By whurley, Founder and CEO, Strangeworks
Quantum computing can seem out of this world. It’s time to shed some light on what’s possible and what’s science fiction.
As with any exciting modern technology, quantum computing can seem like something from the distant future—something we just aren’t ready for or don’t need to understand yet. But that’s far from the case. Though they may seem esoteric and remote, QC (as it’s commonly referred to) and other non-traditional compute technologies can offer practical solutions to a variety of common business problems and are worthy of your organization’s understanding and consideration as you build for the future.
Before breaking down the major benefits offered by quantum computing technologies, it’s important to understand just what attributes make quantum computing so exciting. Quantum computers are exponentially faster than traditional computers for certain types of workloads. Calculations that would take even a supercomputer hundreds, thousands or even millions of years to solve can be solved by a quantum computer in a matter of minutes, hours, or days. But that incredible speed is only part of the endless impossibilities of quantum computing.
To get a sense of the full picture, imagine you’ve got a coin in the palm of your hand and you’re about to perform a coin toss. In this exercise, heads represents a one and tails represents a zero. Now toss the coin. When it reaches the apex of its spin, is it a one or is it a zero? The answer is, it’s in a quantum super position of some probability of a one or zero. Much like Schrödinger’s famous cat experiment, it’s only when we complete the coin toss by catching the coin on our wrist, collapsing the quantum state, that we know if our coin represents a one or a zero.
Why is this so important? Let’s translate our coin toss into actual bits and quantum bits (“qubits”). Bits are the basis of all computational power in the world today. If I have four bits, I can have 16 outcomes. But in a classical computer using bits, I can only be in one of the possible 16 outcomes at any given moment in time.
To conceptualize a qubit, replace the coin you were picturing with a soccer ball. If the ball is pointing directly up, we have a one. If we rotate it to point directly down, we have a zero. But we can rotate it on several axes like X, Y, Z, and H—H being a combination of two rotations. This is where the exponential power of quantum computing comes into view. If I have four qubits, just like in the classical computer I have 16 outcomes. However, unlike their classical counterpart, these quantum bits can be in all 16 possible outcomes at the exact same moment in time.
This is the main difference between “classical” and “quantum” computers. It’s not just about solving problems faster than before—it’s about solving problems that have been previously unsolvable. When a problem contains massive amounts of variables and multiple possible outcomes, traditional computers stall at the scale of the problem, creating long evaluation times. Quantum computers, on the other hand, are specifically designed with just this type of problem in mind.
Because quantum computing technologies help with the simulation of complex systems, they’re able to address a wide variety of use cases in chemistry, economics and beyond.
In the field of economics, quantum computing will execute macroeconomic modeling algorithms that are not possible with traditional systems, due to the sheer scale and complexity of all the variables in the real world. The result would be more efficient and smoothly operating trade and financial systems.
When it comes to running simulations, quantum computing offers potential benefits to molecular modeling, which will make it easier to develop new drugs and treatments, as well as new materials for batteries. Cybersecurity will also stand to gain from quantum computing—while a quantum computer will likely make it easier to break many existing forms of encryption, a network protected by quantum computing will be far more secure than today’s systems.
Quantum computing will also make dealing with large and complex databases much easier, allowing truly massive troves of data to be sorted and sifted for actionable insights.
So, when will QC actually “arrive” in the so-called mainstream? Pessimists see it as six to 10 years away; optimists think it’s more like two to three. But realists are preparing today. Right now, we’re seeing a major uptick in interest in quantum computing, with tech giants like IBM and Google going all in on this emergent technology and some of the world’s most recognizable companies already applying it to all kinds of everyday problems:
Mitsubishi – The global automobile manufacturer has already started using quantum computing to optimize truck routes for waste collection—with impressive results. On average, each truck has reduced its average travel by more than 1,000 kilometers.
Frankfurt Airport – One of the most frequented, and massive, airports in the world has taken advantage of quantum computing to reduce passenger transit time for the more than 170,000 passengers that move through the facility every day.
FS Italiane – Italy’s national railway is using quantum computing to solve difficult optimization problems, including scheduling, assigning platforms to incoming trains, worker deployment, maintenance, and freight load distribution.
