Ali Hamza (2020-ag-6512)

Numan Rabnawaz (2020-ag-6542)

Talha Ansar (2020-ag-6532)
Course: CS-410
Topic: Quantum Computing
 Definition:

 Quantum computing is a rapidly-emerging technology that harnesses the

laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems too complex for classical
computers.
 Quantum computing is an area of computer science that uses the principles
of quantum theory. Quantum theory explains the behaviour of energy and
material on the atomic and subatomic levels.
 Quantum computing uses subatomic particles, such as electrons or photons.
Quantum bits, or qubits, allow these particles to exist in more than one state
(i.e., 1 and 0) at the same time.
 Theoretically, linked qubits can "exploit the interference between their
wave-like quantum states to perform calculations that might otherwise take
millions of years."
 Understanding Quantum Computing
 The field of quantum computing emerged in the 1980s. It was discovered that certain
computational problems could be tackled more efficiently with quantum algorithms than
with their classical counterparts.

 Quantum computing has the capability to sift through huge numbers of possibilities and
extract potential solutions to complex problems and challenges. Where classical computers
store information as bits with either 0s or 1s, quantum computers use qubits. Qubits carry
information in a quantum state that engages 0 and 1 in a multidimensional way.
 Such massive computing potential and the projected market size for its use have attracted
the attention of some of the most prominent companies. These include IBM, Microsoft,
Google, D-Waves Systems, Alibaba, Nokia, Intel, Airbus, HP, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, SK
Telecom, NEC, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Rigetti, Biogen, Volkswagen, and Amgen.
 Uses and Benefits of Quantum
Computing
 Quantum computing could contribute greatly to the fields of
security, finance, military affairs and intelligence, drug design and discovery,
aerospace designing, utilities (nuclear fusion), polymer design, machine
learning, artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data search, and digital
manufacturing.

 Quantum computers could be used to improve the secure sharing of

information. Or to improve radars and their ability to detect missiles and
aircraft. Another area where quantum computing is expected to help is the
environment and keeping water clean with chemical sensors.
 Cont…
 Financial institutions may be able to use quantum computing to design more effective and
efficient investment portfolios for retail and institutional clients. They could focus on
creating better trading simulators and improve fraud detection.
 The healthcare industry could use quantum computing to develop new drugs and
genetically-targeted medical care. It could also power more advanced DNA research.
 For stronger online security, quantum computing can help design better data encryption
and ways to use light signals to detect intruders in the system.
 Quantum computing can be used to design more efficient, safer aircraft and traffic
planning systems.
 Why do we need quantum
computers?
 When scientists and engineers encounter difficult problems, they turn to supercomputers.
These are very large classical computers, often with thousands of classical CPU and GPU
cores. However, even supercomputers struggle to solve certain kinds of problems.
 If a supercomputer gets stumped, that's probably because the big classical machine was
asked to solve a problem with a high degree of complexity. When classical computers fail,
it's often due to complexity
 Complex problems are problems with lots of variables interacting in complicated ways.
Modelling the behaviour of individual atoms in a molecule is a complex problem, because
of all the different electrons interacting with one another. Sorting out the ideal routes for
a few hundred tankers in a global shipping network is complex too.
 Features of Quantum Computing

 Features of Quantum Computing

 Superposition and entanglement are two features of quantum physics on which quantum
computing is based. They empower quantum computers to handle operations at speeds
exponentially higher than conventional computers and with much less energy consumption.

