Is the quantum computer a sacred artifact created by human beings?

At the end of 2023, a breakthrough occurred in the world of quantum computers.

What is the future of this field, where experts have poured their wisdom into?

Computers, which are integrated into our daily lives, express characters and information with a combination of 0 and 1. Computers operate using electrical signals, and the "on" and "off" of electrical signals are represented by 0 and 1. 1 is "on" and 0 is "off."

Letters and symbols are expressed in accordance with a standard called the ASCII code, the American Standard Code for Information Interchange, which is the American standard code for information exchange. For example, the letter "A" of the alphabet is "01000001."

What is a quantum computer?

Data handled by a normal computer is made up of a number of smallest units called bits. A bit can take on either the value "0" or "1", and as mentioned above, normal computers process and store information by combining a large number of these bits.

Quantum computers process and store information using the properties of the electron spin of quantum bits. They use the two states of upward spin and downward spin like "0" and "1" in normal computers, but it seems that the performance does not change significantly from that of normal computers just by using them as they are.

This is where the properties of "superposition" and "quantum entanglement" come into play.

According to quantum mechanics, one of the two major fundamental theories in physics, microscopic particles such as electrons can exist simultaneously in multiple separate locations. And electrons can simultaneously rotate clockwise and counterclockwise. Not only existence but also states can exist simultaneously.

"Superposition" utilizes the properties of quantum mechanics, that up and down exist unstably until the measurement stage, and both up and down values ​​can be taken. It is like the state of a coin that exists in the air when it is tossed. It uses this up-and-down state to perform parallel processing.

"Quantum entanglement" is the property where when one spin is determined, the other state is determined. By utilizing the special relationship between quantum bits, they can exhibit interdependent behavior even when physically separated.

To put it in an analogy, imagine randomly selecting gloves for the left and right hands and putting them in bags, then taking them to a separate location. When you open one bag and see that it contains the left hand, you instantly know that the other bag contains the right hand.

These properties form the basis of quantum computers' powerful parallel calculations and secure information transmission.

The situation surrounding quantum computers

In 2018, the United States enacted the National Quantum Initiative Act, which aims to invest approximately $1.3 billion over the next 10 years. The EU is also planning to invest approximately 1 billion euros over the next 10 years as part of the Quantum Technology Flagship Initiative, and major companies such as Google, IBM, and Microsoft are also actively investing in the development of quantum computers.

Government support for quantum technology is expanding around the world, and it can be said that various capital is beginning to concentrate in this area. In Japan, the government has also published a roadmap and vision for quantum technology to promote the social implementation of quantum technology.

▶︎Economic effects of quantum computers, market size, and investment status (quoted from the insight paper "Toward the advent of the quantum computing era: Aim high and take firm action")

New strategy proposal from the Japanese government for the social implementation of quantum technology

Goals aimed at by 2030

1. Increase the number of domestic quantum technology users to 10 million
2. Increase production value of quantum technology to 50 trillion yen
3. Create unicorn companies that will open up future markets

1. Creation and revitalization of startup companies

• Utilizing government funds to improve the entrepreneurial environment
• Discovering new businesses through idea contests

2. Strengthening the quantum base system

• Forming new bases and strengthening headquarters functions to strengthen industrial competitiveness
• Establishing an international cooperation hub with AIST, QST, Tohoku University, OIST, RIKEN, etc.

3. Cultivating and securing human resources

• Providing educational programs to a wide range of people in the industry, etc., and providing related information in a unified manner
• Human resource development that combines with other fields such as medicine, materials, and finance, and technological fields such as AI

4. Intellectual property and standardization of quantum technology

• Establishing a private-sector-led patent pool and management organization for quantum technology
• A system to lead the creation of international rules

5. International collaboration/industry-academia-government collaboration

• Sending young researchers overseas, supporting the industry's overseas expansion
• Building an organizational collaboration and cooperation system between industry, academia, and government

6. Outreach activities

• Public relations activities such as science museum exhibitions and SNS
• Strengthening information provision through information portal sites, etc.

