What Is Quantum Computing ?

Quantum computing is an area of computing focused on developing computer technology based on the principles of quantum theory, which explains the behavior of energy and material on the atomic and subatomic levels. Classical computers that we use today can only encode information in bits that take the value of 1 or 0. Quantum computing, on the other hand, uses quantum bits or qubits.

The basis of quantum computing is the Qubit. Unlike a normal computer bit, which can be 0 or 1, a Qubit can be either of those, or a superposition of both 0 and 1.

According to the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, the field of quantum computing started in the 1980s. It was then discovered that certain computational problems could be tackled more efficiently with quantum algorithms than with their classical counterparts.

What is Qubit ?

A qubit (or quantum bit) is the quantum-mechanical analog of a classical bit. In classical computing, the information is encoded in bits, where each bit can have the value zero or one.

Applications of Quantum Computing

• Calculation of preposterous problem
• Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
• Computational Chemistry
• Drug Design & Development
• Cybersecurity & Cryptography
• Financial Modelling
• Logistics Optimisation
• Weather Forecasting
• Solar Capture
• Electronic Materials Discovery

Quantum Supremacy

On October 23, 2019 Google announced that it had achieved “Quantum Supremacy,” meaning that they had used a quantum computer to quickly solve a problem that a conventional computer would take an impractically long time (10000 years) to solve.1 IBM immediately contested this claim, saying that their conventional supercomputers could solve the problem in a matter of days

Its potential and projected market size has engaged some of the most prominent technology companies to work in the field of quantum computing, including IBM, Microsoft, Google, D-Waves Systems, Alibaba, Nokia, Intel, Airbus, HP, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, SK Telecom, NEC, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Rigetti, Biogen, Volkswagen, and Amgen.

Is India working on quantum computing ?

There are no quantum computers in India yet. In 2018, the Department of Science & Technology unveiled a program called Quantum-Enabled Science & Technology (QuEST) and committed to investing ₹80 crores over the next three years to accelerate research. The ostensible plan is to have a quantum computer built in India within the next decade. Phase-1 of the problem involves hiring research experts and establishing teams with the know-how to physically build such systems.