QUANTUM COMPUTING – SCI & TECH
News:
Explained | The challenges of quantum computing
What's in the news?
● The
allure of quantum computers (QC) is their ability to take advantage of quantum
physics to solve problems too complex for computers that use classical physics.
● The
2022 Nobel Prize for physics was
awarded for work that rigorously tested one such ‘experience’ and paved the way
for its applications in computing – which speaks to the contemporary importance
of QCs.
Key takeaways:
● Several
institutes, companies and governments have invested in developing
quantum-computing systems, from software to solve various problems to the
electromagnetic and materials science that goes into expanding their hardware
capabilities.
● In 2021 alone, the Indian
government launched a National Mission to study quantum technologies with an
allocation of ₹8,000 crore; the army opened a quantum research facility in
Madhya Pradesh; and the Department of Science and Technology co-launched
another facility in Pune.
● Given
the wide range of applications, understanding what QCs really are is crucial to
sidestep the misinformation surrounding it and develop expectations that are
closer to reality.
Quantum Computing:
● Quantum
computing is a rapidly-emerging
technology that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems too
complex for classical computers.
● Technically,
it is defined as a creation of computer technology based on the principles of
quantum theory which describes the nature and behaviour of matter and energy on
the quantum (atomic and subatomic) level.
● Quantum computers are
elegant machines, smaller and requiring less energy than supercomputers
which were made up mostly of cooling systems to keep the superconducting
processor at its ultra-cold operational temperature.
How is Quantum Computing different from Classical
Computing?
● Quantum
computing is an exciting new technology that will shape our world of tomorrow
by providing us with an edge and a myriad of possibilities.
● Quantum
computing is a fundamentally different way of processing information compared
to today’s classical computing systems.
● While
today’s classical computers store information as binary 0 and 1 states, quantum
computers draw on the fundamental laws of nature to carry out calculations
using quantum bits.
● Unlike
a bit that has to be a 0 or a 1, a qubit can be in a combination of states,
which allows for exponentially larger calculations and gives them the potential
to solve complex problems which even the most powerful classical supercomputers
are not capable of.
Features of Quantum Computing:
1. Superposition:
● The
ability of a quantum system to be in multiple
states at the same time until it is measured.
● A
classical processor uses bits to perform its operations. A quantum computer
uses qubits (co-existence of 0 and 1) to
run multidimensional quantum algorithms.
2. Entanglement:
● When
two (sub-atomic) particles link together in a certain way no matter how far
apart they are in space. Their state
remains the same. That is, the state of one qubit (whether it is a 1 or a
0) can depend on the state of another.
3. Quantum supremacy:
● Quantum
supremacy refers to a problem-solving
process by the quantum computer that cannot be solved by a classical
computer in its normal lifetime.
4. Control:
● By
firing microwave photons at these qubits, we can control their behavior and get
them to hold, change, and read out individual units of quantum information.
5. Super Conductors and Superconducting:
● At
ultra-low temperature the electron flows through materials without resistance
by forming cooper pairs. This process is known as quantum tunneling and through
this, the super conductors and superconducting processors were made.
6. Superfluids:
● Quantum
processors need to be very cold -
about a hundredth of a degree above absolute zero. To achieve this,
super-cooled superfluids were used.
Applications of Quantum Computing:
1. Secure Communication
- more important to space, military, financial services and cyber security.
2. Health - It discovers
tumors in time and develops better targeting drugs and helps in research like a
big database of protein sequences.
3. Weather forecasting and Climate Modeling
- Climate change patterns may be predicted by analyzing huge amounts of
satellite data, thereby predicting the accurate level of monsoon and other
weather predictions.
4. Conventional Physics and Mathematics
- For better optimizations and can solve some fundamental physics research like
blackhole.
5. Industrial revolution 4.0:
Companies like IBM have worked with Mercedes to enhance the quality of
batteries for electric vehicles. Leveraging other Industrial revolution 4.0
technologies like the Internet-of-Things,
machine learning, robotics, and artificial intelligence across sectors will
further help in laying the foundation of the Knowledge economy.
6. Financial regulators
- To use quantum computing to keep track of increasingly complex and fast-paced
digital transactions. Credit risk analysis, which includes several more
parameters, can become far more accurate with quantum computing.
Challenges:
1. Issues in error correction:
● The
no-cloning theorem states that it’s impossible to perfectly clone the states of
a qubit, which means engineers can’t create a copy of a qubit’s states in a
classical system to sidestep the problem.
● One
way out is to entangle each qubit with a group of physical qubits that correct
errors.
● A
physical qubit is a system that mimics a qubit. But reliable error-correction
requires each qubit to be attached to thousands of physical qubits.
2. More expensive.
3. Lack of Technological availability.
4. Unstable:
● Noise,
temperature change, an electrical fluctuation or vibration - all of these
things can disturb a qubit’s operation and cause it to lose its data.
● Researchers
are yet to build QCs that completely eliminate these disturbances in systems
with a few dozen qubits.
5. Cooling:
● Keeping
them very cold roughly –273 degrees Celsius which is very difficult to achieve.
6. Privacy issues.
7. Engineering related barriers:
● A
practical QC needs at least 1,000 qubits. The current biggest quantum processor
has 433 qubits.
Government Initiatives:
1. QuEST - In 2018, a
program called Quantum-Enabled Science & Technology (QuEST) provides ₹.80
crore over the next three years to accelerate research by the Department of
Science & Technology.
2. National Mission on Quantum Technology and
Applications (NMQTA) by the Department of
Science and Technology - ₹.8000 crore for five years in the Budget 2020 to
bolster quantum computing in India for the upcoming decades.
3.
In October 2021, the government also inaugurated C-DOT’s Quantum Communication Lab and unveiled the indigenously
developed Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)
solution.
WAY FORWARD:
● The
complex nature of quantum science needs deeper
linkages between academia, scientists, governments, tech companies and
investors.
● Even
systems of national security,
especially cyber threats, will be enhanced by quantum science.
● India
and other emerging economies must now invest in the talent required to fuel quantum
science.
● While
India has committed to quantum computing, the effort will require multi-dimensional effort, which
involves skilling as well as industry linkages.
● It
would be prudent to develop a regulatory framework for quantum computing before
it becomes widely available.
● It
is a transformative technology whose
future uses, across a wide spectrum of sectors from data analysis to
geopolitics, cannot be fully anticipated.
● It
would be useful to regulate quantum computing now, or at least define the limits
of its legitimate use.