In October 2019, Google made a big claim. Google said it had achieved quantum supremacy. A team of quantum computing investigators at Quantum Campus, founded by Google in Santa Barbara, an architectural city in California, USA, publicized substantial progress in the evolving field of Quantum Computing.
It noted: Google’s Quantum Computer Outpaces the Top Supercomputer by ’47 Years’ in Speed. According to the Google Publication Unit, research published in arxiv.org clarified: A quantum computer can solve a problem in seconds, which is resolvable; with a classical computer, it takes 47 years. Further, The team leader, Hartmut Neven, added that quantum-AI can enhance the most consequential human activities, explaining observations of the world around us.
What is Quantum Computing? For the layman, According to Scott Aaronson, who leads computer science and quantum computing at the University of Texas in Austin, A CNBC journalist asked him to explain how quantum computing functions. Well, let me begin with this. You never hear your weather forecaster say; We know there is a negative 30 percent chance of rain tomorrow. That would be just nonsense. Right? Did the possibility of something ensuing, as always, lie between 0 percent and 100 percent? But now quantum mechanics is based on numbers called amplitudes. Amplitudes can be positive, negative, or complex.
In the 21st century, every discipline has two wings. One is a technical domain the other is the sociological aspect of the field. In the sociological contour, we deal with the impact of a profession on society. For instance, the technical knowledge of environmental sciences aside, its sociological wings like Climate Adaptation, Mitigation, and the Green Economy are introducing numerous new fields of study within the existing domain.
Likewise, quantum computing (QC) also has a sociological wing. It is an interdisciplinary field that aims to utilize the knowledge of computer science (CS) and Quantum Physics (QP) to heighten the realms of our digital world. It may cover the following discourses:
1. Potential impacts of QC on Quantum Mechanics and CS
2. Making QC-based devices human-friendly
3. Analyzing the Economic Divide driven by technological innovations (QC and AI) between the global north and south.
4. Making third-world societies more vulnerable to technological adaptation
5. Locating the changes harnessed by QC in contemporary Green technologies like Carbon capture, et cetera.
6. Mitigating economic deprivations in the third world through technological advancements
7. A case study of the Indian IT ecosystem, like the IITs infrastructure. Specifically, newly established projects of Open-AI at Delhi and Google-IBM data centers
Researchers have differences regarding the impacts of Quantum Computing. A family of scientists exists who think that QC will revolutionize the nature of disciplines, while other same-minded investigators claim that QCs impact will be limited and will not replace home PCs.
No one is wrong in his claim. Both groups approach the sociology of QC in alternative ways. Here, I aim to highlight the warm conversation among researchers.
First, read the conversation of the scientists who think that QCs will not have an influential impact:
It is too early to claim that quantum computers will replace our classical or home PCs in subsequent decades. Dr. Faisal Akram asserted this while delivering an introductory speech on the Physics Noble Prize 2022, organized by the CHEP Scientific Society at the scientific research institute of PU. He supported it further: classical computers are much more workable in solving daily life problems than QCs.
On January 11, 2020, the IBM deputy director reported: Growth in quantum computing funding is happening quickly for an industry without applications. Yet it is not simple to figure out how to use a QC to do something valuable. So nature gives you this bizarre hammer in the form of this interference effect among all these amplitudes. Right. And it is up to us as QC scientists to figure out what nails that hammer can hit.
The report concluded: It is ten years out, at least. Quantum computing would need to see noteworthy advances between then and now, advancements that occurred during the timeline of classical computing.
Now, listen to the conversation of researchers who argue that QC will revolutionize the nature of the disciplines.
In the 1800s, a few physicists, such as Richard Feynman, suggested that if nature gives us that computational lemon, why not make it into lemonade? You have probably heard or read an explanation of how a quantum computer works.
On June 20, 2023, Michio Kaku, a renowned physicist, explained in his interview at the Science Times: Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe. With their unprecedented computational power, they could help model and unravel complex quantum phenomena such as the early universe, black holes, and wormholes. Hypothetically, advanced alien civilizations may have already harnessed the power of quantum computing to navigate through wormholes or achieve feats that exceed our current capabilities. The mysteries of the universe could be within our reach through the application of quantum computing.
Jessica Pointing, a Ph.D. student at Stanford University, explains: QC offers endless opportunities to mitigate complex mathematical problems in seconds. True, QC poses hazards to our existing encryption or digital security systems. She urges governmental security organizations to build a coherent National Action Plan (NAP) regarding QC. She proposes reconstructing the encryption or logistic system rather than banning research on QC.
In September 2022, Jim Clarke, Director of Quantum Hardware at Intel Labs, discusses: We are about ten years away from commercially available QCs. There are many pieces to the puzzle of building quantum systems. You would be able to complete a sequence of calculations exponentially faster than you could ever hope to do with a classical supercomputer.
Between the global north and south, the technological gap can increase polarization. Imagine the monetary investment announced by Microsoft for Open AI, worth $10 billion. Venture capital investors pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into quantum computing startups. CNBC reveals: Companies received at least $450 million in private funding. About $9.3 billion of capital money poured into AI firms in 2018.
Now, take a look at the plight of the Pakistani economy. The finance division agreed on every condition of the International Monetary Fund for releasing a standby tranche of $3 billion. Resultantly, technological research will transform sectors of the Western economy, and the East will continue to thrive in depreciation.
It is a daydream for a country to invest billions in the QC research area that is struggling to meet the bread and butter. However, this is possible through foreign direct investments. Google has launched the project Quantum Ready to transform the Indian technology ecosystem. Ironically, IBM and Google are opening franchises at Indian IITs. Last month, Open-AI CEO Sam Altman visited the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and addressed the students. He said in his keynote: I am impressed to notice the enthusiasm of Indian youth for technology adaptation. (From Arun Rao)
The government of Pakistan must include the agenda of technology (QC and AI) adaptation in the National Action Plan. In the current political scenario, implementation is far away. For now, go on a tour of Quantum Campus by Google in Santa Barbara, a city in California-USA. It will fill your heart with optimism.
One thought on “Quantum Computing”
Your insights make this complex topic approachable and engaging.I appreciate how it sheds light on the social impact of quantum computing, addressing not just its technical aspects but also its potential to uplift societies and bridge the gap between nations.I’m excited about the future it holds.