Quantum Computers – What are They, and What's the Big Deal?

If you have even a passing interest in science or technology developments, you've certainly heard some buzz about quantum computers. Major companies like IBM, Microsoft and Google are all in a race to achieve what they call "quantum supremacy." What this means is, quantum computers will be able to solve problems that are impossible for today's most powerful supercomputers.

This is a giant leap forward, and it will obviously have transformative effects on many industries that rely on intense computing power, but how will it affect you, the consumer? Will a quantum computer let you play Crysis at 500 frames per second? Researchers say no. Home computers and gaming consoles are not likely to have quantum processors for a long time, but quantum computing will transform business and research in many areas, including artificial intelligence, big data analysis, encryption, cybersecurity and many others.

Okay, but what is a quantum computer?

Simply put, quantum computers perform computations using quantum bits rather than the classical bits used in regular computers.

But what does that mean?

Quantum computers use the strange properties of tiny particles, such as electrons and photons, which are capable of doing weird things. For example, quantum particles can be in two places at once or move in two different directions at the same time. Subatomic particles can also join in a special way called "entanglement," where they become mirror images of each other. When this happens, even if they’re light years apart, one particle will always be in an opposite state to the other. Albert Einstein famously described this as "spooky action at a distance."

Scientists take these tiny quantum particles and use them as processors called qubits. The strange and powerful qubits make the quantum computer much more powerful than a classical computer.

What is a qubit?

Qubits are the quantum computer's version of the bits that are used to store data in classical computers. A bit is the smallest unit of data in a computer. It can only hold a value of 0 or 1.  Qubits also hold the the values of 0 and 1; however, through the weirdness of quantum physics, they can also hold the values of both 0 and 1 at the same time.

But that’s not all. To better understand a qubit, you can picture it as a sphere. A classical bit can only exist at one of the poles of the sphere, representing a value of zero or one. A qubit, on the other hand, can exist at any point on the sphere, so it can be a zero, a one, or anywhere in-between. This allows for a very efficient and powerful way to process information with each qubit.

Making a quantum system work, however, is extremely complex – much more so than the computers we use today. That’s why we’ve had the idea for a quantum computer for several decades, but a practical one still hasn’t been created yet.

Why are quantum computers such a big deal?

The ability to use individual subatomic particles for processing information is amazing in itself, but that’s not all. Quantum computers are incredibly powerful because the qubits act like tiny parallel processors, and the parallel processing power of the qubits increases exponentially whenever you add more qubits into the mix.

In fact, scientists believe that a quantum computer with around 50 qubits could perform calculations that are impossible for a giant room full of the fastest computers available today. Even the world’s most powerful supercomputer, the TaihuLight, which has over 10 million processors, would be unable perform certain types of computations that a 50 qubit quantum computer could do.

When a quantum computer has thousands of qubits working in a commercially viable system, it will bring a whole a new world of computational power, where we are better able to do things that are currently impossible, such as predicting weather patterns and building computers that can think and act like humans.

Can you buy a quantum computer?

Only giant corporations like IBM and Google currently own quantum computers because the technology hasn’t been developed yet to the point where they can power your Windows or Mac machine. But if you’re still interested in buying one, there is one company that sells them.

D-Wave, a Canadian tech company, was the first and is still the only company that sells quantum computers. If you’re interested in buying one, you merely need to pony up $10 Million in cash.

How close is the age of quantum supremacy?

Google claims they’re in the lead toward creating a computer that completely dominates any classical computer in existence. Recently, the tech giant has unveiled a 72 qubit machine that they believe could possibly perform some calculations that are impossible for classical computers. Google has codenamed the new computer “Bristlecone” because the qubit structure resembles pinecone scales. They’re predicting a possible demonstration of quantum supremacy some time in May or June of 2018.

Other tech giants have skin in the game as well. IBM is currently testing a 50-qubit machine and Intel is has a 49-qubit chip. Google may be the first to achieve quantum supremacy, but it looks like they will have plenty of competition in the arena of quantum computing.