August 27, 2024 • 45 mins
What if the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe lay hidden within the quirks of quantum mechanics? Join us in this exhilarating episode of Tech Travels as we embark on a journey from the profound roots of quantum mechanics to the brink of a technological revolution. We explore the history that set the stage for quantum computing, tracing back to the groundbreaking discoveries by Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and other pioneering physicists. These foundational concepts have paved the way for the transformative potential that quantum computing holds today.
Imagine a world where our current cryptographic systems are rendered obsolete. Discover how pivotal advancements in quantum computing, from Peter Shor's formidable algorithm to Les Grover's innovative database search method, are poised to reshape industries. But alongside these breakthroughs come significant technical challenges—fragile qubits and error correction issues—that researchers are diligently working to overcome. We also touch on the evolving academic and societal perceptions of quantum computing and the growing public awareness fueled by cultural references and government investments.
As quantum technology marches forward, nations like Canada are leading the charge with initiatives like the Quantum Valley in Waterloo. We delve into the global impact of this powerful technology, considering its potential to revolutionize sectors like finance, healthcare, and climate science while also raising profound ethical questions. What responsibilities come with wielding such unprecedented power? Join us as we navigate the promise and perils of quantum computing, contemplating its vast implications on our future.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:15):
Hello and welcome back to another exciting episode
of Tech Travels.
Today we're diving into a topicthat's generating a lot of buzz
recently quantum computing intoa topic that's generating a lot
of buzz recently quantumcomputing.
Now, after the incredibleresponse that I received from
our last episode with Dr ThomasWong, many of you had reached
out asking for more content onthis groundbreaking technology
and, honestly, I just couldn'thave waited.
(00:36):
I couldn't be more thrilled tohave delivered.
But before we dive in, I firstwant to take a moment to just
extend a huge thank you to allof our listeners and subscribers
.
Since I started this podcastback in February.
It has been an incrediblejourney and I couldn't be more
appreciative of the support.
Your enthusiasm and engagementshave really made this
(00:57):
experience truly rewarding andI'm really excited to continue
exploring these fascinatingtopics with you.
And I'm really excited tocontinue exploring these
fascinating topics with you.
And in today's episode quantumcomputing, from theory to
reality we're going to breakdown this complex subject in a
way that's a little bit easierto understand and digest.
If you're familiar with myepisode one on AI, down to
(01:18):
basics, this is going to followa very, very similar format.
So let's start exploringquantum computing and how it
works, why it's such a gamechanger, and let's explore this
fascinating technology together.
So let's start with the basics.
Quantum computing is built onthe principles of quantum
mechanics, and this is really afield of physics where it began
(01:40):
to take shape in the early 20thcentury.
But to understand why quantumcomputing is so revolutionary,
we need to step back into theorigins of quantum mechanics.
Now, I promise this is notgoing to be a physics class.
The story of this really beginsat the dawn of the 20th century
.
Now.
Classical physics had dominatedscientific thought throughout
(02:00):
many, many years, for centuriesalmost, and this was really
fascinating because it reallypresented serious challenges to
explaining certain phenomena.
Now, in 1900, a Germanphysicist by the name of Max
Planck had made groundbreakingdiscovery while working on a
topic around researching blackbody radiation.
And this is where the objectsemit and absorb energy.
(02:22):
And Max proposed that energy isnot only just emitted
continuously, as classicalphysics had suggested, but in
discrete little packets, whichhe had called quanta.
And this was really the firsthint of that.
The laws around governing themicroscopic world of atoms and
(02:43):
particles were fundamentallydifferent from those of the way
that we experience them everyday.
Now, another scientist, I'msure you know, albert Einstein
had extended and explained onwhat Max was trying to do.
Max Planck's idea was basicallyhe was explaining that the
photoelectric event is wherelight striking a material causes
(03:04):
it to emit electrons.
But Einstein took it a bitfurther.
He said he said, well, you know, yes, that's true, light is
made up of quanta, now calledphotons, which we both have, you
know, both particles and waves.
And this was interestingbecause the duality was one of
the first indications that thequantum world operates on rules
(03:25):
that defy classical intuition.
Now, over the next few decades,other pioneering scientists,
including Niels Bohr, wernerHeisenberg, erwin Schroeder,
they all contributed to thedevelopment of quantum mechanics
.
But it wasn't until Niels Bohrintroduced the idea of quantized
energy level in atoms.
(03:46):
Now Heisenberg also sawsomething different.
He started to look at this andsay he's going to formulate what
they call the uncertaintyprinciple.
Now Schrodinger also developedbasically a wave function that
basically is used to describethe probabilities of a
particle's location.
Now these developmentscollectively establish the
(04:09):
foundation of quantum mechanics,which is just simply a field
that describes the behavior ofparticles at the atomic and
subatomic levels.
All right, we got that.
As the particles of quantummechanics became more
established, more and morescientists began to wonder if
these strange and powerful rulescould be used to harness
(04:31):
certain type of computations.
But when classical computersstarted being developed in the
1920s, they were built onsomething called operating with
binary bits, and this was justsimply saying hey, the way it
works is that there's units ofinformation that can be either
zeros or ones, and these bitsfollow the classical physical
(04:51):
laws, or basically the classicallaws of physics.
While they have basically be,while they're very powerful,
they still face limitations indealing with problems that
involve massive amounts of dataor other complex systems.
But this is where the idea ofquantum computing really comes
into play, because in the 1980s,physicists like Richard Feynman
(05:14):
and David Deutsch realized thata computer based upon the
principles of quantum mechanicscould quote-unquote, in theory,
perform certain calculationsmuch faster than classical
computers, and the key to thisspeed lies in the quantum bit or
the qubit.
(05:35):
So when we look at the birth ofquantum computing, we have to
really look at it throughFeynman's vision.
Now, the 1980s, this study ofquantum mechanics had already
really started to transform ourunderstanding of the physical
world, and scientists were moreand more discovering that
(05:56):
there's this strange andcounterintuitive behavior within
particles at the quantum level,and these behaviors are really
what defined the classicalphysics to be used pretty much
every day to describe thingslike phenomena or the motion of
the planets, or even somethingas simple as the flow of natural
bodies of water.
(06:17):
However, they really developeddeeper into these quantum
mysteries.
It became clear that simulatingquantum phenomena using
classical computers was reallyan insurmountable challenge, and
the reason why, of course, backagain, is that classical
computers just operate only onbinary bits, which can either be
(06:41):
a zero or one.
But the great thing aboutquantum was quantum doesn't
follow such simple rules, andthis is where Richard Feynman
really kind of comes into thepicture.
Richard Feynman, who wasalready very well known in the
scientific community,particularly for his work in the
(07:01):
1940s at the Manhattan Project,where he played a critical role
in the development of theatomic bomb during World War II,
and his contributions toquantum electrodynamics, earned
him a Nobel Prize, which he wascelebrated for his ability to
explain complex topics in a waythat others was very difficult
(07:27):
and it was very easy for them toassociate to others.
Richard Feynman had given manylectures at the University of
Southern California and many ofhis lectures can still be found
online today, even 40 yearslater.
If you've not checked out anyof his earlier works, I
definitely highly encourage youto take a look and look for his
lectures on how fire isdeveloped.
(07:48):
It's truly eye-opening.
Now, during this time, feynmanrecognized that the limitations
of classical computers when theywere trying to simulate quantum
systems like the behavior ofmolecules and atoms, systems
(08:08):
like the behavior of moleculesand atoms.
He proposed a very radical ideato simulate quantum phenomena
accurately, and in order to dothis we would need a new type of
computer that didn't just modelquantum behavior, it had to
actually operate according tothe principles of quantum
mechanics.
So, in essence, he reallyenvisioned a computer that could
harness quantum effects likesuperstition and entanglement,
(08:29):
and he really wanted to usethese to perform calculations
that were far beyond the reachof classical machines.
Now, back in 1981, feynmanproposed the concept of a
quantum computer at the firstconference of the physics and
computation conference at MIT,and he introduced the idea that
(08:52):
such a computer could harnessthe principles of superstition
and entanglement using quantumphenomenon and really to perform
this in a way that classicalcomputers could not achieve, no
matter how advanced they become,and really to perform this in a
way that classical computerscould not achieve, no matter how
advanced they become, andreally it was because of this
event.
This is really when it startedto mark the birth of the idea of
quantum computing.
(09:12):
Now, feynman's idea was notjust about increasing
computational power.
It really was about rethinkinghow computation itself could be
leveraged, thinking howcomputation itself could be
leveraged by using very similarprinciples of quantum mechanics
that govern the behavior of thesmallest particles in our
universe.
And now this, at this point intime, this was absolutely
(09:35):
groundbreaking.
It was groundbreaking, it was agroundbreaking moment in the
history of computing because itlaid the foundation for what we
now know and as we now callquantum computing.
