Potential Practical Applications of Quantum Computers in the Future
Potential Practical Applications of Quantum Computers in the Future
By: Michael F.
Before discussing potential practical applications of quantum computers for the future, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Michael and I earned my bachelor’s degree in corporate communication from the Pennsylvania State University in August of 2022. During my time as a student at Penn State, I strengthened my writing abilities while learning about the role that communication technology has played in shaping our society and media throughout the 21st century. I graduated with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 out of 4.0 in August of 2022. Additionally, I’ve worked in the electronics industry for nearly 10 years. I started my career in 2013 as a technology associate at Staples, where I was promoted to technology sales & services supervisor after a year, and went on to work at Best Buy, where I worked as a computer sales consultant and most recently as an international sales specialist. With that said, I wouldn't classify myself as a quantum computer expert, rather, I am simply an individual with a passion for this technology and I would like to share what I've learned.?
Personally, I discovered the concept of quantum computers through a project a friend of mine was working on in 2020 and found the subject absolutely fascinating as a fellow technology enthusiast.?
Having worked with classical computers throughout my career and education, I was interested in advancing my knowledge about this new type of computer. What I learned first was that quantum computers are different from classical computers fundamentally as quantum computers operate utilizing the principles of quantum mechanics.?
Quantum physics, and thus, quantum computers and quantum computing are complex subjects for many individuals. Thankfully, there are organizations such as American Scientist, DeepMind, & IBM to help explain. These organizations have made it easier to understand the future practical applications of quantum computers. In addition to providing education, some of these organizations like IBM are making considerable investments in advancing the field of quantum computing hardware. Thus, I will reference publications by the previously mentioned organizations throughout this paper.?
"IBM predicts five technologies that will change the world in the next five years from quantum computing to “unbiased” artificial intelligence...?
'Just in the last five years, IBM has invested over $38 billion in these new capabilities,' Harriet Green, chairman and CEO of IBM Asia Pacific, told CNBC’s “Capital Connection.”?
(Tan, 2018).
So, what exactly is a classical computer, and what is a quantum computer? This is defined in the excerpt below from a Yahoo News article written by Euronews journalist Aisling Ní Chúláin.?
“Take (the devices) that we have today - from the smartphones in our pockets to our most powerful supercomputers. These operate and have always operated on the same principle of binary code. Essentially, the chips in our computers use tiny transistors that function as on/off switches to give two possible values, 0 or 1, otherwise known as bits, short for binary digits. These bits can be configured into larger, more complex units, essentially long strings of 0s and 1s encoded with data commands that tell the computer what to do: display a video; show a Facebook post; play an mp3; let you type an email, and so on.?
But a quantum computer? These machines function in an entirely different way. In the place of bits in a classical computer, the basic unit of information in quantum computing is what’s known as a quantum bit, or qubit. These are typically subatomic particles like photons or electrons. The key to a quantum machine’s advanced computational power lies in its ability to manipulate these qubits.?
"A qubit is a two-level quantum system that allows you to store quantum information,"?
Ivano Tarvenelli, the global leader for advanced algorithms for quantum simulations at the IBM Research Lab in Zurich, explained to Euronews Next.?
"Instead of having only the two levels zero and one that you would have in a classical calculation here, we can build a superposition of these two states," he added.”?
(Chúláin, 2022).
A former colleague recently asked me, why do quantum computers excite you? I explained that it is because I see the potential in quantum computers to change the world for the better, such as to develop more efficient and effective medicine as shown in the following excerpt.?
?“Significant investments are being made to deliver the right data and powerful insights at the point of care. Industry incumbents and new entrants alike are trying to create digital experiences that reinforce healthy, preventive behaviors.
?Despite that, accounting for the exponential possibilities from this diversity of new data is stretching the capabilities of classical computing systems.
Enter quantum computing.
A century after the birth of quantum mechanics, it has been proven that quantum computing can have an advantage over classical approaches.?
Quantum computing does not merely provide an incremental speedup.
It is the only known technology that can be exponentially faster than classical computers for certain tasks, potentially reducing calculation times from years to minutes...
In healthcare, as in other industries, using quantum computers in concert with classical computers is likely to bestow substantial advantages that classical computing alone cannot deliver. As a result, there is now a race toward quantum applications. Following are three key potential quantum use cases that are central to the healthcare industry’s ongoing transformation:
1. Diagnostic assistance: Diagnose patients early, accurately, and efficiently.
2. Precision medicine: Keep people healthy based on personalized interventions/treatments.
3. Pricing: Optimize insurance premiums and pricing.”?
(Fl?ther et al., 2020).