7. Economic security

• Securing the supply chain of important parts and materials
• Supplying risk capital through government-affiliated funds, etc.

Challenges facing quantum computers

While we know that there are problems that quantum computers can solve more efficiently, we also know that there are many problems that normal computers can solve more efficiently.

When Google announced that a quantum computer solved a calculation that would take a supercomputer 10,000 years in about 3 minutes, it was said that they created a problem that quantum computers are extremely good at solving in order to prove that there are things that quantum computers can solve more efficiently than supercomputers.

Only the results are cut out by the media, and the public perceives quantum computers as the ultimate form of computers and as all-powerful. In reality, it is considered correct to say that quantum computers will not immediately replace conventional computers. In order to clear up the misconception that quantum computers will soon be put to practical use, we will summarize the challenges below.

Challenges

Decoherence: Decoherence is a phenomenon in which the quantum state of quantum bits (qubits) collapses due to the influence of external environments or noise. The main causes are temperature fluctuations, the influence of magnetic and electric fields, and interference with other surrounding particles, which can cause the quantum state of the qubit to collapse.

Noise: Noise refers to unintended external interference or chaotic states in the operation of a quantum computer. Noise prevents accurate manipulation and measurement of qubits, causing a decrease in the performance of the quantum computer.

Solution

Cryogenic temperatures: Quantum computers process information using quantum mechanical properties. A very stable environment (cryogenic temperatures) is required because the state of qubits is easily destroyed by thermal energy in the environment or other interference. This makes it possible to reduce interference from the external environment.

Optical quantum computers: Optical quantum computers using photons are also beginning to attract attention. Due to the stability of photons, optical quantum computers tend to be resistant to decoherence. Because photons move at very high speeds, it is believed that they may be able to perform calculations faster, and they have been rediscovered as another form of quantum computers, which were previously mainstream.

Practical application of quantum computers

I think you can understand from the current challenges facing quantum mechanics and quantum computers that there are areas where quantum computers excel and areas where they do not. So, what are the areas where quantum computers are expected to be used?

Drug development

Quantum computers can more accurately simulate molecular structures and their interactions, accelerating the drug design process. Drug candidates can be identified and optimized by quantum mechanically calculating the energy state and structure of molecules.

Detailed simulation of chemical reactions can enable the development of new drugs and the optimization of existing chemical processes, and simulating the interactions between drugs and biomolecules can improve the safety and effectiveness of drugs.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence

LLMs (Large Language Models) are excellent at understanding and generating text and natural language, but by combining them with quantum computers, it is possible to speed up more complex data processing and analysis.

For example, performing complex molecular simulations with quantum computers and analyzing and interpreting the results with LLMs could contribute to the discovery of new drugs and the advancement of materials science.

Astronomy and climate change simulation

Simulation of astrophysical phenomena such as supernova explosions and black holes, as well as electromagnetic fields such as interstellar matter and the cosmic microwave background radiation, can help elucidate the evolution and structure of the universe. It can also efficiently simulate climate models with a large number of variables, potentially improving the accuracy of climate change predictions.

Crypto assets and quantum computers

If the advances in quantum computers are used to decrypt cryptography, this will be a worrying issue for crypto assets, whose security relies on public key cryptography and hash functions.

It is said that it is possible to efficiently decrypt cryptographic methods that are difficult to break with current computers. In theory, it may be possible to derive a private key from the public key used in a transaction, which could create a risk of asset theft.

On the other hand, research is also being conducted on new cryptographic methods called "quantum-resistant cryptography" or "post-quantum cryptography," and it is true that cryptographic methods that are difficult to decrypt even with quantum computers, such as the Lattes cipher and code-based cryptography, are being researched.

Responding to the threat of quantum computer decryption is one of the important challenges for crypto assets, and it seems likely that in the future, more secure crypto assets that are difficult to decrypt with quantum computers will be born one after another.

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