Now, this is a field that isstill very early in its stages
and the promise was that it wasgoing to revolutionize the way
that we approach complexproblems and, instead of being
(09:59):
limited by classical logic andclassical binary states, quantum
computers could, in theory,explore a vast number of
possibilities simultaneously,making them extremely powerful
to do certain tasks.
So after Richard Feynman kind ofproposed the concept of quantum
(10:22):
computing in 1981, the fieldbegan to attract more and more
attention and this led tosignificant advancements
throughout the 1980s and the1990s.
And the way that we look atthis is okay.
Well, what were some ofFeynman's ideas and how did
those kind of move into otheradditional groundbreaking
developments into the 1990s?
(10:44):
Other additional groundbreakingdevelopments into the 1990s?
Well, in 1985, david Deutsch,who was a physicist at the
University of Oxford, heintroduced a concept called
universal quantum computing.
Now, this was a pivotal momentbecause what it is is Deutsch's
work demonstrated that quantumcomputers could theoretically
perform any computation that aclassical computer could, but
(11:06):
just simply a lot faster.
And his idea was built on theprinciples, again, of quantum
mechanics.
And this really suggested thata quantum computer could harness
things such as superstitionphenomena and solve things that
classical computers could not dosimply in the current form.
And the significant work ofthis, of course, lay in the
(11:27):
introduction of the quantumTuring machine, a theoretical
model that extended thecapabilities of the classical
Turing machines to the realm ofquantum computing.
And, if you remember, in myfirst episode I went into detail
around Alan Turing and hisamazing work with the Turing
machine and how it breakbasically the German encryption
(11:49):
in World War II called theEnigma machine.
So, looking at the 1980s and1990s, there were a lot more
groundwork that was actuallybeing done, more research was
coming into the field,researchers such as Ralph
Laudner and Charles Bennett fromIBM.
They really started to exploresomething new.
They started to explore howquantum cryptography and
(12:12):
information theory could reallyexpand around the potential,
around expanding applicationsfor quantum mechanics in this
specific technology.
And it was also a time at whichanother researcher by the name
of Peter Shore basically cameout.
In 1994, when Peter Shore, whowas a mathematician at AT&T Bell
(12:33):
Labs, he developed an algorithmthat could effectively factor
large numbers.
This is known as an algorithmor known as Shore's algorithm,
and what it did was itdemonstrated that a quantum
computer could solve problems,and it could also solve problems
such as breaking widely usedRSA encryption that were
(12:55):
practically unsolvable byclassical computers.
Shor's work was really a turningpoint because what it did was
(13:17):
it moved quantum computing froma theoretical possibility into a
practical threat to existingcryptographic systems that use
modern day encryption.
And this is really whathappened.
Is this really sparked a lot ofinteresting interest and
urgency in the quantum computingresearch?
Interest and urgency in thequantum computing research and,
as these implications are foraround security and privacy,
they found them to be extremelyprofound.
Also, at the same time, anotherresearcher by the name of Les
Grover, who was a databasespecialist, and he was searching
(13:40):
in 1986 for another prominentcapability within quantum
computing that he could usebasically what they called
unsorted databases and see howthey could work faster by using
basically quantum versusclassical computing.
Now Grover's algorithm wasovershadowed by Shor, by Peter
(14:02):
Shor, but they were nonethelessabsolutely critical for the
development of quantum.
And what it did was it provideda clear example of how quantum
computers could really justoutperform classical ones beyond
cryptography, and just reallykind of highlighted a more
(14:22):
profound and more broadpotential for just how quantum
computing could be used in thefuture itself.
But despite these theoreticalbreakthroughs, the progress of
quantum computing during thetime of the 1980s and 1990s, it
really started to face a lot ofdifferent, several obstacles.
(14:44):
Some of these are going to bethings like, well, technical
challenges.
Most of the significance andthe barriers was the immense
technical difficulty involved inreally building a quantum
computer.
And a quantum relies on qubits,which are extremely fragile.
They require conditions thatare very difficult to achieve
(15:06):
and maintain, and you have tokeep them in extremely low
temperatures.
So the challenge became reallyreally difficult.
It's where qubits start to losetheir quantum state due to
environmental interference, andthis made it really difficult to
perform reliable computationsbecause the technology itself
(15:26):
had to basically control andmanipulate the qubits with
precision.
Simply, that just wasn'tavailable at the time.
You also have this thing knownas error correction and early
forms of error correction wasstill in its infancy, we didn't
really know how to deal withthat, was still in its infancy,
(15:46):
we didn't really know how todeal with that.
But these technical hurdlesreally meant that, you know,
even despite the theoreticaladvancements, there was still
some progress, but it was stillprogress.
That was still so very, veryslow.
Another limiting factor was, youknow, the funding.
There was funding limitationsand the funding was another
critical issue.
And while there were somegovernment and institutional
(16:07):
support, particularly inagencies like DARPA, the field
of support pretty much came frommodest institutions, areas of
research.
Some money came from thesemiconductor industry, some
came from other classicalcomputing companies and really
even the US government.
They did recognize thepotential and strategic
(16:31):
importance of quantum computing,especially when we're talking
about cryptography, but fundingwas also very limited to
exploratory searches and areasof research rather than more of
a large-scale type of fundingand more of the large-scale
development projects.
Another thing, of course, thatwas also limiting was some of
(16:53):
the academic institutions.
They really struggled tounderstand and really secure
consistent funding for quantumcomputing research and again it
was started to look at as wellthis is a very highly
speculative and long-termendeavor that did not have any
real immediate practicalapplications.
Now during this time, if youlook at it, kind of what was
(17:15):
happening in society and otheracademic perspectives is, you
know, during the 1980s, 1990squantum computing was kind of
this largely esoteric type offield.
It was really just kind ofmainly used by physicists and
mathematicians and the generalpublic.
People were really largelyunaware of really what quantum
(17:37):
computing did Outside of theacademic world.
People really didn't have muchof an idea.
It was seen as you know hey,this is really cool, but there's
a lot of theoretical curiosityrather than a real practical
tool and the perception reallykind of hindered the field's
growth because as it was tryingto justify its existence, it was
(17:59):
really meant with skepticism.
People found it very difficultto understand and the investment
in the technology just didn'tbelieve that it was going to be
something that was going to behere.
They looked at it like this issomething that was going to be
decades, if not multiple decades, away from any real world
application.
Now, aside from that, if youlook across you know what was
(18:21):
happening at this time.
You know you look at culturalinfluences in science fiction
and I think this is where thecool part is is that when
quantum computing reallystruggled to gain traction in
the real world, the idea ofhaving these advanced computing
technologies was really keptalive in the public imagination
through things like sciencefiction.
I remember growing up as a kidin the 1980s I feel like this
(18:44):
was kind of the golden age forscience fiction.
I remember growing up as a kidin the 1980s I feel like this
was kind of the golden age forscience fiction.
And then even into the 1990s,you know you explore popular
themes such as, you know,advanced technologies,
artificial intelligence andvirtual realities.
So you think of movies like theMatrix or Terminator 2, as well
as you know even my ownfavorite, even favorite,
(19:05):
television show, which was StarTrek.
At the time, star Trek NextGeneration really captured you
know, the public's influence andhelped them kind of maintain an
interest in broaderpossibilities of quantum
computing.
That really kind of kept thedoor open for the eventual rise
of quantum computing.
And I think this is even coolbecause you know even the
(19:25):
specific concept of quantumcomputing, even though it was
not widely understood.
People loved the idea of havingsomething that could be far
breaking or just simply just farout there in the computer, in
the computer world.
That would really just kind ofbe next level as to what they
were seeing on sciencetelevision.
But if we look at thegovernment, well, that's a
different story.
The government of course hadthese.
(19:47):
They had regular, you know,institutional roadblocks.
Now there was also a lot ofhesitation within the US
government and the US militaryestablishments regarding quantum
computing.
And while the potential forquantum cryptography and quantum
computing was were recognized,there were concerns about the
security implications of such apowerful technology which could
(20:09):
really disrupt existingencryption methods.
Additionally, they were alsovery uncertain around the
timeline for quantum computing,its development, and that's
really what made it a very lowpriority compared to more
immediate technological needs.
But as we start to kind of roundout the end of the 1990s and we
(20:31):
start kind of getting into late90s, early 2000s is, you know,
the end of the millennia reallystarted to set the stage for the
21st century.
Because at the end of the 1990squantum computing was really
kind of poised to be the nextphase of development.
Now researchers had laid asolid theoretical foundation.
They demonstrated keyalgorithms which began
(20:53):
addressing the practicalchallenges of building quantum
hardware.
And again in the late 1990sthey also saw companies also
start to form systems like whatthey called the D-Wave system in
1999, which was really aimed tocommercialize quantum computing
technology.
And this is where we start toset the stage for rapid
(21:17):
advancements in quantumcomputing that would follow all
the way into the 2000s.
So as we move from theory tosmall-scale experiments where we
actually start looking atquantum processors and the
exploration of quantum supremacy, so just as we've explored the
(21:37):
origins and early developmentsof quantum computing, I think
it's clear that this technologyreally isn't just a local
phenomenon.
