technologies over time.
Topological qubits have the potential to be more robust and error-resistant, but the technology is still theoretical and hasn’t been demonstrated experimentally. Photonic qubits operate under more manageable conditions and have built-in high-speed connections, but they require a lot of hardware and are hard to control.
Overall, it’s possible that different technologies might be suitable for other applications, or a currently underdeveloped technology could end up being the most viable for large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Governments already have massive quantum computers.
Indeed, governments have invested heavily in quantum computing, but they do not, as far as we know, have quantum computers that they have or are building themselves. Several governments continue to invest heavily in quantum computing research. For instance, the US government has increased funding for quantum computing research in 2023, and there is an active dialogue about quantum computing progress with the US government. The UK government has also launched a National Quantum Strategy, ranking third in national-level spending on quantum technology, including quantum computing.
Moreover, the US government is coordinating quantum research efforts through the National Quantum Initiative. The White House has recently given federal agencies a deadline of May 2023 to provide an annual inventory of algorithms that quantum computers could potentially crack.
In-Q-Tel is a not-for-profit venture capital firm that invests in high-tech companies to keep the Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies equipped with the latest information technology to support United States intelligence capability. In-Q-Tel has made investments in IonQ.
Quantum computers could cause the universe to explode.
We already have many quantum computers, and the universe hasn’t exploded so far! Well, indeed, not the universe we are in (OK, multiverses are another thing, but we can leave that to the science fiction fans, although multiverse is an accepted interpretation of quantum mechanics)
Physics describes the bizarre and counter-intuitive behaviours of particles at the tiniest scales is called quantum physics. While quantum mechanics does involve some strange phenomena, like superposition (where a particle can be in multiple states at once) and entanglement (where particles can be instantaneously connected regardless of distance), none of these phenomena involves causing large-scale physical explosions.
Quantum computing came from crashed UFO alien spacecraft.
Some conspiracy theories propose that quantum mechanics’ complex and counter-intuitive nature is beyond human understanding and must have originated from a more advanced civilization. They argue that quantum computing, with its revolutionary approach to computation, must have been derived from alien technology. The idea of alien technology influencing human progress has been popular in science fiction and entertainment. This cultural fascination might fuel and amplify conspiracy theories, making them more appealing to some.
While advanced alien technology is a popular theme in science fiction, no credible scientific evidence suggests that any human technology, including quantum computing, has been derived from extraterrestrial sources. Contrast claims should be viewed with scepticism unless they are supported by solid empirical evidence.
Some theories suggest that major corporations working on quantum computing might have access to secret knowledge or materials obtained from extraterrestrial sources, giving them an edge in the highly competitive field of quantum technology.
Quantum is a popular topic in science fiction; it highlights the complex interplay between technology, ethics, culture, and economics; no wonder speculation is rife regarding the origins of quantum computing and quantum technology.
We’ll be able to run games and applications on quantum computers.
Nope. Use cases are specific to certain applications. It’s unlikely we’ll see mass adoption just yet. Quantum computers operate on entirely different principles than classical computers, and their unique capabilities are not necessarily suited for tasks like running conventional games and applications.
Quantum computers excel at problems like factoring large numbers, simulating quantum systems, and optimizing complex systems. These are not tasks typically associated with gaming or standard applications.
Learning quantum computing requires a PhD in physics.
People from all walks of life are getting involved in quantum computing. Just like today, there are people with all different educational backgrounds. There are people with experience in English literature and even a background as a chef. Like many things in life, purpose and intent are more important than background, as just about everything can be learnt. Of course, it can help if people understand mathematics well.
No one understands quantum algorithms.
This is untrue. Algorithms on a quantum computer might be more complicated, but that doesn’t mean they are intractable. Some scientists and researchers work with quantum algorithms daily and have an intimate understanding. If you want to follow someone who understands quantum computing algorithms look at Scott Aaronson.
Nothing will ever beat a quantum computer in performance.
Quantum computers are a groundbreaking technology with the potential to revolutionize specific fields, but they are not a panacea. Their performance advantages are specific to particular problems, and they have limitations and challenges that may make them less suitable for other tasks. The future of computing will likely be diverse and multifaceted, with different technologies optimized for different applications. It’s essential to recognize the nuanced and specialized nature of quantum computing rather than viewing it as an unequivocal superiority in all aspects of performance.
But in reality, we can never say never about technological development. However, we might see new and different computation methods, such as analogue or biological computing.
