Quantum Computing Will Revolutionize Aerospace

When Max Planck coined the initial formula in 1900 that gave birth to quantum mechanics and Heisenberg proposed the Uncertainty Principle in February 1927, which further explained particle motion, no one would have imagined that quantum mechanics would impact another older and at the time still unpopular discovery. This is that of the computer by Charles Babbage, discovered as early as the early 19th Century.

Though the first computer was more than a calculator and later computers performed a few word processing tasks, no one could have imagined what we have achieved today with computational speeds reaching enormous numbers. Today computers have impacted the development of several sectors, manufacturing, automobile, and logistics in ways we couldn’t have imagined a few years back.

Quantum Computing: How It Solves the Puzzle

Now where does quantum computing come in and solve the puzzle? Quantum computing, an interdisciplinary branch of computing inspired by quantum mechanics, where physics, computer science, and mathematics intersect, is here to rejuvenate and give it a new upper limit, quite literally reaching new skies. It is here to take computing to very high speeds, which is impossible with our current computer architectures and computing methods. ?

Impact of Quantum Computing on Aerospace

The scope of this article is to discuss what happens when quantum computing is applied in the aerospace domain. The results are fascinating and will speed up the development of technological advancements previously thought extremely difficult or even impossible in this domain. Some of the sea changes that quantum computing brings to the aerospace domain are in the following. Let’s look at each one in more detail now:

1. Design and simulation: There’s a widely accepted truth. You cannot change what you cannot see. Quantum computing can help with aircraft simulation, helping you envision the airflow around the wings, detecting any possible turbulence and redesigning the aircraft itself for improved flight speed and safety.

2. Resource allocation: With the power of AI and by enabling learning from historical data, It can help with pre-flight readiness, by ensuring that the right number of people are allocated to each aircraft, they have the skills and readiness to perform their duties and that safety protocols are all diligently followed.

3. In-flight decision making: Quantum computing considers many variables in a short span of time, which enables in-flight decisions that will be crucial to passenger and crew safety. These include flight route determination, altitude correction etc.

4. Development of Software Systems: Modern aircraft, depending on the application they are used for, will be using advanced software, each custom designed as per the purpose. Creating such software will involve debugging of millions of lines of code, something that must be automated, and even with automation, would take a lot of time. Quantum computing can reduce the time considerably.

5. Design and Maintenance of Fully Autonomous Systems: Fully autonomous systems could emerge in aerospace. Imagine if you could place an intelligent robot to man a spaceship. The other immediate applications could be autonomously manned aircraft or assistive technologies for pilots in the event of an emergency.

6. New Techniques in Materials Development for Space: The developments in quantum computing will enable the discovery of new techniques for space propulsion and even help with refining existing material designs by analyzing the atomic behavior of materials in experiments where conditions encountered in outer space are reproduced.

7. Improvements in Cryptography: Quantum computers could technically break today’s encryption methods. And this could affect everything from network availability within a flight to advanced communications and even disrupt the plane’s navigation system and the relay of information to control towers. This means that more advanced encryption techniques would need to develop that can withstand attacks from quantum computers. This will broaden the scope of employment for network and cybersecurity professionals.

Quantum Computing: What to Remember

Quantum computing is not a magic fix-it-all tool. It cannot perform several day-to-day common tasks that normal computers can do. It’s always a combination fix. You would need normal computers working alongside quantum computers for quantum computing to succeed. So, in all the scenarios we have discussed above, there will still be normal computers. They will never go out of use.

Looking to Hire a Quantum Computing Expert?

Do you want to hire a quantum computing specialist or a quantum AI scientist? And do you wish it were someone who can bring to life the next wave of technology or even mentor people in your company in this domain where the hiring difficulty is very high? Alp Consulting has been hiring for companies at the forefront of technological innovation and we can help hire your dream candidate in quantum computing too. Talk to us today and let us help you hire for you and even shape your hiring strategy for the future in this crucial domain.