It really is a global race.
If you look around the world,countries and companies are
heavily investing in quantumresearch and really this becomes
a really transformative fieldbecause you start to really
(22:00):
appreciate the global landscapefor quantum computing.
We really need to consider notjust the technical advancements
but also the broader othersocieties and the perspectives,
government initiatives and otherchallenges that lie ahead.
Now the United States by far isleading the way.
As part of you know some of thetech giants within the United
(22:24):
States, companies such as IBM,google, Microsoft.
These companies are at theforefront of quantum computing,
both in research as well asdevelopment.
Now IBM has particularlypioneered making quantum
computers accessible throughtheir cloud or via their IBM
Quantum Experience platform, andthis initiative really kind of
(22:51):
helps democratize access toquantum computing because it
allows researchers, developersand even students from around
the world to experiment withquantum algorithms and they can
use that to contribute to thegrowing body of knowledge around
quantum computing.
Now also, google had madesignificant impact in the year
2019 when it announced thatquantum computer had achieved
(23:12):
quantum supremacy and there'sthat word again quantum
supremacy and this really justbasically means that their
quantum processor, the Sycamore,performed a calculation in 200
seconds.
That would have taken the mostpowerful classical supercomputer
of its day thousands of yearsto complete.
(23:34):
That's pretty crazy, but thisachievement really was a
milestone that demonstrated thepotential for quantum computing
and how it can really lead tosolving problems that are really
really intractable forclassical computers.
So if we look across Europe tosee what's happening there, so
(23:54):
across the Atlantic, europe ismaking they're also making
significant strides in quantumcomputing.
The European Union's firstquantum flagship initiative
launched back in 2018.
Union's first quantum flagshipinitiative launched back in 2018
.
This is a 1 billion euro10-year project and it really is
aimed at really kind ofadvancing quantum technologies
across the continent of Europe.
(24:15):
And even though this is anambitious program with one of
the largest and mostcomprehensive efforts to develop
and build quantum technology,they have had over 5,000
researchers from academia andother industries to kind of help
work and collaborate on thisimmense project.
(24:35):
Other countries like Germany,the Netherlands and Austria are
also home to some of the mostadvanced quantum research
institutions in the world.
So, for instance, theUniversity of Innsbruck in
Austria is renowned for theirwork in quantum simulations, and
Delft University and technologyin the Netherlands.
(24:55):
They're also another leader inquantum cryptography and quantum
networking, and theseinstitutions are really just not
pushing not only the boundariesof quantum science, but they're
also contributing andcollaborating with other
industry partners and they'reusing that to really kind of
(25:16):
translate that research intodistilling it into practical
applications.
Now, china they're also a majorplayer in the global quantum
race.
China has emerged over the lastcouple of years as a major
player in the quantum race.
Most recently, they investedheavily in both quantum
computing and quantumcommunication.
(25:37):
Back in 2016, china launchedthe world's first quantum
satellite, and this satellite iscapable of conducting what they
call QKD, which is quantum keydistribution, over long
distances, and that technologycould also really revolutionize
how secure communications can beby making it adversely
(26:00):
impossible to hack.
Now the Chinese government hasalso prioritized quantum
research as part of its broaderstrategy to become the global
leader in the high-tech field,and it's really kind of based
upon their ability to establishmultiple partnerships with other
national laboratories dedicatedto quantum information science,
(26:21):
and that, of course, needs,like anything else needs to have
funding, billions of dollars,to fund into these research and
development fields withinquantum, and I think that what
this really shows is that theirsupport and strategic importance
is very important because itreally places China on a quantum
technology shift where it's notjust a scientific advancement
(26:45):
but it's also for their ownsense of national security.
Now Canada also as well.
Canada has got companies likeagain I mentioned earlier the
D-Wave systems, and this isreally commercialized quantum
annealing and that really isjust simply a form of quantum
computing that's particularlyeffective for solving
optimization problems.
And Canada is also home toQuantum Valley Initiatives in
(27:09):
Waterloo, Ontario, and theysupport quantum research as well
as commercialization efforts,and this has really kind of been
a central hub for most of theworld-class talent and
investment in making Canada areal hub for quantum and quantum
innovation.
Now the government withinCanada has also recognized for
quantum and quantum innovation.
Now the government withinCanada has also recognized the
importance of quantum technologyand they've also supported its
(27:32):
development.
And in 2021, the governmentannounced that the creation of
national quantum strategy andthis really kind of puts a
framework around findingsubstantial funding to really
boost quantum research, improvetalent development and also look
for industry growth as well.
And I think the really coolthing about this is that this
really highlights you know again, you know our partners to the
(27:54):
north, the Canadians investmentand their commitment to
maintaining their competitiveedge in this rapidly evolving
field as well, in this rapidlyevolving field as well.
But over the last 20 years, thepublic awareness of quantum
computing has started toincrease and although it still
remains a highly specialized andvery complex field, it's also
(28:16):
one that's really misunderstoodby the general public.
So for many years, quantumcomputing is seen as very
distant, almost sciencefictional style type of concept
with very, very little immediaterelevance to everyday life.
Now, companies like IBM, googlethey've all made headlines and
(28:37):
have had recent advancementsaround quantum computing and
some of that has really startedto lead to.
The perception of quantumcomputing has started to kind of
maybe shift the needle a littlebit.
But it's also worth noting thatscience fiction you know it's
my favorite topic Sciencefiction has also played a
critical role in keeping thepublic's imagination really open
to the possibilities.
(28:58):
You know, you think again Ireference movies like the Matrix
, even movies like Inception hasreally explored themes of
complex reality bending type oftechnology and I think this
resonates a little bit becausethese strange and
counterintuitive nature ofquantum mechanics kind of plays
into these movies centralizedtheme and I think these cultural
(29:20):
references kind of also bridgethe gap between the highly
technical world of quantumcomputing and then also to the
broader public, just making theconcept more relatable, even if,
in fact, if it's not fullyunderstood.
Now the government has startedto look at investing heavily in
(29:40):
quantum computing and this wasnot always the case, because
during the early stages ofquantum computing government
funding was very, very limited.
The technology was often seenas very long-term, it was high
risk and it had very uncertainreturns.
Now the potential applicationsfor quantum computing,
(30:01):
particularly around cryptographyand national security, those
are the ones that have becomemore and more apparent and more
attractive to the government'sinterest in funding because of
that particular segment where wenow start to see more and more
funding increase for things likecryptography and national
security.
So, just for example, as the USgovernment passed the National
(30:22):
Quantum Initiative Act in 2018,which provides over a billion
dollars in funding for quantumresearch over the next five
years, now also the EuropeanUnion has also kind of done the
exact same thing.
So the European Union, throughits quantum flagship, china,
with its national quantuminitiatives, they have also made
(30:44):
substantial financialcommitments to advance quantum
technology.
But still, despite the efforts,that these roadblocks still
remain.
The technical challenges ofbuilding stable, error-corrected
quantum computers are very,very formidable and there's
still a long way to go beforequantum computers can really
(31:06):
fully integrate into mainstreamapplications.
So, again, the geopoliticalimplications of quantum
technology, particularly theimpact it has on cybersecurity,
has really started to kind of,you know, elevate this, the
concerns around a quantum armsrace, and this is where nations
(31:26):
are competing to develop quantumcapabilities, potentially
leading to new forms of, youknow, basically, technological
inequality.
But I think about this for asecond and I think okay.
So there's got to be aphilosophical aspect to this.
And if we take a step backagain and just look at quantum
(31:48):
computing.
I think quantum computingreally starts as it starts to
develop.
It also raises, you know,important philosophical
questions also about the natureof reality, of knowledge and the
future of humanity.
Quantum mechanics, I think,really underpins quantum
computing and those challengesour traditional and it really
(32:09):
challenges our traditionalunderstanding of reality by
introducing concepts likesuperstition and entanglement.
And this is really whereparticles can exist in multiple
states simultaneously and beconnected across vast distances.
And I think these also havevery profound implications for
how we understand things likeour universe and also our place
(32:33):
within it.
I think that some philosophershave suggested that quantum
computing could lead to new waysof thinking about the
consciousness of free will andthe nature of existence itself.
So, for example, if quantumcomputers can process
information in ways that arefundamentally different from
classical computers, well whatdoes that say about the nature
(32:56):
of intelligence or the potentialfor artificial and artificial
consciousness?
I think, kind of additionally,that these are ethical
implications of quantumcomputing, that they're still
very significant.
I think, as we develop morepowerful quantum technologies, I
think that we must consider howwe want them to be used and who
(33:18):
will be able to control them?
Will quantum ultimately lead tonew forms of inequality, where
only a few powerful entitieshave access to the technology,
or could we ensure that thebenefits of quantum are shared
equally and amongst everybody?
So, as I break it down a littlebit, what does this really mean
(33:40):
for the everyday person?
So I wanted to kind of thinkabout this for a second.
