During her keynote at the inaugural edition of InfoQ Dev Summit Munich, Teena Idnani, senior vice president at JP Morgan Chase, gave an overview of quantum computing and how we can prepare for its inevitable change in "traditional" computing. Besides decrypting its concepts and stating its benefits, she also pointed to the "quantum-ready" programming languages.
Idnani started her presentation by underlining that quantum computing is not just faster than traditional computing but a fundamentally different computational model. At the base of the model lies the qubit concept, which differs from the conventional binary bit by having "quirky" properties. She underlines the importance of:
- Superposition - flipping a coin in the classical computing model, you can have either one side or another (0 or 1), while in the quantum model, you can state that it can be either side until you stop spinning and see which side it remains. This property allows a quantum particle (a qubit) to be in different states simultaneously, allowing it to explore multiple paths very quickly.
- Entanglement - having two coins "magically" interconnected regardless of the distance between them. In this way, the action placed on one of them will be replicated on the other. Having multiple entangled qubits will allow "incomprehensible" computing.
The combination of qubits’ properties provides the computational speed. The paradox is that you must isolate the system to keep the superposition state, but you also need to interact with the system to be able to process the data. The solution is to build fault-tolerant quantum computers that can correct themselves.
Idnani said, "Quantum computing is way more disruptive than AI." It has the potential to disrupt multiple industries, and Idnani stressed the impact that it might have on four of them: pharmaceutics, finance, logistics, and automotive. Regardless of the industry, the potential to lead better simulation and faster computing will open the way to solutions we haven’t considered.
Quantum computing, while promising, also brings with it a set of challenges. The most pressing one is in the realm of cryptography. Our current cryptographic algorithms rely on the time it takes traditional computers to execute mathematical operations. But with the speed of quantum computers, these algorithms would be rendered obsolete in hours. The need for post-quantum cryptographic mechanisms is not a future concern but a present necessity.
To close the gap between quantum computing's experimental and academic parts and the "hands-on" audience, Idnani points to the programming languages that started appearing in preparation for the machines' broad availability. She pointed out that IBM made its quantum computer available via the cloud.
In conclusion, it is evident that humanity's most significant challenges, such as food security, clean energy and climate change, economic inequality, disease outbreaks, and water scarcity, are incredibly complex and vast in scale. The number of parameters involved makes them seemingly unsolvable within reasonable time frames using current computational technologies. However, quantum computing promises to be one of humanity’s best opportunities to innovate and address these pressing challenges.