{"id":2697,"date":"2024-03-11T15:35:17","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T15:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=2697"},"modified":"2024-03-11T15:35:17","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T15:35:17","slug":"computings-quantum-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2697\/computings-quantum-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"Computing\u2019s quantum shift"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the race to build a new generation of computers heating up, European companies are eyeing the game-changing opportunities.<\/p>\n

By<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0Tom Cassauwers<\/p>\n

At some point in the future, the medicines that people take for everything from a simple cold to a complex disease like Parkinson\u2019s might result from a discovery made using quantum computers.<\/p>\n

These machines, which rely on the principles of quantum physics to outperform the fastest classical computers, are widely expected to spur the development of new drugs with the potential for major improvements in healthcare.<\/p>\n

New frontier<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Classical computing is facing its limits in a range of fields such as drug discovery,\u2019 said Dr Cyril Allouche, head of quantum computing at Eviden, a French advance-computing company. \u2018We hope that quantum computing can break this barrier. That would mean new drugs and less disease.\u2019<\/p>\n

Welcome to the global race for the next generation of computers \u2013 a hunt that Allouche is part of\u00a0as head of a research project that received EU funding to explore the wide range of possible uses for quantum computing.<\/p>\n

While big-name US companies\u00a0have grabbed headlines by investing billions in a bid to be the first to build a full-sized quantum computer, European businesses and scientists have exhibited the same determination largely out of the spotlight.<\/p>\n

For all involved in the quest, deciding whether or not to invest in research now could mean the difference between being on the front line of cutting-edge technologies for health, energy and cybersecurity or lagging behind.<\/p>\n

Zeroes, ones and more<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the stakes for society are clear, the nature of quantum computing itself is less so.<\/p>\n

A normal computer uses a binary code to operate and make calculations. At its core, today\u2019s computing code is nothing more than large amounts of zeroes and ones, with the computer reading either the zero or the one at any single moment.<\/p>\n

But in a quantum computer something special occurs: a \u201csuperposition\u201d of the zero and the one. That means the operating system can occupy the two states at the same time.<\/p>\n

It is this ability to do two things at once that could drastically speed up the time it takes for computers to perform certain calculations.<\/p>\n

But no one is there yet. Existing quantum computers are low-powered machines that offer few advantages over regular computers.<\/p>\n

What apps?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Quantum computing, for now, is still theoretical,\u2019 said Allouche.<\/p>\n

That is proving no discouragement to researchers, however.<\/p>\n

Allouche\u2019s EU-funded project is called\u00a0NEASQC<\/a> \u2013 an acronym for Next Applications of Quantum Computing. It began in September 2020 and runs until the end of November 2024.<\/p>\n

The project has brought together universities in countries such as Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands as well as businesses like pharmaceutical developer AstraZeneca in Sweden, utility Electricit\u00e9 de France, Latvian language-technology company Tilde and UK-based HSBC Bank.<\/p>\n

\u2018Now is the time for industry to get interested,\u2019 said Allouche. \u2018It would be a very bad idea to wait for the technology to mature before we develop applications. We need to look at use cases now.\u2019<\/p>\n

NEASQC is exploring nine use cases. The potential applications are being kept confidential for competitive reasons.<\/p>\n

Emulator exercise<\/strong><\/p>\n

Allouche said researchers can already test whether a technology that is not yet fully operational, like quantum computing, might be better in certain scenarios than a technology that is already in use.<\/p>\n

An emulator is used. It\u2019s a regular computer configured to simulate a quantum computer without the power a real one would have.<\/p>\n

\u2018You try to infer some properties from the theory,\u2019 said Allouche. \u2018Here we simulate what a quantum computer would look like.\u2019<\/p>\n

With these simulations, researchers can determine whether quantum computing is able to make advances such as finding combinations of molecules for new medicines or enhancing renewable-energy output based on solar cells.<\/p>\n

Quantum computers won\u2019t outperform regular computers for all applications. So finding the applications in which quantum computers would excel is a prime research focus.<\/p>\n

