Quantum Computing Progresses Into 2024
In 2024, the most significant advancements in quantum computing will not come from major hardware releases, but rather from researchers combining years of laborious work, learning chips to communicate with one another, and moving away from the practice of making due with noise as the field becomes more and more global in nature.
For many years, stories of record-breaking systems dominated the news cycle around quantum computing. Google and IBM researchers have quarrelled over who accomplished what and if the effort was worthwhile.
IBM introduced the Heron, a quantum processor with 133 qubits, in December 2023. Although some applications are now feasible as a result of that evolution, public key encryption is still a ways off.
Nevertheless, a quantum computer’s ability to decipher public key encryption, which is essential to much of today’s cybersecurity, is becoming closer than previously thought. To put an RSA-2048-bit encryption key into perspective, some researchers calculate that it would take a classical computer 300 trillion years to crack. This year, experts calculated that the same task could be completed in ten seconds by a quantum computer with 4099 stable qubits.
Geopolitical Dynamics of Quantum Computing
The competition for supremacy in quantum technology is still going strong and will pick up speed by 2024. The rivals are investing more money in the development of quantum technologies. The Biden administration’s emphasis on quantum has an effect on both national security and international relations. More than $150 million US is allotted every year for quantum computing and network research and development under the CHIPS Act of 2022.
With an eye towards the military, China is creating quantum technology, such as a quantum network that will facilitate communications between satellites and ground stations. In 2016, China became the first country to launch a quantum communication satellite.
There are plans to launch a quantum communication satellite by the Europeans as well. Canada recently said that it will invest C$360 million over several years in the National Quantum Strategy in an effort to boost the country’s quantum research and commercial success.
Quantum networks in space are one field in which there is worldwide competition. Because it breaks through the existing Earthly distance barrier and transmits data at the speed of light, such a network is attractive.
About forty distinct techniques are being used by about ninety-nine quantum computing businesses to construct their quantum processing units (QPUs). Prominent corporations such as Alibaba, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, Amazon.com, D-Wave Systems, IBM, IonQ, Microsoft, and NVIDIA are among them. The noise-induced mistakes are the biggest obstacle to reliable quantum computing. Improved error correction is necessary for quantum computing to become more dependable.
Quantum Development Works
Superconducting Qubits
Superconducting qubits transport quantum information by utilising the concepts of superconductivity. In the past few years, they have made great strides, led by businesses like IBM, Google, SEEQC, and Rigetti. Their potential for error correction and relative simplicity of scaling are well-known attributes.
Topological Qubits
Since topological qubits are characterised by anyons, they can potentially provide robust error correction. The industry leader in this field of technology is Microsoft. Finding appropriate materials and establishing stable environments are still major obstacles in the manipulation of anyons.
Photonic
Photons, or light particles, are used as qubits in photonic quantum computing. Quantum information is encoded using photon characteristics. The nature of photons makes photonic systems promising for long-range quantum communication.
Neutral Cold Atoms
Cold atoms In quantum computing, atoms are cooled to extremely low temperatures using lasers, and then they are arranged in space using light-based “tweezers.” An array of atoms creates a quantum register. Laser light is used to regulate the qubits’ state in order to conduct logic operations. Compared to competing technologies, cold atom systems might provide a more reliable foundation for more precise mistake correction.
Conclusion
These days, artificial intelligence and quantum computing are two distinct yet quickly evolving fields. Massive processing power is required for AI to learn from and react to end users. According to some observers, quantum computing will significantly lower the cost of processing power and remove the financial barrier to the creation and use of AI applications.
In a similar vein, the internet provided near-instantaneous access to massive volumes of digital data—which AI need for training purposes. Quantum computing is expected to progress quickly and become commercially viable. The rivalry between several regimes for supremacy and authority will keep things interesting and moving.
This year saw the first detection of quantum superchemistry, a phenomenon in which molecules react more quickly because they are all in the same quantum state. Moreover, it was the first time quantum entanglement in top quarks—which have a lifetime of only 10–25 seconds—had been observed. However, the demonstration of an engine that runs on the energy difference between bosons and fermions is undoubtedly the most clever quantum result of the year.
