2024-12-17-posts.md 3.4 KB
title: Quantum Computing slug: quantum-computing description: Today I learned more about quantum computing. <!--- authors:
- name: David Windham title: Something Else url: https://davidawindham.com image_url: https://davidawindham.com/til/img/wikipedia-link.jpg --> tags: [computers, business] image: https://davidawindham.com/til/img/wikipedia-link.jpg hide_table_of_contents: true ---
Today I learned more about quantum computing.
I noticed the Rigetti[^1] stock had been soaring today and wanted to dig a little deeper into some real world applications for quantum computing[^2]. So I guess we're moving from bits to qubits now? I was naive to think I'd likely never use calculus again until I started the deep dive on vector databases. It's a good thing I never learned quantum mechanics to begin with or it'd just be another reminder.
Google recently announced their new Willow chip[^3]. And while trying to decipher the research[^4] on it, the concept that really stands out to me is the quantum logic gate[^5]. I was just starting to feel really comfortable with exactly how computers and programming work mainly because the classic logic gate model is so easy to understand. Now it's linear algebra for matrices.
Let's be real, I'm not diving back into linear algebra or quantum mechanics... what I'm really interested in knowing is if there will be any real any impact on me. The most fascinating take on this is The Quantum Tortoise and the Classical Hare[^6]. I joked with my wife last night about upgrading our ISP speed to 3Gbps reminding her that we both started with a millionth of it.
There is a speculative date of 2030 for what's called the 'quantum advantage' where qubits become viable. The money people are saying a +30% growth rate over the next six years. Meanwhile I'm still figuring out to get people to title an email appropriately and most sophisticated application of predictive algorithms I'm seeing is when my online shopping habits prompt new email suggestions of what I should panic buy for the holidays since it's my 'last chance' offer.
I think the first applications will be machine learning and natural language processing. Given the hallucinations in the first iterations, I'd imagine the more error prone qubits will be wild. Google announced a $5 millon dollar prize this year for folks to come up with some uses[^7]. I'd guess there will be quantum race to figure out how to make a new medicine called 'makeyouhappyagen' or to get rid of all the plastic and CO2 we felt so futuristic producing in 20th century.
D-Wave Systems, IonQ, Rigetti Computing, Honeywell, PsiQuantum
[^1]: Rigetti - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigetti_Computing [^2]: Quantum computing - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computing [^3]: Meet Willow, our state-of-the-art quantum chip - https://blog.google/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/ [^4]: Making quantum error correction work - https://research.google/blog/making-quantum-error-correction-work/ [^5]: Quantum logic gate - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_logic_gate [^6]: The Quantum Tortoise and the Classical Hare - Quantum computing: What leaders need to know now - https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/quantum-computing-what-leaders-need-to-know-now [^7]: Google and XPrize Offer US $5 million to Researchers - https://spectrum.ieee.org/what-are-quantum-computers-used-for