\u2018We need to see where the frontier of classical computing lies and where quantum computing might offer a solution,\u2019 said Allouche.<\/p>\n

Better together<\/strong><\/p>\n

A second EU-funded research project is looking at another way to promote quantum technologies in Europe. Rather than funding actual research, the project is uniting disparate initiatives across the continent.<\/p>\n

Called QUCATS<\/a>, the three-year initiative runs until the end of April 2025. It is led by Professor Philippe Grangier, research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, or CNRS.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u00a0in Europe don\u2019t have big companies that concentrate quantum computing research in them,\u2019 said Grangier. \u2018Europe\u2019s research is very scattered. We want to unscatter that.\u2019<\/p>\n

QUCATS is undertaking some of the coordinating functions that big technology companies provide in the US.<\/p>\n

The project does this in a range of ways. It writes strategy documents on what direction quantum research needs to take, such as a new\u00a0roadmap<\/a> to position Europe as a \u2018Quantum Valley\u2019 of the world. It helps researchers file patents. It coordinates research across borders. And it even informs the public.<\/p>\n

QUCATS includes as a partner the European Quantum Industry Corsortium, or QuIC, gathering private companies that hope quantum computing can provide them with future benefits.<\/p>\n

Dr Thierry Botter, executive director of QuIC, echoed Allouche in saying it\u2019s not too early to focus on such matters.<\/p>\n

\u2018Quantum is still young,\u2019 said Botter. \u2018Yet businesses need to understand how quantum computing can impact their business today. Early movers are already making gains. Late movers will find it difficult to catch up.\u2019<\/p>\n

He said that European companies are already looking at what quantum computing can offer them.<\/p>\n

Opportunities and risks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plane manufacturer Airbus, for example, wants to examine how quantum computing can help in the design of better aircraft and the modelling of air flow and fuel efficiency.<\/p>\n

Another urgent area for quantum research is cryptography.<\/p>\n

Today, much online communication and data is encrypted using mathematical puzzles. Solving these with current computers is impossible in practice without knowing the encryption keys.<\/p>\n

But quantum computers will be able to solve these puzzles without the keys. Once operational quantum computers exist, online communications could become vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Grangier said that European companies are working to avert such trouble. For example, Spanish telecommunications-equipment supplier LuxQuanta and other players have found ways of honing and deploying a type of \u201cquantum cryptography\u201d that could prevent a widespread breach of privacy.<\/p>\n

Money matters<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the jury is out on how Europe will ultimately perform in the quantum race \u2013 in part because of investment needs.<\/p>\n

\u2018Europe has a very strong research environment in quantum from which many startups have emerged,\u2019 said Botter. \u2018But there are still gaps. One of those is funding.\u2019<\/p>\n

A\u00a02022 study<\/a> by the European Investment Bank found that, while Europe has a similar number of quantum companies as the US, a lack of private investments on the continent means American companies receive 10 times more funding.<\/p>\n

Botter said the EU and its Member States must act urgently to make more capital available for European companies in the field.<\/p>\n

\u2018A lot of things might happen in the next 10 years,\u2019 he said. \u2018What today are startups might become large companies in the future. Fifty years ago, Europe came together to create Airbus, now a leading aerospace company. I dream of an Airbus for the quantum world.\u2019<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

THE SCIENCE OF QUBITS<\/strong><\/p>\n

A quantum computer manipulates not the binary bits of classical computing but rather quantum bits, or qubits. Qubits have additional properties as a result of two quantum mechanical phenomena: superposition and entanglement.<\/p>\n

A qubit can represent combinations of zero and one at the same time \u2013 superposition. Qubits can also be entangled \u2013 two separate ones can exist in a single state, which will change when acting on one of them. This creates correlations between the qubits.<\/p>\n

These quantum features can be controlled by scientists and could drastically speed up the time it takes for computers to perform certain calculations.<\/p>\n

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