Quantum computing might soundlike something you know only
scientists and tech enthusiastsreally only care about, but I
think the implications couldreach far beyond academia and
everyday life.
So if I look at how quantumcomputing could impact you in
(34:01):
the future across variousaspects of daily life, one of
the ones that I see this a lotin is basically medicine.
One of the most excitingprospects of quantum computing,
I think, is really where westart to see its potential to
transform medicine, particularlyin drug discovery.
And today, I think, developingnew drugs is incredibly
(34:23):
time-consuming and very, veryexpensive process, and this
often involves years of trialand error to really find the
right molecular combinations.
So traditionally, computersstruggle to simulate complex
molecular interactions becausethey require enormous amounts of
computing power.
But quantum computers, however,they could simulate these
(34:47):
interactions with unprecedentedaccuracy and that could
drastically reduce the time ittakes to develop new treatments.
So if I think of a future a fewyears down the road where
medicine you know kind ofpersonalized medicine is the
norm, think of a future a fewyears down the road where
medicine you know kind ofpersonalized medicine is the
norm.
You know, treatments aretypically tailored specifically
to your genetic makeup,specifically.
(35:07):
They could increase theiroverall effectiveness.
And I think quantum computingcould also really start to help
in the area of designing of newmaterials around medical devices
and in the optimization ofthings such as medical imaging
techniques, and I think thosecould also be groundbreaking
because I think those could leadto earlier and more accurate
(35:29):
diagnosis.
Now, if I think about it for asecond, if I look at other use
case such as cryptography, todayour world is really protected
by encryption methods and thoseencryption methods really start
to look at, you know, you lookat quantum.
Quantum could possibly be usedbecause in today's world, the
classical computers, it takesbillions of years to crack those
(35:51):
.
But quantum it really advancesthat these encryption methods
become very, very vulnerable.
So a quantum computer couldsolve mathematical problems that
underpin most currentencryption and if you think
about this, it could basicallyreduce the time it takes to
basically break some encryption.
So this is really starting toexpose sensitive information
(36:13):
such as bank account, personaldetails, personal emails, even
potentially government secrets.
Now, while this might soundalarming, it's also driving the
development of new forms ofencryption.
So now we're starting to getinto things such as quantum safe
cryptography, and that issomething where it could
withstand the power of quantumcomputers, and this really means
(36:35):
that.
This means that, as quantumcomputing becomes more practical
, we start to see a shifttowards these more secure
encryption methods, ensuring thedigital lives that remain
protected every day.
Another one I can think of isfinance Finance.
You know, quantum computing canreally revolutionize the
financial sector in a couple ofdifferent ways, a couple of
(36:57):
different ways.
One I look at it is says youknow it possibly could be that
you know if you could optimizetrading strategies, yeah, and
you can analyze vast amounts ofdata at speeds that were just
simply unimaginable withclassical computers.
This could lead to moreaccurate predictions of market
trends.
This could also help enablefinancial institutions and it
really could help drive betterinvestment decisions, and I
(37:21):
think that also, at the sametime, quantum computing can also
look at things such as riskmanagement, complex simulations
where they look at assets forpotential financial outcomes.
Now, this is cool because Ithink this would help enable
banks, investment firms and Ithink they could also use this
to really protect themselves andtheir clients from financial
downturns.
(37:42):
Moreover, I think that theshift could also be is that they
start shifting to quantum safecryptography, where it would
really be crucial, andsafeguarding financial
transactions around the world.
All right.
So what about artificialintelligence?
I knew this was going to comeup.
I think artificial intelligenceis really starting to transform
industries.
(38:02):
I think everywhere you look now, you're starting to see
something around artificialintelligence, next generation AI
or gen AI.
I think AI is alreadytransforming certain industries.
I think it's moving fromhealthcare to retail and many
other different industries whereit's becoming a disruptor.
But I think that the current AImodels are limited by
(38:23):
computational power.
But quantum quantum, I think,could potentially significance
enhance machine learningalgorithms, which really are the
essential backbone of what anartificial intelligence is.
So let me give an example.
So quantum computers couldprocess vast data sets that are
much faster than classicalcomputers, and this leads to
(38:45):
more of an advanced AI modelthat can learn and adapt in real
time, and this really couldimprove everything from voice
assistance to automated orautonomous vehicles and it can
make them even more reliable,more efficient.
So in healthcare, quantumenhanced AI could lead to better
diagnostic tools that couldanalyze certain things such as
(39:06):
medical images, and it couldpotentially predict a patient
outcome with greater accuracy.
Also, if I kind of take a stepback and look at things like
climate science or climatechange, one of the biggest
challenges that are addressingright now in climate change is
accurately modeling the Earth'scomplex system, such as
(39:27):
atmosphere, oceans, thebiosphere.
And the current models which weuse today are really limited by
the computational power of yourtraditional classic computer,
which means that they often relyon approximations and they
can't capture the fullcomplexity of climate systems.
Now, quantum, on the other hand, quantum could change this by
(39:48):
providing computational powerneeded to really create a more
accurate model, a more detailedmodel of Earth's various Earth's
climate, and those models couldreally help scientists better
understand climate patterns.
They could predict, helpscientists better understand
climate patterns, they couldpredict extreme or even
different types of weatherevents and they could develop
more effective strategies formitigating the impact of climate
(40:11):
and change or climate impact.
So quantum computers couldreally kind of optimize the
design of renewable energies aswell.
It could look at sources.
It could look at sources.
It could look at how ways toenhance carbon capture
technologies, and it reallycould and I think it really
could play a role in how theglobal effort goes about
combating climate change.
(40:32):
And then, as you see, eventhough that quantum computing is
still in its early stages,there are a lot of potential
things that it could have impacton everyday life and it could
be in a huge and enormous impact.
So this could be fromrevolutionizing healthcare, this
could be to securing digitalworld, to enhancing financial
strategies.
This could be to taking onglobal challenges like climate
(40:55):
change.
I think the cool thing is thatthe possibilities here are very,
very vast, and I think quantumcomputing I think, as it moves,
it's still going to continue todevelop and it's going to
influence many more aspects ofour daily lives that really kind
of bring in both excitingopportunities as well as new
challenges.
So to me, quantum computing isreally more of a way just for us
(41:21):
to process new information.
I believe that it is startingto become a gateway to explore
the very nature of existence, Ithink also based upon our
probabilities.
What does it mean for ourpursuit of knowledge?
How do we approach a worldwhere uncertainty is kind of a
fundamental characteristics.
What are the kinds ofphilosophical questions of
(41:45):
quantum computing that we shouldbe asking that we learn to
grapple with?
As a person who thinks aboutthis, I think you know, with
every powerful technologyquantum computing I think there
does come a significant ethicalconsideration, such as who will
control the technology?
Will it be used for the greatergood?
Could it exacerbate existinginequalities?
(42:06):
I mean, I think, if I want totake a step back, my concern is
that we need to develop thesesystems, that we need to ensure
what they're going to be usedfor and be used responsibly and
this is not just about whatquantum computers can do, but
what society itself chooses todo with them.
And we also need to considerthe impact on employment in the
economy.
Quantum computing couldautomate complex tasks,
(42:29):
potentially displace jobs incertain industries.
However, it could also create alot new opportunities, and this
could lead to an emergence ofdifferent industries that we
haven't even imagined yet.
So I think my thoughts overallare going to be pretty positive
and optimistic on this, but Ithink we do need to prepare for
(42:49):
the changes, and I think that wealso need to ensure that, as we
advance, we also bring everyonealong on this journey, rather
than leaving some of them behind.
So if I put my looking for youknow, my my envisioning the
future hat on here, I think,looking further ahead, I think
the ultimate goal of building auniversal quantum computer, I
think of a machine that can formany computation any classical
(43:12):
computer can, but just expense,you know, exponentially faster.
It is truly a game changer, nodoubt about it.
I think achieving this would bekind of like the transistor or
the microprocessor, both ofwhich, you know, sparked
revolutions in technology andsociety.
But I think that this is morethan just the technological leap
.
I think this is a leap of howwe think and interact with the
(43:34):
world.
And, in my view, I think thefuture of quantum isn't just
about solving bigger and morecomplex problems.
I think it's of quantum isn'tjust about solving bigger and
more complex problems.
I think it's about unlockingnew ways of thinking.
It's a new approach to science,and I think that it also opens
up new possibilities forhumanity.
And I think I'm going to usethe term quantum revolution.
Okay, the quantum revolution iscoming, and while I think it's
(43:57):
going to change everything, it'salso going to change us to be
better stewards of thetechnology we would create.
So, in my final thoughts, I'llclose on this, but I think, as
we stand on the brink of thisrevelation, I think it's both
exhilarating and also veryhumbling.
I think the possibilities arevast, but I'm also thinking that
(44:20):
there are going to beresponsibilities with this, such
as will we use the technologyto build a better world?
Will we let it slip into thehands of those who might use it
for less noble purposes?
I think these are somequestions that I think all of us
need to keep asking ourselvesas we continue to move forward.
