FEATURES
EXPANSION OF
QUANTUM
COMP U TI N G Written By Benjamin Beyer Designed By Bianca Vama
T
hroughout history, people have used computers for a variety of purposes and they have become ubiquitous in our society. Research into computers is ongoing and will continue as they are useful tools that can enhance every aspect of our daily lives. Around 1982, Richard Feynman formulated an early iteration of quantum algorithm to complete quantum calculations, and this was fleshed out in 1983 by David Albert. The basis of quantum computing is called a qubit, and this was realized in 1998 with the first qubit registers. While normal computers use binary to store and transmit data, quantum computers use qubits to store data which have the power to store data much more concisely than binary. This is because of the quantum mechanical principle of superposition which allows the qubit to be in either a “0” state, “1” state, or a combination of these two states, and this is the reason that quantum computers can more efficiently store and complete calculations. Throughout the 2000s, this technology has been scaled up and complicated quantum algorithms have been developed which have proven to be faster than their classical counterparts due to quantum principles such as superposition.
As these computers are scaled up (they are about the size of a fridge) and their size scales down, 18 PENNSCIENCE JOURNAL | Spring 2022
we can start to think about the commercial advantages of quantum computing and the expansion of quantum computing into the consumer world. For example, electric car companies are investing in this idea to see if they can enhance the capabilities of electric car batteries. They are doing research into the chemistry of electric car batteries with the help of quantum computing’s vast power and calculating capabilities. As quantum computers continue to improve, their capabilities will continue to challenge and surpass the capabilities of classical computers which could help further expand the electric car industry. The extent to which quantum computing can revolutionize some industries is not yet known. While this power is used in electric car battery development, quantum computing is also forecasted to be able to be used in drug discovery. This is one of many very new developments in the quantum computing industry. While often people consider wet labs to be at the forefront of drug development, the forefront of drug development has been pivoting into computational realms. For many of the purposes that drug development requires, classical computing suffices. Companies hope that quantum computing will be able to predict certain qualities of molecules like reactivity, structure, and behavior of large and