NASA – In conjunction with MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, the U.S. space agency has started to develop a quantum laser system to help relay information from the International Space Station (ISS).
And it’s not just major corporations and government agencies like these who are taking quantum computing seriously. Strangeworks is on a mission to humanize quantum computing and make it accessible to everyone. We’re helping to accelerate the integration of this new technology across a broad spectrum of organization types and sizes. We are not alone. From startups to universities and beyond, interest in quantum computing is now reaching a critical inflection point.
Take a look at the graphic on the previous page for some truly impressive stats around QC. These numbers aren’t just the result of a slow build up of interest in quantum technologies. Over the last few years, investment in quantum technologies has skyrocketed. Just between 2020 and 2021, venture capital funding for quantum computing more than tripled, from $900 million to $3.2 billion—with $1 billion of that funding distributed in the last three months of 2021.
What results can we expect these investments to have? And more specifically, what technological advances can we expect to come first? Many experts feel that the next few years will see the widespread availability of quantum accelerators (secondary on board CPUs) that are as easy to use and accessible as today’s GPUs, as well as quantum networks that will offer secure communication and quantum sensors that boost mapping, timekeeping, and other capabilities.
Understandably, there’s been plenty of hype around quantum computing. But while it offers impressive benefits and use cases, there are things it simply can’t do—or at least can’t do yet—and if we’re going to talk about quantum computing seriously we need to separate what’s real from what isn’t.
We shouldn’t have to say it, but quantum computing isn’t going to immediately solve every problem we throw at it. For instance, it isn’t going to suddenly start breaking blockchain and crypto passwords.
That said, there are still a ton of use cases for quantum computing with the potential for results that might sound like science fiction but are very real.
When it comes to finance, quantum computing might not predict all possible market outcomes—ushering in a paradise of economic stability—but it will provide better models that dramatically increase institutions’ ability to predict valuable outcomes. The same is true of medicine and materials—we won’t suddenly have a cure for cancer or purely renewable energy resources, but quantum breakthroughs will help accelerate research into these potentialities, bringing them closer to reality.
Unlike past technological advances, the pivot to QC isn’t a quick one. Preparing a developer could take anywhere from 12-36 months. So, if you think your company is three, five or 10 years out from needing to worry about quantum, you’re already behind. That’s sobering news for any innovation-focused organization, even more so for those whose competitors are currently on the quantum march, which yours very well may be: Recent surveys have shown that 23 percent of business executives are already implementing quantum technologies or are planning to do so.1
Fortunately, you don’t need to go “big” to start building toward your quantum future… you just need to start.
Here are three moves your organization can make today that will put you firmly on the path to quantum readiness:
Step 1) Take your team’s quantum temperature: The best thing you can do right now is start thinking about your quantum workforce. Currently there are extremely limited talent pools in this area, so most likely you will have to grow your own, which as mentioned above, can take time. Survey your team to see who already has some passion around this subject (in a bunch of tech folks, I can almost guarantee you’ll find a few) and pull them together into an informal working group.
Step 2) Build up internal expertise and vision: Task this group with exploring quantum computing, where it might apply to your core business, and what resources you might need to actualize it within your organization. There are plenty of free resources that can help advance understanding of the topic, including a Linux Foundation training that Strangeworks recently assisted the Linux Foundation and the World Bank in creating.
Step 3) Engage in a little QC reconnaissance: With your QC tiger team in place and your quantum roadmap taking shape, launch some informal investigation into what, if anything, your competitors are doing on the QC front. Scour press releases, dig into their public-facing content and put your ear to the ground of your shared networks.
Knowing what moves they’re making can provide concrete direction for your efforts—and potentially strengthen your business case for getting additional resources sooner rather than later.
Like a lot of innovations that were once considered outlandish, impossible, or the stuff of science fiction, quantum computing is going to be commonplace before you know it. Invest the time now to understand it and how it can support your business goals, and you’ll be ahead of the curve instead of playing catchup. \\
1 Matthew Gooding, “Quantum uncertainty: Is quantum computing really ready for action in business?” TechMonitor.ai, August 2022.