In addition to the potential application of data optimization in the medical field, quantum computers have the potential application to make advancements in the video game industry as well, as this technology can aid in developing games of greater challenge and more complex game mechanics.
"So how do you make a game on a quantum computer??
If you’re into game design, you probably use a programming language such as Python, which works with bits – ones and zeros – that store memory on a standard computer.?
To create, say, the Battleship game on a quantum computer, you first need a grid of qubits – fragile quantum bits that can be in a superposition of a zero and a one state.?
This way, the ‘zero’ state could be associated with ‘sunk’ and the ‘one’ with ‘intact’.
Then, the designer will use specific quantum operations to flip the qubit from zero to one, to represent the other player’s attack.
On a classical computer, the ship is either hit or not – there’s no in-between. But on a quantum one, because of the superposition of states, it’s possible to have ships take a few hits before they get destroyed – because “you're going through a few steps of superposition states,” says Wootton.One problem all quantum computers currently in development face – be it by IBM, Google, Intel, Microsoft or a number of academic labs and startups – is noise. That’s when qubits get corrupted from any kind of slightest interaction with the environment, because of heat, vibration, sound, you name it. “It means that when you read out a qubit, even if it's solidly zero, sometimes it says it's a one,” says Wootton."?
(Moskvitch, 2019).
Additionally, quantum computers will change how organizations and individuals have traditionally approached cybersecurity, more specifically, cryptography and data encryption methods. Several of the most commonly utilized traditional methods of securing data can be compromised with a powerful enough quantum computer, putting organizations and individuals at potential risk if they are not updated to post-quantum-resistant methods of keeping data secure.?
"Today’s digital ciphers use complex mathematical formulas to transform clear data into—and out of—securely encrypted messages to be stored or transmitted. The calculations vary according to a digital key.
There are two main types of encryption: symmetric, in which the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt the data; and asymmetric, or public-key, which involves a pair of mathematically linked keys, one shared publicly to let people encrypt messages for the key pair’s owner, and the other stored privately by the owner to decrypt messages.
Symmetric cryptography is substantially faster than public-key cryptography. For this reason, it is used to encrypt all communications and stored data.
Public-key cryptography is used for securely exchanging symmetric keys, and for digitally authenticating—or signing—messages, documents, and certificates that pair public keys with their owners’ identities. When you visit a secure website—one that uses HTTPS protocols—your browser uses public-key cryptography to authenticate the site’s certificate and set up a symmetric key for encrypting communications to and from the site.
The math for these two types of cryptography is quite different, which affects their security. Because virtually all internet applications use both symmetric and public-key cryptography, both forms need to be se
Breaking Codes
The most straightforward way to break a code is to try all the possible keys until you get the one that works. Conventional computers can do this, but it’s very difficult. In July 2002, for instance, a group announced that it had uncovered a symmetric 64-bit key—but the effort took more than 300,000 people more than four and a half years of work. A key twice the length, or 128 bits, would have 2128 possible solutions—more than 300 undecillion, or a 3 followed by 38 zeroes. Even the world’s fastest supercomputer would need trillions of years to find the right key. A quantum computing method called Grover’s algorithm, however, speeds up the process, turning that 128-bit key into the quantum-computational equivalent of a 64-bit key. The defense is straightforward, though: Make keys longer. A 256-bit key, for example, has the same security against a quantum attack as a 128-bit key has against a conventional attack."?
(Denning, 2019).
Surveys show that classical computers like the machine you are reading this content on, are currently one of the most utilized tools in the United States of America with the United States Census Bureau reporting that among all households surveyed in 2018 that 92% of respondents had at least one type of computer and 85% had a broadband internet subscription. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021). With traditional computer ownership at over 90% and internet usage at over 80%, this is why it is important that organizations and individuals update to post-quantum-resistant methods of keeping data secure as the data shows that almost everyone's data is at risk of being compromised if a quantum computer powerful enough to break current cryptographic algorithms is created and used for hacking.
To further understand the potential practical applications of quantum computers in the future, it's important to understand the difference between a classical computer and a quantum computer. What is a classical computer? This is well-defined in the excerpt below from an article featured in Yahoo News written by Euronews journalist Aisling Ní Chúláin.?