So, again, I want to thank youagain for joining me on the show
(44:41):
.
In the next episode, I want todive deeper into how we are also
be thinking about thepossibilities and what this
means for the future industryand everyday life, and I hope
that you will continue to joinme on this as we explore the
fascinating world of quantum andmany, many other deep topics.
I also want to take a moment toextend my heartfelt thank you
(45:04):
to all of my listeners andsubscribers who have supported
me in this podcast from the verystart.
Your encouragement andenthusiasm is really what makes
this journey all the morerewarding, so join us next time
as we continue to explore thecutting edge of technology.
Until then, stay curious, stayinformed and, most of all, happy
(45:25):
travels.
Hello and welcome back to another exciting episode
of Tech Travels.
Today we're diving into a topicthat's generating a lot of buzz
recently quantum computing intoa topic that's generating a lot
of buzz recently quantumcomputing.
Now, after the incredibleresponse that I received from
our last episode with Dr ThomasWong, many of you had reached
out asking for more content onthis groundbreaking technology
and, honestly, I just couldn'thave waited.
(00:36):
I couldn't be more thrilled tohave delivered.
But before we dive in, I firstwant to take a moment to just
extend a huge thank you to allof our listeners and subscribers
.
Since I started this podcastback in February.
It has been an incrediblejourney and I couldn't be more
appreciative of the support.
Your enthusiasm and engagementshave really made this
(00:57):
experience truly rewarding andI'm really excited to continue
exploring these fascinatingtopics with you.
And I'm really excited tocontinue exploring these
fascinating topics with you.
And in today's episode quantumcomputing, from theory to
reality we're going to breakdown this complex subject in a
way that's a little bit easierto understand and digest.
If you're familiar with myepisode one on AI, down to
(01:18):
basics, this is going to followa very, very similar format.
So let's start exploringquantum computing and how it
works, why it's such a gamechanger, and let's explore this
fascinating technology together.
So let's start with the basics.
Quantum computing is built onthe principles of quantum
mechanics, and this is really afield of physics where it began
(01:40):
to take shape in the early 20thcentury.
But to understand why quantumcomputing is so revolutionary,
we need to step back into theorigins of quantum mechanics.
Now, I promise this is notgoing to be a physics class.
The story of this really beginsat the dawn of the 20th century
.
Now.
Classical physics had dominatedscientific thought throughout
(02:00):
many, many years, for centuriesalmost, and this was really
fascinating because it reallypresented serious challenges to
explaining certain phenomena.
Now, in 1900, a Germanphysicist by the name of Max
Planck had made groundbreakingdiscovery while working on a
topic around researching blackbody radiation.
And this is where the objectsemit and absorb energy.
(02:22):
And Max proposed that energy isnot only just emitted
continuously, as classicalphysics had suggested, but in
discrete little packets, whichhe had called quanta.
And this was really the firsthint of that.
The laws around governing themicroscopic world of atoms and
(02:43):
particles were fundamentallydifferent from those of the way
that we experience them everyday.
Now, another scientist, I'msure you know, albert Einstein
had extended and explained onwhat Max was trying to do.
Max Planck's idea was basicallyhe was explaining that the
photoelectric event is wherelight striking a material causes
(03:04):
it to emit electrons.
But Einstein took it a bitfurther.
He said he said, well, you know, yes, that's true, light is
made up of quanta, now calledphotons, which we both have, you
know, both particles and waves.
And this was interestingbecause the duality was one of
the first indications that thequantum world operates on rules
(03:25):
that defy classical intuition.
Now, over the next few decades,other pioneering scientists,
including Niels Bohr, wernerHeisenberg, erwin Schroeder,
they all contributed to thedevelopment of quantum mechanics
.
But it wasn't until Niels Bohrintroduced the idea of quantized
energy level in atoms.
(03:46):
Now Heisenberg also sawsomething different.
He started to look at this andsay he's going to formulate what
they call the uncertaintyprinciple.
Now Schrodinger also developedbasically a wave function that
basically is used to describethe probabilities of a
particle's location.
Now these developmentscollectively establish the
(04:09):
foundation of quantum mechanics,which is just simply a field
that describes the behavior ofparticles at the atomic and
subatomic levels.
All right, we got that.
As the particles of quantummechanics became more
established, more and morescientists began to wonder if
these strange and powerful rulescould be used to harness
(04:31):
certain type of computations.
But when classical computersstarted being developed in the
1920s, they were built onsomething called operating with
binary bits, and this was justsimply saying hey, the way it
works is that there's units ofinformation that can be either
zeros or ones, and these bitsfollow the classical physical
(04:51):
laws, or basically the classicallaws of physics.
While they have basically be,while they're very powerful,
they still face limitations indealing with problems that
involve massive amounts of dataor other complex systems.
But this is where the idea ofquantum computing really comes
into play, because in the 1980s,physicists like Richard Feynman
(05:14):
and David Deutsch realized thata computer based upon the
principles of quantum mechanicscould quote-unquote, in theory,
perform certain calculationsmuch faster than classical
computers, and the key to thisspeed lies in the quantum bit or
the qubit.
(05:35):
So when we look at the birth ofquantum computing, we have to
really look at it throughFeynman's vision.
Now, the 1980s, this study ofquantum mechanics had already
really started to transform ourunderstanding of the physical
world, and scientists were moreand more discovering that
(05:56):
there's this strange andcounterintuitive behavior within
particles at the quantum level,and these behaviors are really
what defined the classicalphysics to be used pretty much
every day to describe thingslike phenomena or the motion of
the planets, or even somethingas simple as the flow of natural
bodies of water.
(06:17):
However, they really developeddeeper into these quantum
mysteries.
It became clear that simulatingquantum phenomena using
classical computers was reallyan insurmountable challenge, and
the reason why, of course, backagain, is that classical
computers just operate only onbinary bits, which can either be
(06:41):
a zero or one.
But the great thing aboutquantum was quantum doesn't
follow such simple rules, andthis is where Richard Feynman
really kind of comes into thepicture.
Richard Feynman, who wasalready very well known in the
scientific community,particularly for his work in the
(07:01):
1940s at the Manhattan Project,where he played a critical role
in the development of theatomic bomb during World War II,
and his contributions toquantum electrodynamics, earned
him a Nobel Prize, which he wascelebrated for his ability to
explain complex topics in a waythat others was very difficult
(07:27):
and it was very easy for them toassociate to others.
Richard Feynman had given manylectures at the University of
Southern California and many ofhis lectures can still be found
online today, even 40 yearslater.
If you've not checked out anyof his earlier works, I
definitely highly encourage youto take a look and look for his
lectures on how fire isdeveloped.
(07:48):
It's truly eye-opening.
Now, during this time, feynmanrecognized that the limitations
of classical computers when theywere trying to simulate quantum
systems like the behavior ofmolecules and atoms, systems
(08:08):
like the behavior of moleculesand atoms.
He proposed a very radical ideato simulate quantum phenomena
accurately, and in order to dothis we would need a new type of
computer that didn't just modelquantum behavior, it had to
actually operate according tothe principles of quantum
mechanics.
So, in essence, he reallyenvisioned a computer that could
harness quantum effects likesuperstition and entanglement,
(08:29):
and he really wanted to usethese to perform calculations
that were far beyond the reachof classical machines.
Now, back in 1981, feynmanproposed the concept of a
quantum computer at the firstconference of the physics and
computation conference at MIT,and he introduced the idea that
(08:52):
such a computer could harnessthe principles of superstition
and entanglement using quantumphenomenon and really to perform
this in a way that classicalcomputers could not achieve, no
matter how advanced they become,and really to perform this in a
way that classical computerscould not achieve, no matter how
advanced they become, andreally it was because of this
event.
This is really when it startedto mark the birth of the idea of
quantum computing.
(09:12):
Now, feynman's idea was notjust about increasing
computational power.
It really was about rethinkinghow computation itself could be
leveraged, thinking howcomputation itself could be
leveraged by using very similarprinciples of quantum mechanics
that govern the behavior of thesmallest particles in our
universe.
And now this, at this point intime, this was absolutely
(09:35):
groundbreaking.
It was groundbreaking, it was agroundbreaking moment in the
history of computing because itlaid the foundation for what we
now know and as we now callquantum computing.
Now, this is a field that isstill very early in its stages
and the promise was that it wasgoing to revolutionize the way
that we approach complexproblems and, instead of being
(09:59):
limited by classical logic andclassical binary states, quantum
computers could, in theory,explore a vast number of
possibilities simultaneously,making them extremely powerful
to do certain tasks.
So after Richard Feynman kind ofproposed the concept of quantum
(10:22):
computing in 1981, the fieldbegan to attract more and more
attention and this led tosignificant advancements
throughout the 1980s and the1990s.
And the way that we look atthis is okay.
Well, what were some ofFeynman's ideas and how did
those kind of move into otheradditional groundbreaking
developments into the 1990s?
(10:44):
Other additional groundbreakingdevelopments into the 1990s?
