Companies from IBM, Microsoft, and even Google are now working on quantum computing devices. Quantum computing is becoming a term that is being used more commonly. And we are, I think, potentially at the turning point where quantum computing is entering the Zeitgeist or the ordinary consciousness when the whole world cannot escape technological developments as fundamental as Quantum Computing. IBM’s Quantum Computer was the first public quantum computer on the cloud.

Household Names Getting into Quantum Computing

Big household names such as Microsoft and Google, IBM, D-Wave, and others (who you likely have not heard of) are working on quantum computing, which seems like a magical foray into another world. Or maybe even another universe (a pun for the multiverses out there). Just recently, IBM announced more developments for the quantum computer with a very consumer-friendly video, which I’ll include here.

The question is: Could a quantum computer be functional for you? What does it mean to you, your life, your family, and the future? Is there some substance behind the hype of quantum computing and the press releases over growing numbers of qubits?

What is Quantum Computing?

Bits vs Qubits

Fundamentally, Quantum computers differ from regular or classical computers because of the very nature of the way they work at the most fundamental level, which is at the bit level. On a standard computer, bits are just zero or one; no in-between states exist. Quantum Computers use a qubit instead of a bit, which is a quantum bit. This quantum bit can take a multitude of different states, not just zero, and this, in essence, is where you get the power of quantum computing from. In a nutshell, this opens up the potential for doing more complex calculations more rapidly and effectively.

Lack of Killer Applications in Quantum Computing

But right now, there is no killer application, so to speak, that quantum computing can be used for, although there are some spin-off applications, such as in quantum cryptography, which is allied to, for example, quantum key distribution or QKD. For people interested in technology, now presents a fantastic time to understand what’s happening at a fundamental level behind Quantum Computing. This feels like the 1950s for standard classical computers, where there’s a whole series of people working on different design paradigms and how these things might work, everyone looking at different technologies, from ion traps to topological systems and photonics. There are so many potential ways that one might embody a quantum computer. And because there is no standard, it makes for exciting reading and exciting times as teams worldwide compete to find the standard by which they can perform versatile universal quantum computing.

Lots of research in quantum from all types of science and research

Many scientists in different fields are now focusing a lot on computing at the quantum level. And like I said, there are different paradigms, whether we will be competing with topological systems or something else. One thing is for sure: the whole industry is not standing still; there’s competition, and there’s a race for the crown for universal Quantum Computing. The first team to effectively commercialize the quantum computer will potentially make much money. Already, we’ve seen companies such as D-wave produce and sell a particular type of quantum computer, but it’s not universal. You cannot compute in the same way that you would a regular computer. The D-wave machine solves only a tiny spectrum of particular types of problems. And it’s not general purpose (GP) which is what the Holy Grail of Quantum Computing.

Classic vs Quantum Computing

The Quantum Computing community aims to produce a general-purpose level of quantum computing that is possible for the standard algorithmic calculations, which are faster than or purported to be faster than using standard classical computers; many people talk in these two paradigms. One is classical computing, and the other is quantum computing. Of course, these two worlds often have to interact because we live in the classical world. And we need to do the calculations in a world where possible, where we can achieve some speed up, but then we need to be able to interpret those results. And therein lies the quantum computing difficulty because not every calculation is faster on a quantum computer. So, this is not some magical solution to making everything faster. So, unlike faster processes or high clock speeds, it won’t necessarily make everything faster. Only certain types of calculations can run faster in a quantum world.

As many years ago, we thought we’d never have a computer in our pocket, but now it’s very inexpensive. Just look at the room-sized machines that were being used to calculate firing tables, for example, during the Second World War, or some of the calculators, for example, LEO I (Lyons Electronic Office) used for optimization of delivery and office work, enabling them (Lyons) to run their operations more effectively.

Not many people would have considered in the 1950s that they would have one of these machines millions or billions of times faster. And now they’re in our very pockets, enabling them to communicate with almost anyone around the planet. So, I think it could be naive to brush off quantum computing as just another fad. When you look at the money pouring in and the funding, you realize that companies are looking at this very seriously, for those who don’t look at this will be left behind and may never catch up.

I must say, IBM has been leading the field over the years; it’s had a history of technological innovation, from mainframes to consumer-facing products, for example, the hard drive and other technologies, although these days, IBM is hardly visible in the consumer space. I’m surprised any consumer knows what IBM stands for. Because I think the last time I bought something from IBM was probably about 20 years ago. But I wouldn’t rule out Big Blue just yet. There is still hope that big companies such as IBM can innovate and find critical usage from users (even end users).

IBM Blue Mix

One of the ways that IBM is enabling people to experiment and get some early traction in the marketplace is with its IBM Cloud system, which enables people to run quantum calculations and simulations, and I’ll explain that later on their hardware remotely. This means that if you want to run a quantum algorithm, you can do so. Of course, there is a limit to the amount of computation that can be done because there is a fixed number of qubits.

When the author was last using IBM and its blue mix service, only seven qubits existed. So, this is not the same as having seven bits to play with. Somewhat limited in terms of what you can and can’t do. IBM, so far, doesn’t charge for using their services, and you can use them for free. I’m sure they’ve increased the number of qubits now. So you have a lot more to play with. Whether or not it’s easy depends on your experience level and how much you know about quantum physics and programming. But, in the cloud, all the hardware is cared for for you. So you don’t have to get your hands dirty. You must understand how the qubits work and some of the basics of quantum physics, quantum computing, and informatics, which will be very useful. But if you want a go, you can have a go now.

Quantum Computing and Parallel Universes

The most fundamental crazy thing ever is that you and I can operate a quantum computer from the comfort of home or even on my phone. The first time I ran a simulation and a quantum computation on an IBM Cloud system, I was blown away. One of the reasons I was blown away was that if you listen to one of the creators of quantum computing, David Deutsch, he will tell you that computing in quantum space is using multiple universes to do the calculation. This is fundamentally what he believes, and as one of the most prominent scientists on the planet, it’s worth listening to what he says. This means that when you are performing a calculation, you can access the power from those multiverses and harness that power to do your calculation. Quite incredible. So, this device is something from science fiction. Again, I’ll provide the links here so that you can use the IBM service as you want, and I hope you have fun with it. It will be an exciting experience. I would love to hear your responses and comments on this article below.

Resources

Sign up for the IBM Q Experience here and get an account. IBM Q Experience. Beginners’ guide to Qubits (from IBM): Qubit Introduction from IBM. Video Tutorials from IBM IBM Videos on QC