Quantum Computing vs Blockchain Computing
By Vakindu Philliam on The Capital
Heavily reported in 2019 was the story that Google, the search engine giant, had reached Quantum supremacy. Quantum supremacy is basically the term referring to a time when a programmable quantum device can solve a problem that classical computers practically cannot.
Google announced in October last year that their quantum computer, powered by the ‘Sycamore’ processor, had achieved this milestone. A Quantum computer is built on the obscure laws of Quantum Physics, rather than the discrete binary laws of 1s and 0s upon which classical computer architectures are molded.
A Blockchain computer, on the other hand, is a decentralized peer-to-peer network of classical computers working simultaneously to accomplish a given task. Like Quantum computers, Blockchain computers are at an early stage of development. Blockchain technology has been around for only ten years — meanwhile workable Quantum computers are even younger.
Let's compare the current state of Quantum computing with that of Blockchain computing.
1. The Technology
Blockchain computers are based on a decentralized peer-to-peer architecture. It’s a network of decentralized classical computers working together to tackle a given task. Decentralized blockchain supercomputers constitute the combined power of the users’ machines, from Personal computers (PCs) to entire data centers to Quantum computers.
Quantum computing meanwhile is a centralized device which adopts the complex properties of Quantum Physics for its CPU architecture. Quantum computing speeds are measured in quantum bits (qubits). A Quantum bit can exist in a ‘superposition’ state of both 1 and 0 at the same time. This makes Quantum computers infinitely more powerful than classical computers whose bits must exist in a discrete state of either 1 or 0.
2. Scalability, Processing Power, Robustness & Precision
Due to major improvements to the proof-of-work and proof-of-stake protocols — blockchain’s core algorithm — there has been a boast in the flexibility, robustness, and accuracy of blockchain computers. This has insulated blockchain computers from intrusion and tampering. And being a network of decentralized computers, blockchain computers experience little problem with scalability. But latency may increase with large-scale blockchain networks.
On the other hand, Quantum computers today are famously prone to errors. Sometimes experiencing errors while handling the most basic arithmetic tasks. But new Quantum research and development is working to limit these qubit errors.
Quantum computers could potentially harness computing speeds of up to 100 million times faster than the fastest supercomputers today. Google’s ‘sycamore’ quantum processor, for example, boasts of 53 qubits of computing power, equivalent to 9 quadrillion amplitudes. If true, that would make it infinitely faster than the fastest blockchain computer today.
In contrast, a blockchain’s computing power depends on the number of device nodes in its network. The larger the number of nodes in the network, the more powerful the computer.
3. Energy efficiency, Accessibility, Pricing and Infrastructure
In a Blockchain’s decentralized peer-to-peer architecture, resource use is shared between the different nodes (computers) of a blockchain network. Participants in the network can rent out cycles of other user’s machines, often at a small fee. This resource sharing makes the Blockchain computer far more energy-efficient than any one supercomputer on the planet.
At the moment, Quantum computers are mostly centralized and energy-intensive. It is said that some Quantum computers require upwards of $10 million worth of energy to stay online per year.
Anyone with a personal computer or the latest smartphone can access a Blockchain computer. The same is not true for a Quantum computer. At $5m — $25m dollars per device, personal quantum computers will stay out of reach to most citizens for a very long time. Except maybe through the cloud.
4. Cryptography and Security
Blockchain technology today is mostly encrypted using the SHA-256 and the RSA256 encryption protocol. This hash encryption is nearly impossible for classical computers to break, but it may not be the case for Quantum computers.
If Quantum computers are able to crack the SHA-256 and the RSA256 encryption protocols, then Quantum devices will destroy the fabric of DApp security and threaten the very existence of blockchain technology. Blockchain will need to migrate to Quantum cryptographic hashing to keep up with the times.
Conclusion: why blockchain will win.
Here’s why blockchain computing will ultimately have the edge over Quantum computing. Blockchain is a network of decentralized devices. Any type of computing devices can be added as nodes to the network’s chain, including Quantum computers. In other words, Blockchain technology accommodates all kinds of diverse computing devices, including Quantum computers.
It’s the same analogy traditional media companies faced with the advent of the internet and social media. Did the internet and social media destroy newspapers? No. On the contrary, the internet and social media provided a new infrastructure for traditional media companies to reach a global audience. How would someone living in Arua, Uganda (East Africa) be able to access a copy of ‘Popular Mechanics’, except through the magazine’s web URL.
Likewise, Quantum computing will avail blockchain technology with new opportunities and marketplaces that do not exist today.
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