“Take (the devices) that we have today, from the smartphones in our pockets to our most powerful supercomputers. These operate and have always operated on the same principle of binary code. Essentially, the chips in our computers use tiny transistors that function as on/off switches to give two possible values, 0 or 1, otherwise known as bits, short for binary digits. These bits can be configured into larger, more complex units, essentially long strings of 0s and 1s encoded with data commands that tell the computer what to do: display a video; show a Facebook post; play an mp3; let you type an email, and so on.?
But a quantum computer? These machines function in an entirely different way. In the place of bits in a classical computer, the basic unit of information in quantum computing is what’s known as a quantum bit, or qubit. These are typically subatomic particles like photons or electrons. The key to a quantum machine’s advanced computational power lies in its ability to manipulate these qubits. "A qubit is a two-level quantum system that allows you to store quantum information," Ivano Tarvenelli, the global leader for advanced algorithms for quantum simulations at the IBM Research Lab in Zurich, explained to Euronews Next. "Instead of having only the two levels zero and one that you would have in a classical calculation here, we can build a superposition of these two states," he added.”?
(Chúláin, 2022).
As this technology grows more powerful, quantum computers will progress in their ability to make real-world impacts. However, there is some skepticism about the true potential of quantum technology as compared to what has been hyped. Sabine Hossenfelder, a German theoretical physicist, author, and YouTuber does a phenomenal overview of this in a 20-minute video on her channel which can be found in the following Youtube link or in the references section.
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One of the main reasons for skepticism is the fact that quantum computing is still in its infancy, and there are many unknowns about how it will develop and mature. Additionally, there is a lot of hype surrounding quantum computing, which can make it difficult to separate the facts from the fiction.
Another reason for skepticism is the complexity of quantum computing. Unlike traditional computing, which is based on classical physics, quantum computing relies on the principles of quantum mechanics. This means that it operates on a completely different level than classical computing, and many people find it difficult to understand or even grasp the basic concepts. This complexity can also make it difficult to predict how quantum computing will evolve and how it will be used in the future, as evident in a famous quote from one of the founding fathers of quantum computing, Richard Feynman, who supposedly once made the following statement clarifying the complexity behind quantum mechanics.
"If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics." (Richard Feynman, n.d.).
Finally, there are also concerns about the practicality of quantum computing. While the technology has the potential to solve problems that are currently intractable for classical computers, it is not yet clear how these benefits will be realized in practice. Additionally, there are still many technical challenges that need to be overcome before quantum computing can be widely adopted and used in the real world. This lack of a clear path to practical implementation makes it difficult to predict the future of quantum computing and causes skepticism among some experts.
Although quantum computer technology is still in its infancy, its potential real-world possibilities are still nonetheless extraordinary. As a society, we can protect ourselves by being mindful of cybersecurity and data protection methods, knowing that quantum computers will continue to become more powerful. Despite the cybersecurity risks that quantum computers bring, they also have the ability to make positive advancements in the healthcare industry, as well as optimizations in the insurance industry. Quantum computers even have the potential for video games to be reinvented, and to maximize the capabilities of how video games are created, controlled, and played. I'm grateful you've taken the time to read my paper and I encourage you to learn more about this fascinating technology.?
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References
Denning, D. (2019). Is quantum computing a cybersecurity threat.
American Scientist, 107(2), 83.
Fl?ther, F., Murphy, J., Murtha, J., & Sow, D. (2020, June 9).?
Exploring Quantum Computing Use Cases for Healthcare. IBM.
Hawkes, P. (2016, September 26).
Chapter one of this publication goes further into detail and explains the differences, limitations, and benefits between the building blocks of programming language that a quantum computer is capable of in comparison to a classical computer. Chapter one is written by N. Chandra, S. Parida, & Peter Hawkes and can be found in the following link Quantum Mechanics with Applications to Nanotechnology and Information Science. (Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics, Volume 196, pg. 4).?
Moskvitch, K. (2019, February 8)
IBM's quantum computer is trying its hand at video game design. WIRED UK.?
Neukart, F., Compostella, G., Seidel, C., von Dollen, D., Yarkoni, S., & Parney, B. (2017).?
Traffic flow optimization using a Quantum annealer. Frontiers in ICT, 4.
Pfau, D., Spencer, J., Matthews, A., & Foulkes, M. (2020, October 19).
??Ferminet: Quantum Physics and chemistry from first principles. www.deepmind.org.
Sabine Hossenfelder (2022, November 5).
The Quantum Hype Bubble Is About To Burst. Youtube.
Tan, J. (2018, March 30).?
IBM sees quantum computing going mainstream within five years. CNBC.
U.S. Census Bureau (2021, April 21).?
Computer and Internet Use in the United States: 2018 Report.?