With industries powered by 6G, artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) on the rise, the enabling possibilities that quantum technology could bring about will make it highly desired by companies globally. Quantum and classical computers both try to solve problems, but the way they manipulate data to get answers is fundamentally different.

Quantum technology is still in the early stages of commercializing, but the quantum race has begun, and several companies have jumped on board. With the investment of tens of billions of dollars from academia, venture capitalists and governments, it is highly likely that quantum computing will grow very fast in coming years.

Need for Quantum Technology

Many real-life problems in several areas, such as planning, manufacturing, complex diseases, DNA sequencing, … etc., are intractable to solve with current technology. Another challenge with current computational technology is that transistors is reaching a limitation — fundamental limit of reducing the transistor size is soon coming, end of Moore’s law!

Quantum Concepts

A classical computer uses bits that are represented as either a 0 or 1, to perform its operations. Quantum computers on the other hand uses “qubits,” meaning that the data is stored in a state of superposition that can represent 0, 1 or 0 and 1 in tandem. This allows qubits to process information in parallel.

Superconductors – At those ultra-low temperatures in certain, electrons move through them without resistance. This makes them “superconductors.”Superposition – Superposition is a quantum system’s ability to be in multiple states at the same time before researchers take any measurements.Entanglement – Entanglement is a quantum mechanical effect that correlates the behavior of two separate things. When two qubits are entangled, changes to one qubit directly impact the other.Interference – In quantum, interference is used to affect probability amplitudes. There are two kinds of quantum interference: constructive interference and destructive interference.Control – quantum computers use Josephson Junctions as superconducting qubits. By firing microwave photons at these qubits, we can control their behavior and get them to hold, change, and read out individual units of quantum information.Quantum Computing by Technology

There are at least six major quantum technology approaches being explored worldwide: superconducting qubits, silicon spin qubits, ion traps, , diamond vacancies and topological qubits.

Qubits – Superposition of supercurrents flowing around a Superconductor.Trapped Ions– Superposition of trapped ions states, ions are trapped with electric fields.Quantum Dots– Superposition of electron spin states, electrons are trapped in a solid substrate.Diamond Vacancies– Superposition of electron spin states, electrons are created with NVs in a solid substrate.Photonics-Quantum states of photons travelling around circuits in silicon chips.Cold Atoms-Superposition of cold natural atoms quantum states