3 common misconceptions about quantum computing

Quantum computing is on its way at a staggering pace! IBM, Google and Microsoft, among others, are all investing huge amounts of resources in driving this field. And Quantum1Net is developing the security technology to keep the digital world safe from the new threats which will come with the rise of this new technology.

As with all new technologies concepts, or anything which has the tag quantum, there are misconceptions in circulation regarding how quantum computers work and their capabilities. After all, these devices are based on the principles of quantum mechanics, which physicists correctly claim that nobody understands. With this in mind, in this article we will clarify some of the common misconceptions about quantum computing.

1. Quantum computers are faster because they use superposition to achieve enormous parallelism

Similarly to how conventional computers are made of bits, quantum computers are built from qubits. Bits are devices which can be in one of two discrete states, 0 or 1. Qubits are also allowed to be in these two states. However, as quantum systems, they can benefit from the superposition principle, which lets them be in any state in-between. In a way, qubits can be in more than one state at the same time. 0, 1 or half 0 and half 1. As more qubits are included, the number of possible states of the combined qubits increases very quickly.

This is often said to be behind the speed-up of quantum computers with respect to conventional computers: the claim is that superposition allows for great parallelism. This isn’t necessarily true.

Let’s come back to bits. They are very limited to being in either a 0 state or a 1 state. Consequently, what we can do to them is very limited, as the outcome must also be a 0 or a 1. Qubits do not have this limitation, as they can be a 0, 1 or anything in between! Of course there are limitations to the operations which a can be performed on a qubit, but nonetheless they have more freedom than bits. This means that they can take different paths when performing computations (such as integer factorization), sometimes leading to incredible speed-ups.

One of the ultimate limitations to how fast a computer can complete a task is the number of operations on bits or qubits needed to complete it. Computer scientists are always on the search for shortcuts to get to their results. Quantum computers allow them to take these shortcuts. It is ultimately this, and not enhanced parallelism, that leads to quantum computers being faster than their conventional counterparts, which brings us to the next point…

2. Quantum computers are faster than conventional computers at all tasks.

Apart from the number of steps it takes to complete a certain task, another important limiting factor is a computer’s architecture: very literally how they are built. Often specialized processors are designed if there is a very specific task which needs to be completed. For example, GPUs (graphic processing units), were designed for image processing, even though today they are used for scientific purposes or even Bitcoin mining.

Quantum computers were originally conceived with a very specific purpose: as a tool to simulate aspects of nature which are beyond the capability of conventional computers. As time went on, it was found that they were cut out for more than just simulations. In particular, they are expected to be very good at integer factorization (conventional computers are so bad at this task that it is used to secure many widely-used asymmetric encryption protocols, like RSA, however quantum computers will have a much easier time when factorizing).

Quantum computers won’t outperform conventional computers for all tasks. They will do some with moderate improvements, and others with incredible speed-ups, like factorization of integers. Even with a limited scope of jobs, they will radically change how we think must think about computer security if we wish to ensure the safety of our data and our privacy.

3. One day we will all have a quantum computers.

The key to making a functional quantum computer is maintaining the quantumness of the qubits. The properties of quantum systems which these devices exploit, superposition and entanglement, are very delicate and ordinary environmental conditions can destroy them. To get a quantum computer to work requires very sophisticated engineering to isolate the qubits to ensure that they are as unaffected the outside world as possible. On top of that, creating qubits isn’t always straightforward.

The result is that quantum computers are enormous devices which require huge amounts of energy to operate. This essentially makes these devices unfeasible for personal computing. In any case, quantum computers are not of much use for everyday users. As discussed above they have a limited scope of applications which do not include what a normal user would use them for. Quantum computers will be of interest for scientists, governments, private companies and others whom require them for very specific purposes.

What will happen is that companies which can afford to create or acquire quantum computers will make them available over the cloud for people or companies interested in experimenting with them and them exploiting their power. In fact, this has already happened. IBM has made some of it’s quantum computers available to the general public without cost, along with software packages which will help users learn to program them. These are still early devices, with a small number of qubits, but they have already been more than sufficient for scientific research purposes leading to numerous publications.

Quantum computers are no longer a thing of the future: they have arrived, and are subject to what amounts almost to a quantum computing-arms race. While they will be of great benefit for science, engineering and whatever fields can benefit from the progress of these (finance, machine learning and artificial intelligence, etc), they also have a down side. In particular, the capacity to factor large integers and solve related problems is a threat to encryption and cybersecurity as we know it. Luckily, governments and private companies alike are taking action. The battle to counter this threat has already started and Quantum1Net has joined the front line.

Stay tuned for more news and updates on how Quantum1Net’s technology will secure the digital world from the quantum threat, ensuring the safety of private data and internet transactions.

Quantum1Net is developing the means to keep the digital world quantum-safe for years to come. Founded in 2017, Quantum1Net combines decades of industry experience with cutting edge technology to create quantum-secure encryption services. Starting with making a Bitcoin safe from quantum hacking, Quantum1Net will roll out a wide range of novel products to protect digital transactions and communications from quantum hackers.

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