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Research into quantum technology is making impressive progress, but practical applications are lagging behind. When will quantum computers be widely used and what problems will they solve? A
Research into quantum technology is making impressive progress, but practical applications are lagging behind. When will quantum computers be widely used and what problems will they solve?
A few years ago it was quantum technology hot topic in the technology world. Research breakthroughs were celebrated and it seemed only a matter of time before quantum computers would solve our most complex problems. Today, quantum technology is in the shadow of generative AI: after a record year in 2022, (private) investments in quantum technology fell by fifty percent in 2023. The dollars that flowed to quantum companies until last year are now being pumped into AI.
Experts who follow the industry are not yet predicting winter, but they have to admit that the quantum world has become cooler. The gap between what quantum computers can do today and the needs of companies is still (too) big. What is the state of quantum technology and what will the near future bring? We take the temperature with Dr. Heike Riel, head of IBM’s quantum research team in Europe.
Riel should immediately dampen our expectations. “At the moment we have Quantum advantage not yet achieved. This means that quantum computers cannot yet do what classical supercomputers cannot do. There are many possibilities that we do not yet know: it is more about finding the right problem for quantum computers. Sometimes we think that a problem cannot be solved because we are so used to it. New technologies teach us to think differently.”
We gather our courage and ask Riel if we really need quantum computers. The development and implementation of exascale computers for practical processes seems to be much more advanced: Can they make quantum computers obsolete?
“Exascale computers consume a lot of energy,” Riel immediately has a witty answer to this question. “Quantum computers scale differently and do not require more resources when the problems become more complex. In theory, complex problems can be solved faster and more efficiently with quantum technology.”
This statement requires a technical explanation. Quantum and exascale computers are fundamentally different in the way they perform calculations. An exascale computer basically works like a classic PC, with the difference that the most powerful supercomputer can perform up to a trillion calculations simultaneously. However, this requires a lot of computing power and energy.
It is too early to say when we will have the first “usable” quantum computer, but it is often faster than we think.
Heike Riel, Head of IBM Quantum Research Europe
A quantum computer takes a different approach and moves away from the classical binary structure. Qubits behave completely differently and can assume a combination of all possible states of a unit. An example that illustrates the difference between bits and qubits is flipping a coin. In a binary system, the coin must always land on heads (1) or tails (0). If the coin represents a qubit, it can fall in different ways to produce a valid output.
This increases the ability of qubits to process information compared to bits. Quantum computers are based on another physical property of particles: entanglement. Quantum particles have the ability to entangle themselves into a system in which the particles influence each other. The more particles are entangled, the higher the computing power of the quantum computer.
The fusion of the qubits can also trigger another reaction that seems to be the Achilles heel of quantum computers for now: inference. The first 100% reliable quantum computer has yet to be invented, Riel admits. “Currently, the results of quantum computers are still too noisy. Error correction is much more difficult because you can’t copy the output.”
Riel discusses various techniques IBM uses to minimize the error burden.Error suppression tries to correct errors as close to the hardware as possible by changing the physical state of qubits. Bee Error reduction We start from the top to improve results. Instead of ‘masking’ errors, we deliberately magnify them to see what goes wrong and why.”
A next step is error correction. Riel: “A lot of research is being done here today. How many qubits are needed to correct errors is still an open question. Better hardware and software are also needed to enable error correction.”
IBM launched Heron, its most advanced quantum processor yet, late last year. The 133-qubit chip is equipped with “tunable couplers” to better control the interaction between qubits and further reduce the risk of interference. But it is Microsoft that claims to have developed the first “fault-free” quantum computer.
Data you collect and protect today can also be decrypted with quantum computers in the future.
Heike Riel, Head of IBM Quantum Research Europe
The big breakthrough in quantum computers could be closer than we think, Riel says hopefully. IBM achieved a breakthrough last year Quantum benefits which brings quantum computers, with all their imperfections, a small step closer to the “real” world. The article was published in the journal Nature.
Since we are not academics, Riel tells us succinctly what we should learn from this work: “The study compares the dynamic behavior of quantum computers with that of supercomputers. To be clear: it is a simulation, but the quantum computer was able to perform calculations that would be required for an exascale computer brute forcemethods would not be possible.”
“It’s too early to say when we’ll have the first ‘usable’ quantum computer, but it will often happen sooner than we think,” Riel continues. “There are several experiments still running with 100-qubit simulations: that’s the limit of what classical supercomputers can handle.”
“IBM currently has the largest number of active quantum computers in the world, two of which are located in Europe. We are making our quantum technology available via the cloud. With working groups from various disciplines such as healthcare and particle physics, we are investigating practical applications of quantum computers in their fields. Quantum computers can also make an important contribution to tackling climate problems.”
The impending introduction of quantum computers offers many opportunities, but also causes some concerns for security experts. Quantum computers may be able to crack today’s encryption keys, even standards that the most powerful supercomputers cannot handle. Riel also stresses the importance of being prepared now.
“Data that you collect and protect today could still be decrypted in the future. We want to do our part to secure ‘classic’ technology by developing codes and algorithms that cannot be broken by quantum computers. We already offer this today for mainframes and storage services to protect data in the future,” says Riel.
Quantum technology may have disappeared from the spotlight for a while, but technological development is not standing still. Will your company soon be using quantum computers? It seems less futuristic than it sounds, although we have been saying this for several years.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