 Superposition
 According to IBM, it's what a qubit can do rather than what it is that's remarkable. A qubit places
the quantum information that it contains into a state of superposition. This refers to a combination
of all possible configurations of the qubit. "Groups of qubits in superposition can create complex,
multidimensional computational spaces. Complex problems can be represented in new ways in
these spaces."
 How do quantum computers work?
 Quantum computers are elegant machines, smaller and requiring less energy than
supercomputers. An IBM Quantum processor is a wafer not much bigger than the one
found in a laptop. And a quantum hardware system is about the size of a car, made up
mostly of cooling systems to keep the superconducting processor at its ultra-cold
operational temperature.
 A classical processor uses bits to perform its operations. A quantum computer uses qubits
(CUE-bits) to run multidimensional quantum algorithms.
 Superfluids
 Your desktop computer likely uses a fan to get cold enough to work. Our quantum
processors need to be very cold – about a hundredth of a degree above absolute zero. To
achieve this, we use super-cooled super fluids to create superconductors.
 Cont…
 Superconductors
 At those ultra-low temperatures certain materials in our processors exhibit another
important quantum mechanical effect: electrons move through them without resistance.
This makes them "superconductors."
 When electrons pass through superconductors they match up, forming "Cooper pairs."
These pairs can carry a charge across barriers, or insulators, through a process known as
quantum tunnelling. Two superconductors placed on either side of an insulator form a
Josephson junction.
 Control
 Our quantum computers use Josephson junctions as superconducting qubits. By firing
microwave photons at these qubits, we can control their behaviour and get them to hold,
change, and read out individual units of quantum information.
 Making quantum computers useful
 Right now, IBM Quantum leads the world in quantum computing hardware and software.
Our roadmap is a clear, detailed plan to scale quantum processors, overcome the scaling problem,
and build the hardware necessary for quantum advantage.
 Quantum advantage will not be achieved with hardware alone. IBM has also spent years advancing
the software that will be necessary to do useful work using quantum computers. We developed the
Qiskit quantum SDK. It is open-source, python-based, and by far the most widely-used quantum
SDK in the world. We also developed Qiskit Runtime, the most powerful quantum programming
model in the world. (Learn more about both Qiskit and Qiskit, Runtime, and how to get started, in
the next section.)
 Achieving quantum advantage will require new methods of suppressing errors, increasing speed,
and orchestrating quantum and classical resources. The foundations of that work are being laid
today in Qiskit Runtime.
 Limitations of Quantum Computing

 Quantum computing offers enormous potential for developments and problem-

solving in many industries. However, currently, it has its limitations.
 De-coherence, or decay, can be caused by the slightest disturbance in the qubit
environment. This results in the collapse of computations or errors to them. As noted
above, a quantum computer must be protected from all external interference during
the computing stage.
 Error correction during the computing stage hasn't been perfected. That makes
computations potentially unreliable. Since qubits aren't digital bits of data, they can't
benefit from conventional error correction solutions used by classical computers.
Cont…

 Retrieving computational results can corrupt the data. Developments such as

a particular database search algorithm that ensures that the act of
measurement will cause the quantum state to decohere into the correct
answer hold promise.
 Security and quantum cryptography is not yet fully developed.
 A lack of qubits prevents quantum computers from living up to their
potential for impactful use. Researchers have yet to produce more than 128.
 Cont…

 According to global energy leader Iberdola, "quantum computers must have

almost no atmospheric pressure, an ambient temperature close to absolute zero
(-273°C) and insulation from the earth's magnetic field to prevent the atoms
from moving, colliding with each other, or interacting with the environment."
 "In addition, these systems only operate for very short intervals of time, so that
the information becomes damaged and cannot be stored, making it even more
difficult to recover the data."
 Quantum Computers In Development
 Google
 Google is spending billions of dollars to build its quantum computer by 2029. The company opened
a campus in California called Google AI to help it meet this goal. Once developed, Google could
launch a quantum computing service via the cloud.

 IBM
 IBM plans to have a 1,000-qubit quantum computer in place by 2023. For now, IBM allows access
to its machines for those research organizations, universities, and laboratories that are part of its
Quantum Network.11
 Microsoft
 Microsoft offers companies access to quantum technology via the Azure Quantum platform.
 Others
 There’s interest in quantum computing and its technology from financial services firms such as
JPMorgan Chase and Visa
 The Bottom Line
 Quantum computing is very different from classical computing. It uses qubits, which can be 1 or
0 at the same time. Classical computers use bits, which can only be 1 or 0.
 As a result, quantum computing is much faster and more powerful. It is expected to be used to
solve a variety of extremely complex, worthwhile tasks.
 While it has its limitations at this time, it is poised to be put to work by many high-powered
companies in myriad industries.
 References:
 https://www.ibm.com/topics/quantum-computing
 https://www.investopedia.com/terms/q/quantum-computing.asp