Quantum computing and the mysteries of "very small things"

The world is on the cusp of a computing revolution based on quantum mechanics – the theory in physics that describes the behavior of matter and energy at the level of atoms and subatomic particles. Quantum science has also been explained by a U.S. government scientist as the “rules that describe how really small things behave.”

This field is full of surprises, even for the experts. Richard Feynman, the late theoretical physicist, Nobel laureate and pioneer of quantum computing, described the field as “peculiar and mysterious to everyone – both to the novice and the experienced physicist,” because it is so different to how people experience and perceive the behavior and properties of larger objects.

Quantum mechanics was developed gradually in the early decades of the 20th century by some of the biggest names in physics. In recent decades, a range of potential applications emerged, including computing, with research now underway in more than a dozen countries, according to a report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies. Also read: Alphabet Needs to Show Path to AI Sales in Race With Microsoft

For quantum computing, a turning point came in 1994 when American mathematician Peter Shor developed an algorithm – a mathematical procedure for performing a computation – which showed that quantum computers could be used to solve problems beyond the reach of classical computers.

Codebreaking is likely to be an important early application. These computers are expected to be able to break encryption codes in minutes rather than the thousands of years that current computers would take, according to cybersecurity experts.

North America is the epicenter of quantum computing, according to industry experts. U.S. companies building quantum processors include IBM, Amazon, Intel, Google, Quantinuum, IonQ, Microsoft, Quantum Computing Inc and Rigetti Computing. In Canada, D-Wave Systems and Xanadu Quantum Technologies have been pioneers.

The United States, Canada and Britain were home to the biggest number of startups in the field as of 2022, according to a recent McKinsey report.

In January, China's Origin Quantum Computing Technology Company, based in Anhui Province, announced it had delivered a completely homemade quantum computer to a user, according to reports in China's state-controlled media. Some of China's tech giants including Baidu and Tencent are also working on quantum computing.

Origin Quantum did not respond to a request for comment.

To be sure, substantial engineering challenges must be overcome before these computers are truly useful. So far, only small computers with a relatively small number of qubits have been built in labs around the world, according to physics researchers. These computers are very fragile and the hardware is prone to “noise” such as fluctuations in the earth’s magnetic field or other electromagnetic signals, which leads to errors. And they are still too small to solve some challenging problems, including codebreaking.

But some of these early quantum computers are now in use for initial research in a variety of fields. Auto giant Mercedes-Benz, for example, is now using IBM quantum computers to design better batteries, according to IBM. Some technologists predict these computers could soon become even more useful. They say combining these early machines with traditional processors can lead to important improvements in solving complex problems.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) forecast in a May report that business will reap benefits from quantum computing as early as 2025. Quantum's data processing has the potential to generate income of up to $850 billion for users by about 2035, the year by which BCG expects the technology to be mature, the company said in the report.