Quantum computing may be the next exciting wave of human technology, but many people — even tech-savvy individuals — are unfamiliar with how quantum computing works and how they’re applicable to certain businesses. This article will provide readers with a basic overview of quantum computing and discuss the benefits and challenges of integrating quantum computers into your systems.
Core Principles of Quantum Computing
If you’re already familiar with how quantum computers work, you can skip to the next section. If you’re not, it might help to have a rudimentary understanding of what makes them different than classic computers.
You’re probably already familiar with the bits that computers use to transfer information. Bits can be either a 0 or 1, and binary allows these bits to be arranged in useful patterns. A quantum computer uses something similar to a bit called a qubit, with the main difference being that the qubit can have a 0 and 1 state at the same time. This is referred to as superposition.
For example, three bits of data can only send some three ones and zeros, like 1-0-1. Since a qubit can send both zeros and ones simultaneously, three qubits have eight states: 2^3. Now consider the linear capacity of 100 bits vs. the exponential power of 100 qubits, which is 1,267,650,600,228,229,401,496,703,205,376!
Before you replace your classic computers with quantum units, they are cost-prohibitive and not widely available. In fact, most quantum computers must be housed in a laboratory environment. However, some businesses have begun replacing existing systems with super-powered quantum units.
Quantum Applications in Modern Business
It may not surprise you to learn that Google, IBM, Honeywell, and Microsoft have all implemented quantum computing systems:
Google Quantum AI – Google made computing history (again) when their Sycamore Processor (54 qubits) completed a computation that would take the world’s fastest supercomputer of the time 10,000 years in just over three minutes.
IBM Quantum – The computing pioneer designed a computer for practical, extra-laboratory use. It has 27 qubits and is accessible through IBM’s Quantum Experience cloud platform.
D-Wave Systems – This company is at the forefront of quantum computing. They have a 2,000 qubit model — The D-Wave 2000Q — and the D-Wave Advantage, which has 5,000 qubits available.
There are other players in this space as well, but the important takeaway here is that while quantum computers are not yet ubiquitous, they’re being used by businesses all of the time.
Overcoming Challenges in Quantum Integration
You might be wondering at this point, “If I can’t own a quantum computer, how can they benefit my business?” After all, even most tech-based businesses don’t have the facilities or resources to own and operate their own quantum computer in their current state of evolution. If you are in an industry where your local computing power or even cloud-based servers aren’t adequate to your needs, you may consider a cloud-based quantum computing solution. Here are some of the decisions that you’ll need to make:
Research Quantum Computer Service Providers
Not many companies offer this service, so the list is relatively small. Among the better-known providers are IBM Quantum, Google Quantum AI, Amazon Braket, Microsoft Azure Quantum, D-Wave Systems, and Rigetti Computing. It’s important to remember that different providers use different quantum systems. You’ll need to consider the needs of your business when choosing a provider and plan. Otherwise, you may find that you have excessive capacity, which can be costly, or insufficient capacity, which would defeat the purpose of accessing a cloud-based quantum provider.
Preparing Your Business for Quantum Advancements
You will invariably need to install additional software to interact with the quantum computer. For example, if you are using the IBM Quantum Experience, you’ll need to install Qiskit for IBM Quantum, SDK for Amazon Braket, Microsoft Quantum Development Kit, etc. You will also need to set up API keys and cloud credentials to access the system.
As one can imagine, there is a steep learning curve when it comes to quantum computing. Quantum algorithms have languages specifically designed for the system you’re using. For an experienced programmer, it may not be difficult to learn the languages, but if you’ve already developed your code, this could require a significant time expenditure.
Submitting the Algorithm to the Quantum Computer
This involves choosing the quantum processor, uploading code, and then inputting parameters for the job. You will receive results much faster than with a classic computer (which is the main draw to quantum computing), and then you’ll analyze the results. You may need to modify your code if the results are not as expected.
Leveraging Expertise in Quantum Computing
As you can surmise from the previous section, you may not have IT staffing that meets the unique challenges of accessing a quantum platform. As a managed service provider that specializes in cloud quantum computing, you can contact Flagler.io to handle your quantum computing tasks. We can work with key personnel in your company to integrate quantum computing into your existing systems.
Exploring Business Applications of Quantum Computing
The exponential computing capacity of quantum computers lends itself to specific industries that deal with enormous data sets and complex calculations. Here are a few of the industries that have made use of cloud-based quantum computing.
Finance
Hedge funds and investment institutions make predictive models based on historical data. The data sets can be substantial, and they may have to be passed through complex, multi-tiered algorithms to achieve useful results.
Healthcare
With the mapping of the human genome, which involves 3 billion bases, medical science has access to more complex data than ever before. Analyzing conditions in a patient population of 100 could produce (3 x 10^9) ^100 individual pieces of data. Trying to determine consistencies among patients could be a daunting task for a classic computer, but a quantum computer can easily achieve this task.
Logistics
The field of logistics involves moving and tracking immense resources between points, often multiple times during the lifecycle of a single item. Optimizing the processes requires analyzing immense amounts of data. Quantum computing can incorporate artificial intelligence to make continuous changes during the process.
Flagler.io and Quantum Computing
If you believe that quantum computing is the answer to your computing challenges, contact Flagler Technologies. As a full-service managed IT provider, we can help you establish the connection you need to a cloud-based quantum computing platform.