Quantum Computing Applications

- Overview

Quantum computers could revolutionize computation by solving problems that are currently intractable for classical computers. They can solve some problems faster than classical computers by using quantum mechanical effects like superposition and quantum interference. 

Here are some potential applications for quantum computers:

• Drug discovery: Quantum computers could enhance material modeling and discovery, which could help with drug discovery.
• Chemical and pharmaceutical development
• Quantum computers can model complex molecules, which could reduce development time. For example, they could help companies like Daimler develop better lithium sulfur batteries.
• Carbon capture: Quantum computers could more accurately model carbon dioxide reactions with catalysts, which could help scientists estimate the efficiency of sequestration strategies.
• Encryption: Quantum computers could make it easier to crack encryption, which could threaten data security.
• Machine learning: Quantum computers coulduld work with better algorithms to transform machine learning across many industries.
• Financial transactions: Quantum computers could speed up decision-making in financial transactions, such as portfolio optimization.

- Computational Platforms for Quantum Computing

Computing platforms provide users with access to quantum computers to perform quantum computations through the cloud. Building a new quantum computer is a very expensive investment for many companies, which is why the computing platform makes sense for companies to experiment with quantum computing. The solution is provided by quantum computer companies for developers to test their code on a real quantum computer. 

The following companies and their products are leading computing platforms for quantum computing.

• Riverlane: DeltaFlow
• Qutech: Quantum Inspired
• IBM: IQ Experience
• Strangeworks: Quantum Computing Platform
• Google: the quantum playground
• QC Ware: Forge
• Microsoft

- Quantum Software and Networking Stack

Numerous software stacks have been proposed for quantum computing, including virtualizing the underlying physical quantum computing hardware and building virtual layers for logical qubits. In addition, the software stack provides compilers that translate high-level programming language constructs into low-level assembly commands that operate on logical qubits. Software stack providers are also developing domain-specific application-level templates (such as optimization problems or specific machine learning problems) and mapping to quantum computing programming models. The goal of the software stack is to hide complexity without affecting the overall performance or operability of the underlying quantum computing hardware. 

As far as the native quantum computing network stack is concerned, its development is still in the early stages. Currently, quantum computing data and results need to be converted into a form understandable by classical network devices, and then back into a format understandable by quantum computing. There is currently a lot of research going on in the field of local quantum computing networks that could enable long-distance qubit entanglement, but these are not yet ready for commercial deployment.

- Quantum Computing and Cryptography

Cryptography will be one of the key application. Right now, a lot of encryption systems rely on the difficulty of breaking down large numbers into prime numbers. This is called factoring, and for classical computers, it’s slow, expensive and impractical. But quantum computers can do it easily. And that could put our data at risk.

There are rumours that intelligence agencies across the world are already stockpiling vast amounts of encrypted data in the hope that they’ll soon have access to a quantum computer that can crack it. The only way to fight back is with quantum encryption. This relies on the uncertainty principle – the idea that you can’t measure something without influencing the result. Quantum encryption keys could not be copied or hacked. They would be completely unbreakable.

<More to come ..>