Well, in 1985, david Deutsch,who was a physicist at the
University of Oxford, heintroduced a concept called
universal quantum computing.
Now, this was a pivotal momentbecause what it is is Deutsch's
work demonstrated that quantumcomputers could theoretically
perform any computation that aclassical computer could, but
(11:06):
just simply a lot faster.
And his idea was built on theprinciples, again, of quantum
mechanics.
And this really suggested thata quantum computer could harness
things such as superstitionphenomena and solve things that
classical computers could not dosimply in the current form.
And the significant work ofthis, of course, lay in the
(11:27):
introduction of the quantumTuring machine, a theoretical
model that extended thecapabilities of the classical
Turing machines to the realm ofquantum computing.
And, if you remember, in myfirst episode I went into detail
around Alan Turing and hisamazing work with the Turing
machine and how it breakbasically the German encryption
(11:49):
in World War II called theEnigma machine.
So, looking at the 1980s and1990s, there were a lot more
groundwork that was actuallybeing done, more research was
coming into the field,researchers such as Ralph
Laudner and Charles Bennett fromIBM.
They really started to exploresomething new.
They started to explore howquantum cryptography and
(12:12):
information theory could reallyexpand around the potential,
around expanding applicationsfor quantum mechanics in this
specific technology.
And it was also a time at whichanother researcher by the name
of Peter Shore basically cameout.
In 1994, when Peter Shore, whowas a mathematician at AT&T Bell
(12:33):
Labs, he developed an algorithmthat could effectively factor
large numbers.
This is known as an algorithmor known as Shore's algorithm,
and what it did was itdemonstrated that a quantum
computer could solve problems,and it could also solve problems
such as breaking widely usedRSA encryption that were
(12:55):
practically unsolvable byclassical computers.
Shor's work was really a turningpoint because what it did was
(13:17):
it moved quantum computing froma theoretical possibility into a
practical threat to existingcryptographic systems that use
modern day encryption.
And this is really whathappened.
Is this really sparked a lot ofinteresting interest and
urgency in the quantum computingresearch?
Interest and urgency in thequantum computing research and,
as these implications are foraround security and privacy,
they found them to be extremelyprofound.
Also, at the same time, anotherresearcher by the name of Les
Grover, who was a databasespecialist, and he was searching
(13:40):
in 1986 for another prominentcapability within quantum
computing that he could usebasically what they called
unsorted databases and see howthey could work faster by using
basically quantum versusclassical computing.
Now Grover's algorithm wasovershadowed by Shor, by Peter
(14:02):
Shor, but they were nonethelessabsolutely critical for the
development of quantum.
And what it did was it provideda clear example of how quantum
computers could really justoutperform classical ones beyond
cryptography, and just reallykind of highlighted a more
(14:22):
profound and more broadpotential for just how quantum
computing could be used in thefuture itself.
But despite these theoreticalbreakthroughs, the progress of
quantum computing during thetime of the 1980s and 1990s, it
really started to face a lot ofdifferent, several obstacles.
(14:44):
Some of these are going to bethings like, well, technical
challenges.
Most of the significance andthe barriers was the immense
technical difficulty involved inreally building a quantum
computer.
And a quantum relies on qubits,which are extremely fragile.
They require conditions thatare very difficult to achieve
(15:06):
and maintain, and you have tokeep them in extremely low
temperatures.
So the challenge became reallyreally difficult.
It's where qubits start to losetheir quantum state due to
environmental interference, andthis made it really difficult to
perform reliable computationsbecause the technology itself
(15:26):
had to basically control andmanipulate the qubits with
precision.
Simply, that just wasn'tavailable at the time.
You also have this thing knownas error correction and early
forms of error correction wasstill in its infancy, we didn't
really know how to deal withthat, was still in its infancy,
(15:46):
we didn't really know how todeal with that.
But these technical hurdlesreally meant that, you know,
even despite the theoreticaladvancements, there was still
some progress, but it was stillprogress.
That was still so very, veryslow.
Another limiting factor was, youknow, the funding.
There was funding limitationsand the funding was another
critical issue.
And while there were somegovernment and institutional
(16:07):
support, particularly inagencies like DARPA, the field
of support pretty much came frommodest institutions, areas of
research.
Some money came from thesemiconductor industry, some
came from other classicalcomputing companies and really
even the US government.
They did recognize thepotential and strategic
(16:31):
importance of quantum computing,especially when we're talking
about cryptography, but fundingwas also very limited to
exploratory searches and areasof research rather than more of
a large-scale type of fundingand more of the large-scale
development projects.
Another thing, of course, thatwas also limiting was some of
(16:53):
the academic institutions.
They really struggled tounderstand and really secure
consistent funding for quantumcomputing research and again it
was started to look at as wellthis is a very highly
speculative and long-termendeavor that did not have any
real immediate practicalapplications.
Now during this time, if youlook at it, kind of what was
(17:15):
happening in society and otheracademic perspectives is, you
know, during the 1980s, 1990squantum computing was kind of
this largely esoteric type offield.
It was really just kind ofmainly used by physicists and
mathematicians and the generalpublic.
People were really largelyunaware of really what quantum
(17:37):
computing did Outside of theacademic world.
People really didn't have muchof an idea.
It was seen as you know hey,this is really cool, but there's
a lot of theoretical curiosityrather than a real practical
tool and the perception reallykind of hindered the field's
growth because as it was tryingto justify its existence, it was
(17:59):
really meant with skepticism.
People found it very difficultto understand and the investment
in the technology just didn'tbelieve that it was going to be
something that was going to behere.
They looked at it like this issomething that was going to be
decades, if not multiple decades, away from any real world
application.
Now, aside from that, if youlook across you know what was
(18:21):
happening at this time.
You know you look at culturalinfluences in science fiction
and I think this is where thecool part is is that when
quantum computing reallystruggled to gain traction in
the real world, the idea ofhaving these advanced computing
technologies was really keptalive in the public imagination
through things like sciencefiction.
I remember growing up as a kidin the 1980s I feel like this
(18:44):
was kind of the golden age forscience fiction.
I remember growing up as a kidin the 1980s I feel like this
was kind of the golden age forscience fiction.
And then even into the 1990s,you know you explore popular
themes such as, you know,advanced technologies,
artificial intelligence andvirtual realities.
So you think of movies like theMatrix or Terminator 2, as well
as you know even my ownfavorite, even favorite,
(19:05):
television show, which was StarTrek.
At the time, star Trek NextGeneration really captured you
know, the public's influence andhelped them kind of maintain an
interest in broaderpossibilities of quantum
computing.
That really kind of kept thedoor open for the eventual rise
of quantum computing.
And I think this is even coolbecause you know even the
(19:25):
specific concept of quantumcomputing, even though it was
not widely understood.
People loved the idea of havingsomething that could be far
breaking or just simply just farout there in the computer, in
the computer world.
That would really just kind ofbe next level as to what they
were seeing on sciencetelevision.
But if we look at thegovernment, well, that's a
different story.
The government of course hadthese.
(19:47):
They had regular, you know,institutional roadblocks.
Now there was also a lot ofhesitation within the US
government and the US militaryestablishments regarding quantum
computing.
And while the potential forquantum cryptography and quantum
computing was were recognized,there were concerns about the
security implications of such apowerful technology which could
(20:09):
really disrupt existingencryption methods.
Additionally, they were alsovery uncertain around the
timeline for quantum computing,its development, and that's
really what made it a very lowpriority compared to more
immediate technological needs.
But as we start to kind of roundout the end of the 1990s and we
(20:31):
start kind of getting into late90s, early 2000s is, you know,
the end of the millennia reallystarted to set the stage for the
21st century.
Because at the end of the 1990squantum computing was really
kind of poised to be the nextphase of development.
Now researchers had laid asolid theoretical foundation.
They demonstrated keyalgorithms which began
(20:53):
addressing the practicalchallenges of building quantum
hardware.
And again in the late 1990sthey also saw companies also
start to form systems like whatthey called the D-Wave system in
1999, which was really aimed tocommercialize quantum computing
technology.
And this is where we start toset the stage for rapid
(21:17):
advancements in quantumcomputing that would follow all
the way into the 2000s.
So as we move from theory tosmall-scale experiments where we
actually start looking atquantum processors and the
exploration of quantum supremacy, so just as we've explored the
(21:37):
origins and early developmentsof quantum computing, I think
it's clear that this technologyreally isn't just a local
phenomenon.
It really is a global race.
If you look around the world,countries and companies are
heavily investing in quantumresearch and really this becomes
a really transformative fieldbecause you start to really
(22:00):
appreciate the global landscapefor quantum computing.
We really need to consider notjust the technical advancements
but also the broader othersocieties and the perspectives,
government initiatives and otherchallenges that lie ahead.
Now the United States by far isleading the way.
As part of you know some of thetech giants within the United
(22:24):
States, companies such as IBM,google, Microsoft.
These companies are at theforefront of quantum computing,
both in research as well asdevelopment.
