Just What is Quantum Computing? Quantum Supremacy?
What Is Quantum Supremacy And Quantum Computing? (And How Excited Should We Be?)
+ Not sure what quantum computing is? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. In very simple terms, quantum computers are unimaginably fast computers capable of solving seemingly unsolvable problems. If you think your smartphone makes computers from the 1980s seem painfully old fashioned, quantum computers will make our current state-of-the-art technology look like something out of the Stone Age. That’s how big a leap quantum computing represents.
In 2019, Google announced with much fanfare that it had achieved “quantum supremacy” –the point at which a quantum computer can perform a task that would be impossible for a conventional computer (or would take so long it would be entirely impractical for a conventional computer).
+ Here are just some of the ways in which quantum computers could be put to good use:
+ Strengthening cyber security. Quantum computers could change the landscape of data security by creating virtually unbreakable encryption.
+ Accelerating artificial intelligence. Quantum computing could provide a massive boost to AI, since these superfast computers will prove far more effective at recognizing patterns in data.
+ Modeling traffic flows to improve our cities. Modeling traffic is an enormously complex process with a huge number of variables, but researchers at Volkswagen have been running quantum pilot programs to model and optimize the flow of traffic through city centers in Beijing, Barcelona, and Lisbon.
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