Quantum computers :3

[Tony_Mushah]

Recently, Google revealed their new quantum chips called Willow.

Now, I am not (yet) a quantum computing engineer. Quantum computing is a difficult field to comprehend to his "hallucinatory" based science.

But if you want to know some basics about quantum computing,

Spoiler: Here is a quick overview of what to know (written by ChatGPT, not me)

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1. What is Quantum Computing?

Quantum computing is a field of computing based on the principles of quantum mechanics, the fundamental theory of physics that explains the behavior of particles at the atomic and subatomic levels. Unlike classical computers that use bits, quantum computers use quantum bits (qubits).


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2. Key Concepts in Quantum Computing

Qubits

A qubit is the quantum version of a classical bit. It can exist in a state of 0, 1, or a superposition of both at the same time.

Qubits are implemented using quantum systems like atoms, photons, or electrons.


Superposition

Superposition allows qubits to be in multiple states simultaneously, enabling quantum computers to process a vast number of possibilities at once.


Entanglement

When qubits become entangled, the state of one qubit is directly related to the state of another, no matter how far apart they are.

Entanglement enables quantum computers to perform complex calculations efficiently.


Quantum Interference

Quantum interference is used to amplify the probability of correct outcomes and cancel out incorrect ones in a quantum computation.



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3. Differences Between Classical and Quantum Computing


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4. Quantum Gates

Quantum gates are the building blocks of quantum circuits, analogous to classical logic gates. Examples include:

Hadamard Gate (H): Creates superposition.

Pauli-X Gate: Similar to a NOT gate, flips the state of a qubit.

CNOT Gate: Entangles two qubits.

Phase Gates: Shift the phase of a qubit.



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5. Quantum Algorithms

Quantum algorithms leverage quantum principles to solve problems more efficiently than classical algorithms. Key examples:

Shor's Algorithm: For factoring large numbers, potentially breaking modern cryptography.

Grover's Algorithm: For searching unsorted databases faster than classical methods.

Quantum Fourier Transform (QFT): Used in algorithms like Shor's.



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6. Applications of Quantum Computing

Cryptography: Breaking or creating secure encryption methods.

Optimization Problems: Logistics, finance, and supply chain optimization.

Drug Discovery: Simulating molecular structures for faster drug development.

Artificial Intelligence: Enhancing machine learning algorithms.

Material Science: Designing new materials with specific properties.



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7. Challenges in Quantum Computing

Decoherence: Qubits lose their quantum state due to environmental interference.

Error Rates: Quantum systems are prone to errors and require error correction.

Scalability: Building large-scale quantum computers with stable qubits is a major challenge.



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8. Current State of Quantum Computing

Companies like IBM, Google, and Microsoft are leading research and development.

Quantum computers are still in their infancy, mostly used for research and solving specific problems.

Quantum Supremacy: Google claimed to achieve it in 2019 by solving a problem faster than a classical supercomputer.

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What I think is funny is that, they are now trying to make a quantum based AI, which sounds goods on paper since both of them works on top of a "hallucinatory" based science.

Now my question is:

• Is quantum computing really the future? (After AI)
• Should I learn quantum physics to understand it? (Obviously)
• Will this change the software engineering landscape as we know today?
• Will the quantum based AI actually work? (Good luck with that one)

 

[Doedoel]

Is this thing gonna generate black hole on the monitor?

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

I'm pretty sure quantum computers won't ever find any credible application before multiples decades. I'm sure i will be a retiree when it will happen. So i don't care. It's not even sure real quantum algorithms (and not the abstractions used in the algorithmic complexity domain) are really better than the classical equivalents, something about how the math proofs for the complexity of some quantum algorithms like the Grover algorithm using oracles that don't exist in real life.

Here is an article about this, from the "Communication of the ACM (association for computing machinery)" : Disentangling Hype from Practicality: On Realistically Achieving Quantum Advantage

 

[Data_Gold]

Is quantum computing really the future? (After AI)

I'd say so. From what I remember learning, a quantum computer is already significantly faster than an ordinary one (So at the very least, humanity will want to get it for the scientists). It's mainly a matter of making the q-bit live long enough to be useful and error correction.