Now IBM has particularlypioneered making quantum
computers accessible throughtheir cloud or via their IBM
Quantum Experience platform, andthis initiative really kind of
(22:51):
helps democratize access toquantum computing because it
allows researchers, developersand even students from around
the world to experiment withquantum algorithms and they can
use that to contribute to thegrowing body of knowledge around
quantum computing.
Now also, google had madesignificant impact in the year
2019 when it announced thatquantum computer had achieved
(23:12):
quantum supremacy and there'sthat word again quantum
supremacy and this really justbasically means that their
quantum processor, the Sycamore,performed a calculation in 200
seconds.
That would have taken the mostpowerful classical supercomputer
of its day thousands of yearsto complete.
(23:34):
That's pretty crazy, but thisachievement really was a
milestone that demonstrated thepotential for quantum computing
and how it can really lead tosolving problems that are really
really intractable forclassical computers.
So if we look across Europe tosee what's happening there, so
(23:54):
across the Atlantic, europe ismaking they're also making
significant strides in quantumcomputing.
The European Union's firstquantum flagship initiative
launched back in 2018.
Union's first quantum flagshipinitiative launched back in 2018
.
This is a 1 billion euro10-year project and it really is
aimed at really kind ofadvancing quantum technologies
across the continent of Europe.
(24:15):
And even though this is anambitious program with one of
the largest and mostcomprehensive efforts to develop
and build quantum technology,they have had over 5,000
researchers from academia andother industries to kind of help
work and collaborate on thisimmense project.
(24:35):
Other countries like Germany,the Netherlands and Austria are
also home to some of the mostadvanced quantum research
institutions in the world.
So, for instance, theUniversity of Innsbruck in
Austria is renowned for theirwork in quantum simulations, and
Delft University and technologyin the Netherlands.
(24:55):
They're also another leader inquantum cryptography and quantum
networking, and theseinstitutions are really just not
pushing not only the boundariesof quantum science, but they're
also contributing andcollaborating with other
industry partners and they'reusing that to really kind of
(25:16):
translate that research intodistilling it into practical
applications.
Now, china they're also a majorplayer in the global quantum
race.
China has emerged over the lastcouple of years as a major
player in the quantum race.
Most recently, they investedheavily in both quantum
computing and quantumcommunication.
(25:37):
Back in 2016, china launchedthe world's first quantum
satellite, and this satellite iscapable of conducting what they
call QKD, which is quantum keydistribution, over long
distances, and that technologycould also really revolutionize
how secure communications can beby making it adversely
(26:00):
impossible to hack.
Now the Chinese government hasalso prioritized quantum
research as part of its broaderstrategy to become the global
leader in the high-tech field,and it's really kind of based
upon their ability to establishmultiple partnerships with other
national laboratories dedicatedto quantum information science,
(26:21):
and that, of course, needs,like anything else needs to have
funding, billions of dollars,to fund into these research and
development fields withinquantum, and I think that what
this really shows is that theirsupport and strategic importance
is very important because itreally places China on a quantum
technology shift where it's notjust a scientific advancement
(26:45):
but it's also for their ownsense of national security.
Now Canada also as well.
Canada has got companies likeagain I mentioned earlier the
D-Wave systems, and this isreally commercialized quantum
annealing and that really isjust simply a form of quantum
computing that's particularlyeffective for solving
optimization problems.
And Canada is also home toQuantum Valley Initiatives in
(27:09):
Waterloo, Ontario, and theysupport quantum research as well
as commercialization efforts,and this has really kind of been
a central hub for most of theworld-class talent and
investment in making Canada areal hub for quantum and quantum
innovation.
Now the government withinCanada has also recognized for
quantum and quantum innovation.
Now the government withinCanada has also recognized the
importance of quantum technologyand they've also supported its
(27:32):
development.
And in 2021, the governmentannounced that the creation of
national quantum strategy andthis really kind of puts a
framework around findingsubstantial funding to really
boost quantum research, improvetalent development and also look
for industry growth as well.
And I think the really coolthing about this is that this
really highlights you know again, you know our partners to the
(27:54):
north, the Canadians investmentand their commitment to
maintaining their competitiveedge in this rapidly evolving
field as well, in this rapidlyevolving field as well.
But over the last 20 years, thepublic awareness of quantum
computing has started toincrease and although it still
remains a highly specialized andvery complex field, it's also
(28:16):
one that's really misunderstoodby the general public.
So for many years, quantumcomputing is seen as very
distant, almost sciencefictional style type of concept
with very, very little immediaterelevance to everyday life.
Now, companies like IBM, googlethey've all made headlines and
(28:37):
have had recent advancementsaround quantum computing and
some of that has really startedto lead to.
The perception of quantumcomputing has started to kind of
maybe shift the needle a littlebit.
But it's also worth noting thatscience fiction you know it's
my favorite topic Sciencefiction has also played a
critical role in keeping thepublic's imagination really open
to the possibilities.
(28:58):
You know, you think again Ireference movies like the Matrix
, even movies like Inception hasreally explored themes of
complex reality bending type oftechnology and I think this
resonates a little bit becausethese strange and
counterintuitive nature ofquantum mechanics kind of plays
into these movies centralizedtheme and I think these cultural
(29:20):
references kind of also bridgethe gap between the highly
technical world of quantumcomputing and then also to the
broader public, just making theconcept more relatable, even if,
in fact, if it's not fullyunderstood.
Now the government has startedto look at investing heavily in
(29:40):
quantum computing and this wasnot always the case, because
during the early stages ofquantum computing government
funding was very, very limited.
The technology was often seenas very long-term, it was high
risk and it had very uncertainreturns.
Now the potential applicationsfor quantum computing,
(30:01):
particularly around cryptographyand national security, those
are the ones that have becomemore and more apparent and more
attractive to the government'sinterest in funding because of
that particular segment where wenow start to see more and more
funding increase for things likecryptography and national
security.
So, just for example, as the USgovernment passed the National
(30:22):
Quantum Initiative Act in 2018,which provides over a billion
dollars in funding for quantumresearch over the next five
years, now also the EuropeanUnion has also kind of done the
exact same thing.
So the European Union, throughits quantum flagship, china,
with its national quantuminitiatives, they have also made
(30:44):
substantial financialcommitments to advance quantum
technology.
But still, despite the efforts,that these roadblocks still
remain.
The technical challenges ofbuilding stable, error-corrected
quantum computers are very,very formidable and there's
still a long way to go beforequantum computers can really
(31:06):
fully integrate into mainstreamapplications.
So, again, the geopoliticalimplications of quantum
technology, particularly theimpact it has on cybersecurity,
has really started to kind of,you know, elevate this, the
concerns around a quantum armsrace, and this is where nations
(31:26):
are competing to develop quantumcapabilities, potentially
leading to new forms of, youknow, basically, technological
inequality.
But I think about this for asecond and I think okay.
So there's got to be aphilosophical aspect to this.
And if we take a step backagain and just look at quantum
(31:48):
computing.
I think quantum computingreally starts as it starts to
develop.
It also raises, you know,important philosophical
questions also about the natureof reality, of knowledge and the
future of humanity.
Quantum mechanics, I think,really underpins quantum
computing and those challengesour traditional and it really
(32:09):
challenges our traditionalunderstanding of reality by
introducing concepts likesuperstition and entanglement.
And this is really whereparticles can exist in multiple
states simultaneously and beconnected across vast distances.
And I think these also havevery profound implications for
how we understand things likeour universe and also our place
(32:33):
within it.
I think that some philosophershave suggested that quantum
computing could lead to new waysof thinking about the
consciousness of free will andthe nature of existence itself.
So, for example, if quantumcomputers can process
information in ways that arefundamentally different from
classical computers, well whatdoes that say about the nature
(32:56):
of intelligence or the potentialfor artificial and artificial
consciousness?
I think, kind of additionally,that these are ethical
implications of quantumcomputing, that they're still
very significant.
I think, as we develop morepowerful quantum technologies, I
think that we must consider howwe want them to be used and who
(33:18):
will be able to control them?
Will quantum ultimately lead tonew forms of inequality, where
only a few powerful entitieshave access to the technology,
or could we ensure that thebenefits of quantum are shared
equally and amongst everybody?
So, as I break it down a littlebit, what does this really mean
(33:40):
for the everyday person?
So I wanted to kind of thinkabout this for a second.
Quantum computing might soundlike something you know only
scientists and tech enthusiastsreally only care about, but I
think the implications couldreach far beyond academia and
everyday life.
So if I look at how quantumcomputing could impact you in
(34:01):
the future across variousaspects of daily life, one of
the ones that I see this a lotin is basically medicine.
One of the most excitingprospects of quantum computing,
I think, is really where westart to see its potential to
transform medicine, particularlyin drug discovery.
And today, I think, developingnew drugs is incredibly
(34:23):
time-consuming and very, veryexpensive process, and this
often involves years of trialand error to really find the
right molecular combinations.
So traditionally, computersstruggle to simulate complex
molecular interactions becausethey require enormous amounts of
computing power.
