Quantum Computing Breakthrough on the Horizon: ‘At the Turn of the Decade’

QuTech in Delft is working on the computer of the future, the quantum computer. These computers can “perform calculations that would take conventional computers billions of years,” says researcher Anne-Marie Zwerver.

A classical computer actually works like a counter, where a computer bit can only store a “0” or a “1.” This works differently with a quantum computer, where a “0” and a “1” can exist at the same time. “We don’t fully understand how that works, but we can do calculations with it,” says Zwerfer. The advantage is that a quantum computer can do multiple calculations at once. “If there are multiple possibilities, a classical computer calculates them one by one. A quantum computer looks at all the theoretical possibilities at the same time.”

absolute zero

The main problem is that qubits are very small and can be disturbed by all sorts of things. “You want it to stay in that state if you put the qubit in a certain state. When a particle of light comes in, the qubit changes and your calculations go wrong.” That’s why qubits are kept in a partially gold-plated mixing cooler, which can reach -273 degrees Celsius. That’s close to absolute zero.

Landmarks on the horizon

There are two important milestones for the quantum industry, and they’re closer than people might think, says Matthijs Rijlarsdam, co-founder of quantum chipmaker Quantware. “Quantum computers will be able to do things next year that a regular computer can’t do.” More important is the moment when quantum computers can do economically relevant calculations. When that happens, the impact is huge. According to Rijlarsdam, that will happen at the turn of the decade.

If you compare the quantum industry with the semiconductor industry, quantum is actually still in its infancy. According to Rijlarsdam, computer companies built the entire mainframe themselves in the 1950s, and specialization only came about in later years. “Specialization has big advantages, because you then make a smaller part, but you can achieve a larger production volume.” Rijlarsdam says that the development towards specialization is also starting to take place in the quantum industry.