Quantum Computing and what does it mean for our future?

Hello Everyone, Over the past few months I have been immersed with my entrepreneurial venture, but I am back here to write about a completely different kind of computing which in future will approach to solving problems in a fundamentally new way and I hope that by taking this new approach to computation we will be able to start exploring some problems that we can never solve in any other way. Ta da... Welcome to the next thing in the computer world – Quantum Computing! 

Okay, let’s be fair, Quantum computers are weird. It’s heavy on Physics but I am sure you will be able to have an understanding if you spend the next 5 minutes here. I have tried to simplify physics into normal terms for all of us to understand. If you don’t want to bore yourself with the next big thing in Tech, then go back to scrolling on Facebook.

Alan Turing once said - A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human. 

I would like to see a Quantum computer with AI capabilities and then we will see how sooner we take off to Mars. - My sincere apologies that were my cat’s super-villain mind typing that. She reads Elon Musk’s tweets all the time and just finished reading Stephen Hawkins The Grand Design. Smart Cat eh!

So, what exactly is this Quantum Computer and How is it going to change our future?

In traditional computing—everything from ATMs to Laptops to iPhones all the data is represented in bits that exist in one of two states: 0 or 1, off or on. In quantum computing, bits can be 0, 1 or both at the same time. That might not seem significant, but it means quantum computers can perform vastly more complex computations. For example, quantum computers can debug millions of lines of software code in seconds, making reliable aircraft, cars, MRI scanners, etc. more efficient to produce.

The Word Quantum Computer originates from the word Quantum Physics. It is a study of things that are either really really small or isolated or really really cold. To understand Quantum Computers, we need to understand two quantum properties – Superposition and Entanglement. Instead of using transistors as in a traditional computer, Quantum computers use spins and you can have a superposition of spins that means more combinations and more memory which can solve more problems. An example of Superposition is that when I spin a coin and while it’s spinning the possibility of it being head or tail is the same. Entanglement is this idea that you have two objects and when you entangle them together they become connected and they behave in ways which are sort of a system. Another Quantum property that a Quantum Computer uses is called interference. Well, it’s basically how a noise cancellation headphones work. Interference can control Quantum Computers by amplifying the kinds of signals towards the right answer and cancel the type of signals that are leading to the wrong answer. 

Now, How the heck does we make these then. Well not us (You and me who has enough time to write an article on LinkedIn) definitely, for us it will be impossible to design a quantum computer for everyday use but we will definitely have access to Quantum Computers with the cloud. IBM Q, is a quantum computer made from superconducting entangled q-bits. Each chip is a q-bit which is a carrier of quantum information and using microwave pulse to these q-bits to either spin or entangle them. https://qiskit.org/

Quantum Computers are not there to take over from our everyday laptops. They will be used to solve more complex problems and issues that pose a threat to humanity. 

To be honest, Quantum computing inbuilt with Artificial Intelligence excites me. Growing up as a grandson of a mathematician and son of a theoretical physicist and based on our dining table chats while my grandfather was quoting from Cosmos by Carl Sagan, I dream that one day I will unify relativity and quantum mechanics into a single theory of everything and so far, I have discovered beer. Well, Quantum Computer in the next few decades will be intelligent enough to get around problems like this. Google has already set up a lab to study Quantum computer with Artificial Intelligence. 

Scientists are eager to use quantum computers to analyze microbes, so they can create new vaccines, which quantum computers could then be used to reduce unwanted side effects. Some scientists believe that quantum computers are essential for achieving breakthrough in preventative and treatments protocols for healthcare. Volkswagen is working on a quantum computing platform capable of alerting drivers to traffic jams, 45 minutes before they occur. The combination of quantum computing and IoT could produce a wide variety of “smart cities” applications. Well, I hope, At least the quantum computer will be able to decode my relationship enigmas. 

Quantum computing has the potential to change the future. We at Versutus, are focused on emerging technologies and we have taken a pledge to invest a large sum of our future earnings towards research and development. My dream includes opening educational centers for underprivileged kids here in South Africa so that they can be at the forefront of technology. We are currently in talks with the Government to open an IOT and Cybersecurity Institute. I believe in working towards the world I want to live in and education is the way we can change the world for our future generations. 

Quantum computing will be a game changer. A mature Quantum computer will be the key to open the doors to the discovery of hundreds to thousands of new planets daily by 2030-2035. Quantum computers could rip through any encryption within an hour and designing cybersecurity solutions with the quantum computer (quantum encryption) will make the world a much safer place. 

If this article has excited you, I recommend the following course on MIT website to learn more on this topic – 

https://quantumcurriculum.mit.edu/

If you have any questions, feel free to reach me on my email or ring me up!

No question such as Will the quantum computer make the YouTube work after I locked my iPhone’s screen will be answered. 

Till next time, keep well, Believe and Have faith in Humanity!