Quantum – Speeds beyond Imagination

With all the capacity we have around computing, we still have many unsolved problems, whether it is around food safety, or climate change, or the energy transition. These are big challenges that need more computing.

Quantum Computing is a paradigm shift; it is new in different form of computing that goes exponentially beyond the capabilities of our best and most powerful super computers today. It is grounded in the principles of Quantum Mechanics, which underlies the fundamental theory of nature at the smallest atomic and sub atomic scales. With Quantum Computer, it is Quantum Mechanics that really governs how we store, process and compute the information.

Before we understand Quantum Computing, we must take a look at how Classical Computing worked so far. Classical bits are the basic units of information processing in a classical computer. They process information in ‘bits’ or 1’s and 0’s. Two bits can be in four possible states (00, 01, 10, or 11), but only one of them at any time. This limits the computer to processing one input at a time.

Quantum Computers compute in ‘qubits’ (or quantum bits) which can exist as both 0 and 1 at the same time. In a quantum computer, two qubits can also represent the exact same four states (00, 01, 10, or 11). The difference is, because of superposition, the qubits can represent all four at the same time. That’s a bit like having four regular computers running side-by-side. If more bits are added to a regular computer, it can still only deal with one state at a time. But as qubits are added, the power of quantum computer grows exponentially. We can say that for “n” qubits, simultaneously 2ⁿ states can be represented. This is what allows a quantum computers to carry out calculations beyond the realm of modern day computers.

For example, if we have a million social media profiles to look for a particular individual, a classical computer would have to scan each one of these profiles, which would take a million steps. But a quantum computer would be able to do the same task with a thousand steps instead of a million.

Additionally, Quantum Computers rely on naturally occurring quantum – mechanical phenomena known as Superposition & Entanglement. They speed up our ability to perform immense computations.

Superposition One of the most fundamental principles in quantum mechanics, and hence quantum computing, is the principle of superposition. It states that two or more valid quantum states can be added, or superposed, to create a new valid quantum state. Conversely, every quantum state can be represented as two or more distinct quantum states as well. Furthermore, quantum objects can be in more than one quantum state at the same time.

Entanglement Another fundamental part of quantum computing is entanglement. This occurs when pairs of quantum particles are linked so that each particle cannot be observed independently of the other. When a pair or group of particles can only be described by the quantum state for the system, and not by individual quantum states, we say the particles are "entangled".

How it will help us ? The speed and capability of classical supercomputers are limited by energy requirements. Along with these they also need more physical space. Looking for really useful information by processing huge amount of data quickly is a real world problem and one that can be handled faster by quantum computers.

Microsoft Azure Quantum allows software developers to configure quantum computers in Azure cloud to build Quantum apps.

Key Features:

• Quantum software, including simulators and resources estimation tools, scaled by Azure compute
• Quantum hardware system options with a variety of different qubit architectures
• Quantum solutions like pre-built solvers and algorithms that run at industrial scale  

Microsoft Quantum Development Kit (QDK) & Q # Microsoft has attempted to bridge that gap with their new quantum language Q# (Q-sharp). The whole idea is to leverage traditional computing for the control logic and then invoke the quantum code on the quantum processor. The results are sent back to the control logic and used from there.

Microsoft’s programming language for quantum computing, Q#, features a native-type system for qubits, operators, and other abstractions and interoperable with Python Programming Language. The Quantum Development Kit includes the Q# programming language and compiler, the Q# library, a local quantum machine simulator, a quantum computer trace simulator, and a resource estimator. There are also Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code extensions.

What types of problems are ideal challenges for a quantum computer?

Chemistry – Modelling Molecules Current technology doesn’t allow to analyze some of the more complex molecules, There’s a unique approach in quantum computing where, instead of loading the input data, you’re able to encode it into the quantum circuit itself. Modelling molecules are an example of this; the initial positions of the electrons would be the input—also referred to as ‘preparation’—and the final positions of the electron would be the output.

Materials science The ability to develop high-temperature superconductors is a great example. We currently lose around 15% of the power in the energy grid every year due to the resistance in the wires transporting the electricity. Finding a material that can transmit energy without heating up the wires requires modelling properties of materials. This precise focus has a minimal amount of input and a highly focused output

Cryptography Cryptographic problems that use factoring can be solved with a quantum computer because both the input and output are each a single number. Note that the numbers used in the key are huge, so a significant amount of qubits are needed to calculate the result

Machine learning and optimization Maximizing the output in a large factory. Each individual process would need to be optimized on its own, as well as compared against the whole. Here the possible configurations of all the processes that need to be considered are exponentially larger than the size of the input data. With a search space exponentially bigger than the input data, optimization problems are feasible for a quantum computer.

I do feel strongly Quantum is what's going to be all about… FUTURE To build the quantum work force of the future, Microsoft is collaborating with the universities for Quantum computing course for a full semester. This step empowers students to create futuristic innovations.