What actually is a quantum computer? Will we ever have them in our homes?
Our writer Jenn Bane spoke with Michael Norman, Director of Argonne National Laboratory 's Quantum Institute.
So what is a quantum computer? Give me the simplest answer you can.
A quantum computer is qualitatively different from a classic computer. It’s a very, very different object. If you look at your classic computer, it uses bits — bits that are either on or off. Now imagine the surface of the Earth, right? Your on/off corresponds to the north and south pole. A quantum bit explores the entire surface. Technically, all solutions are present, and you are trying to pull out the one you are interested in.?
I have a hard time understanding quantum because it seems like there is nothing close to it in our everyday lives.
One of the challenges we have as scientists is explaining quantum. It’s a really difficult topic, and we need to have more people out in the public explaining what a quantum computer is and quantum internet is.
What are real-world applications of quantum?
Quantum is more for specialized types of problems. An example is small molecules — they are hard to simulate accurately. But quantum makes that possible. Why care about that? Because drugs are made of that. For drug discovery, this could be a big deal.
Beyond that, a lot of finance companies are interested in quantum because they understand the implications that it has for the predictive work they do. They want to predict how the market is going.
What kind of groundbreaking quantum work is Argonne exploring?
Error correction is a big one. With classic computers, people don't worry so much about error correction. The transistors are so good they rarely, rarely make any errors. With quantum computers — because you're exploring the entire surface of the sphere — error correction becomes much harder. They're noisy, they make errors. And so what all the companies are working on is can we deploy what they call a fault tolerant machine — one that basically catches and corrects errors while the calculation is going on.
Do you think there will be a day when quantum computers are in our homes?
The question is whether you need them in your home. People think of them as a cure-all, and they're good at doing certain things. But if you have an iPhone, then you have an enormous computing capability in your hands already.
Where in the media is quantum explained well?
[laughter] That's a tough one. Maybe one of the Marvel movies — the one with Ant-man. Although I think the best [explanations] are quantum escape rooms. You have to exploit quantum in order to get out. For an average person, that might be the best way to understand quantum.
What are your hopes for the future?
I'm encouraged about all the companies that are working on quantum. Many have very aggressive roadmaps. They're claiming they would like to deploy fault-tolerant machines by the end of the decade. Which is pretty amazing. And in Illinois, Gov. Pritzker has decided this is important to him, and he’s convinced the state government to put a lot of money into this. It’s a big vision and very, very few states have taken this kind of approach.
Just Curious is sponsored by Provable, the science communication force of M. Harris & Co. and MG Strategy + Design.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Header image by DALL-E Open Ai. If you liked what you read today, here's more.