Quantum computing: a new golden age of computing
By Mario Piattini Velthuis (University Professor, Director of Grupo Alarcos, aQuantum CRO).
The IBM Institute for Business Value points out that we live in the Quantum Decade, in which quantum computers are preparing to outperform classical computers in significant tasks, achieving what we call "Quantum Advantage". A quantum computer stores information in objects called qubits and transforms it by exploiting certain special properties of quantum mechanics; which is the field of physics that describes the behavior of nature at subatomic levels (for example, the behavior of photons, electrons, etc.), for which classical mechanics does not offer a satisfactory solution. Unlike the bit, which can only be in one state (0 or 1), the qubit can be in states 0 and 1 simultaneously. This superposition of two quantum states allows for large-scale processing; since the operational capacity of a quantum computer increases exponentially with size (in number of qubits).
There are hundreds of interesting applications for this new type of paradigm in economics and finance, chemistry, medicine and health, logistics and supply chain, energy, climate change, agriculture, etc. And of course, quantum computing has a fundamental impact on cybersecurity (post-quantum cryptography) and AI (since they allow very powerful uses of quantum machine learning, quantum deep learning and other artificial intelligence techniques).
The learning curve for this new technology is much higher than the previous ones and therefore requires much more time for organizations to have the necessary capabilities in this field. If there is already a lack of talent in quantum technologies and in computing in general, in quantum computing it is tremendous and it is one of the most serious problems that companies face, and it could become the main brake on the Quantum Decade.
That is why it is necessary not only to have good mathematicians and quantum physicists, but also computer engineers -whether they are specialists in computer hardware and networks, programming languages, user interfaces, artificial intelligence, software engineering, etc.- begin to deal with this new paradigm and contribute their knowledge and teaching skills. In this way we will achieve a new "golden age" of computing, since quantum computing gives us a unique opportunity, in the same way that the pioneers of computing did in the 1960s.
When it comes to software development in particular, many quantum specialists are unaware of software engineering principles and techniques and are therefore prone to making old mistakes, risking costly “rediscoveries”. For this reason, it is necessary to go one step further and try to raise awareness about Quantum Software Engineering, with the aim of producing quantum software with high levels of quality and productivity.
On the other hand, it is essential to strengthen the relationship with the business world, both in terms of research and the training of professionals, since for the field of quantum technology to be as successful as possible, it is essential that there be close collaboration between industry and academia. In this sense, we created the joint research unit aQuantum between the UCLM and the company Alhambra IT a few years ago. This collaboration allows the development of research projects that are crucial to solve the problems posed by quantum computing, such as the "QHealth: Quantum Pharmacogenomics applied to ageing" project of the CDTI Misiones program.
From this platform I encourage each of us from our respective fields of action to analyze how quantum computing impacts us and what we can contribute from our extensive experience with classical computing, since as quantum physicist José Ignacio Latorre warns: “The future The quantum business will grow whether we like it or not, because the future of our technology is quantum.”
