“ Each proponent believes their technology is better suited to overcome problems than competitors ’, but , in reality , that ’ s hard to discern ,” Buchholz says . “ The good news is that there ’ s a fair amount of consistency in terms of how people are thinking about building software on top of these systems .”
The vision Regardless of how far we are from practical implementation , the future impact of quantum computing could be tremendous . The environmental applications range from reducing energy consumption to developing better alternative energy sources .
Munde gives the example of solar panels . “ Solar panels don ’ t collect 100 % of the power they ’ re capable of collecting ,” he says . To improve the properties of the solar panel materials and their efficiency would require molecularlevel simulations . Classical computers aren ’ t fast enough because they have to approach simulations sequentially , whereas quantum computers can do so simultaneously , he explains .
Many quantum technology investors are also looking at coal alternatives such as liquid nitrogen gas ( LNG ), according to Munde . “ Coal and other conventional sources used for electric generation contribute to around 30 – 33 % of global greenhouse gas emissions ,” he says . “ But to directly substitute LNG , for example , we need to make a lot of discrete decisions , from production to supply chain , and that means we need to solve very difficult , complex problems .”
And then there ’ s the elusive nitrogen fixation problem . Understanding that chemical process alone could bring significant impact . “ Even if you improve the energy consumption by 10 %, 10 % of the 3 % of the energy we use on Earth is not negligible ,” says Laflamme .
The challenge is that solving this particular problem would require a computer with about 50 million qubits , according to Ezratty , author of “ Understanding Quantum Technologies ” and speaker and trainer on the subject for government and private sectors . “ Right now ,
Quantum computing 101
Q by Mike Robillard
Sr . distinguished engineer , Dell research office
uantum computers operate with a set of rules that are fundamentally different from classical computers . For certain applications , these rules can enable quantum computers to process information faster — potentially solving problems that would take traditional machines millions of years .
Basic quantum computing rules
Qubits Short for quantum bits , qubits are typically small particles ( atoms , ions , photons or electrons ) that hold information and behave according to the laws of quantum physics .
Superposition A classical bit is either 1 ( on ) or 0 ( off ), but a qubit can be in both states simultaneously . Once you measure the qubit ’ s value , it resolves to either 0 or 1 . Reading a qubit causes the quantum state to collapse .
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