But quantum computers, however,they could simulate these
(34:47):
interactions with unprecedentedaccuracy and that could
drastically reduce the time ittakes to develop new treatments.
So if I think of a future a fewyears down the road where
medicine you know kind ofpersonalized medicine is the
norm, think of a future a fewyears down the road where
medicine you know kind ofpersonalized medicine is the
norm.
You know, treatments aretypically tailored specifically
to your genetic makeup,specifically.
(35:07):
They could increase theiroverall effectiveness.
And I think quantum computingcould also really start to help
in the area of designing of newmaterials around medical devices
and in the optimization ofthings such as medical imaging
techniques, and I think thosecould also be groundbreaking
because I think those could leadto earlier and more accurate
(35:29):
diagnosis.
Now, if I think about it for asecond, if I look at other use
case such as cryptography, todayour world is really protected
by encryption methods and thoseencryption methods really start
to look at, you know, you lookat quantum.
Quantum could possibly be usedbecause in today's world, the
classical computers, it takesbillions of years to crack those
(35:51):
.
But quantum it really advancesthat these encryption methods
become very, very vulnerable.
So a quantum computer couldsolve mathematical problems that
underpin most currentencryption and if you think
about this, it could basicallyreduce the time it takes to
basically break some encryption.
So this is really starting toexpose sensitive information
(36:13):
such as bank account, personaldetails, personal emails, even
potentially government secrets.
Now, while this might soundalarming, it's also driving the
development of new forms ofencryption.
So now we're starting to getinto things such as quantum safe
cryptography, and that issomething where it could
withstand the power of quantumcomputers, and this really means
(36:35):
that.
This means that, as quantumcomputing becomes more practical
, we start to see a shifttowards these more secure
encryption methods, ensuring thedigital lives that remain
protected every day.
Another one I can think of isfinance Finance.
You know, quantum computing canreally revolutionize the
financial sector in a couple ofdifferent ways, a couple of
(36:57):
different ways.
One I look at it is says youknow it possibly could be that
you know if you could optimizetrading strategies, yeah, and
you can analyze vast amounts ofdata at speeds that were just
simply unimaginable withclassical computers.
This could lead to moreaccurate predictions of market
trends.
This could also help enablefinancial institutions and it
really could help drive betterinvestment decisions, and I
(37:21):
think that also, at the sametime, quantum computing can also
look at things such as riskmanagement, complex simulations
where they look at assets forpotential financial outcomes.
Now, this is cool because Ithink this would help enable
banks, investment firms and Ithink they could also use this
to really protect themselves andtheir clients from financial
downturns.
(37:42):
Moreover, I think that theshift could also be is that they
start shifting to quantum safecryptography, where it would
really be crucial, andsafeguarding financial
transactions around the world.
All right.
So what about artificialintelligence?
I knew this was going to comeup.
I think artificial intelligenceis really starting to transform
industries.
(38:02):
I think everywhere you look now, you're starting to see
something around artificialintelligence, next generation AI
or gen AI.
I think AI is alreadytransforming certain industries.
I think it's moving fromhealthcare to retail and many
other different industries whereit's becoming a disruptor.
But I think that the current AImodels are limited by
(38:23):
computational power.
But quantum quantum, I think,could potentially significance
enhance machine learningalgorithms, which really are the
essential backbone of what anartificial intelligence is.
So let me give an example.
So quantum computers couldprocess vast data sets that are
much faster than classicalcomputers, and this leads to
(38:45):
more of an advanced AI modelthat can learn and adapt in real
time, and this really couldimprove everything from voice
assistance to automated orautonomous vehicles and it can
make them even more reliable,more efficient.
So in healthcare, quantumenhanced AI could lead to better
diagnostic tools that couldanalyze certain things such as
(39:06):
medical images, and it couldpotentially predict a patient
outcome with greater accuracy.
Also, if I kind of take a stepback and look at things like
climate science or climatechange, one of the biggest
challenges that are addressingright now in climate change is
accurately modeling the Earth'scomplex system, such as
(39:27):
atmosphere, oceans, thebiosphere.
And the current models which weuse today are really limited by
the computational power of yourtraditional classic computer,
which means that they often relyon approximations and they
can't capture the fullcomplexity of climate systems.
Now, quantum, on the other hand, quantum could change this by
(39:48):
providing computational powerneeded to really create a more
accurate model, a more detailedmodel of Earth's various Earth's
climate, and those models couldreally help scientists better
understand climate patterns.
They could predict, helpscientists better understand
climate patterns, they couldpredict extreme or even
different types of weatherevents and they could develop
more effective strategies formitigating the impact of climate
(40:11):
and change or climate impact.
So quantum computers couldreally kind of optimize the
design of renewable energies aswell.
It could look at sources.
It could look at sources.
It could look at how ways toenhance carbon capture
technologies, and it reallycould and I think it really
could play a role in how theglobal effort goes about
combating climate change.
(40:32):
And then, as you see, eventhough that quantum computing is
still in its early stages,there are a lot of potential
things that it could have impacton everyday life and it could
be in a huge and enormous impact.
So this could be fromrevolutionizing healthcare, this
could be to securing digitalworld, to enhancing financial
strategies.
This could be to taking onglobal challenges like climate
(40:55):
change.
I think the cool thing is thatthe possibilities here are very,
very vast, and I think quantumcomputing I think, as it moves,
it's still going to continue todevelop and it's going to
influence many more aspects ofour daily lives that really kind
of bring in both excitingopportunities as well as new
challenges.
So to me, quantum computing isreally more of a way just for us
(41:21):
to process new information.
I believe that it is startingto become a gateway to explore
the very nature of existence, Ithink also based upon our
probabilities.
What does it mean for ourpursuit of knowledge?
How do we approach a worldwhere uncertainty is kind of a
fundamental characteristics.
What are the kinds ofphilosophical questions of
(41:45):
quantum computing that we shouldbe asking that we learn to
grapple with?
As a person who thinks aboutthis, I think you know, with
every powerful technologyquantum computing I think there
does come a significant ethicalconsideration, such as who will
control the technology?
Will it be used for the greatergood?
Could it exacerbate existinginequalities?
(42:06):
I mean, I think, if I want totake a step back, my concern is
that we need to develop thesesystems, that we need to ensure
what they're going to be usedfor and be used responsibly and
this is not just about whatquantum computers can do, but
what society itself chooses todo with them.
And we also need to considerthe impact on employment in the
economy.
Quantum computing couldautomate complex tasks,
(42:29):
potentially displace jobs incertain industries.
However, it could also create alot new opportunities, and this
could lead to an emergence ofdifferent industries that we
haven't even imagined yet.
So I think my thoughts overallare going to be pretty positive
and optimistic on this, but Ithink we do need to prepare for
(42:49):
the changes, and I think that wealso need to ensure that, as we
advance, we also bring everyonealong on this journey, rather
than leaving some of them behind.
So if I put my looking for youknow, my my envisioning the
future hat on here, I think,looking further ahead, I think
the ultimate goal of building auniversal quantum computer, I
think of a machine that can formany computation any classical
(43:12):
computer can, but just expense,you know, exponentially faster.
It is truly a game changer, nodoubt about it.
I think achieving this would bekind of like the transistor or
the microprocessor, both ofwhich, you know, sparked
revolutions in technology andsociety.
But I think that this is morethan just the technological leap
.
I think this is a leap of howwe think and interact with the
(43:34):
world.
And, in my view, I think thefuture of quantum isn't just
about solving bigger and morecomplex problems.
I think it's of quantum isn'tjust about solving bigger and
more complex problems.
I think it's about unlockingnew ways of thinking.
It's a new approach to science,and I think that it also opens
up new possibilities forhumanity.
And I think I'm going to usethe term quantum revolution.
Okay, the quantum revolution iscoming, and while I think it's
(43:57):
going to change everything, it'salso going to change us to be
better stewards of thetechnology we would create.
So, in my final thoughts, I'llclose on this, but I think, as
we stand on the brink of thisrevelation, I think it's both
exhilarating and also veryhumbling.
I think the possibilities arevast, but I'm also thinking that
(44:20):
there are going to beresponsibilities with this, such
as will we use the technologyto build a better world?
Will we let it slip into thehands of those who might use it
for less noble purposes?
I think these are somequestions that I think all of us
need to keep asking ourselvesas we continue to move forward.
So, again, I want to thank youagain for joining me on the show
(44:41):
.
In the next episode, I want todive deeper into how we are also
be thinking about thepossibilities and what this
means for the future industryand everyday life, and I hope
that you will continue to joinme on this as we explore the
fascinating world of quantum andmany, many other deep topics.
I also want to take a moment toextend my heartfelt thank you
(45:04):
to all of my listeners andsubscribers who have supported
me in this podcast from the verystart.
Your encouragement andenthusiasm is really what makes
this journey all the morerewarding, so join us next time
as we continue to explore thecutting edge of technology.
Until then, stay curious, stayinformed and, most of all, happy
(45:25):
travels.
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