Should I learn quantum physics to understand it? (Obviously)

That's up to you. If it interests you and you want to learn it, then why not?

Will this change the software engineering landscape as we know today?

Quantum computing as a thing? it already has. most notably with the big scare that quantum computing devastates computer security.

Willow? If it's as good as google says it is, then absolutely.

Will the quantum based AI actually work? (Good luck with that one)

By "AI" imma assume LLM. In that case, I don't see why not. LLM's are (to make it basic) a really advanced probability algorithm, predicting what word should come after the next + a random chance of picking a less likely option (which i believe is why they "hallucinate"). Seeing as doing big maths is a quantum computers entire thing, it would be surprising to me if it didn't


On a side note, reading googles blog post and reading;

Willow’s performance on this benchmark is astonishing: It performed a computation in under five minutes that would take one of today’s fastest supercomputers 1025 or 10 septillion years. If you want to write it out, it’s 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years. This mind-boggling number exceeds known timescales in physics and vastly exceeds the age of the universe.

is fascinating but then just casually followed by;

It lends credence to the notion that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes, in line with the idea that we live in a multiverse, a prediction first made by David Deutsch.

Like... the fuck? i always saw this theory as a neat metal exercise. I wasn't expecting to suddenly get dropped with this universal bombshell (i wonder how this might affect quantum immortality...)

 

[Aluminium_Spaghetti]

The way I see it is that quantum computers are probably already being used by someone, but they are very unlikely to reach cost effectiveness for a long time. Perhaps for large organizations, but the general public won't see it for decades. So it will change software engineering a lot, but not for commercial products. I don't really want to write code to improve the efficiency of some massive company, so I'm not going to worry about it. Out of sight out of mind. It has little bearing on my life, so it's only interesting to me conceptually.
Tldr: You probably don't need to worry about it affecting you. I certainly won't.

 

[K.Angel]

Only 105 qubits!? Only for it to show less less error with more amount of qubits?!! This is crazy!!!

 

[Trobilobada]

Imagine believing anything written about muh quantum computers and google in general.

 

[Merulox]

bring me back

 

[raven55]

wow... I'm nowhere near smart enough to even start to comprehend this thread.

 

[Tony_Mushah]

wow... I'm nowhere near smart enough to even start to comprehend this thread.

I think you don't need to comprehend it (for now).
We're still extremely early in the quantum computing space.

 

[77BLc9JwJGpLVARkamJx]

hdd is still at 30tb and the smaller ssd at crazy fucking price. This quantum shit is useless so far other than employing math grads.

 

[Tony_Mushah]

hdd is still at 30tb and the smaller ssd at crazy fucking price. This quantum shit is useless so far other than employing math grads.

Isn't that the same for normal computer though?
Normal computer was made and used by Math Nerds in first place
before getting a big popularization in the 90s.
I think that would be same for quantum shit
but the only question to ask is when it can be applicable to the average people.
And as it is now, I bet it will probably got a huge boom in 30 years or so...

 

[vmman]

can it run doom?

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

can it run doom?

Not yet, which is really concerning.

 

[Valle_reading_manga]

Now my question is:

• Should I learn quantum physics to understand it? (Obviously)

As someone who is about to quit physics, I would NOT recommend studying physics for quantum physics only. Unless you already had plans to study physics anyway and think about specializing in quantum physics now, don't. And if you do, keep in mind, it's a big fuckton of math (physics in general) and I personally didn't like it.
Anyway, if that doesn't scare you and quantum computers can deliver on their promises, then it surely will be a good qualification to have.

 

[UnnamedPlayer]

As someone who is about to quit physics, I would NOT recommend studying physics for quantum physics only. Unless you already had plans to study physics anyway and think about specializing in quantum physics now, don't. And if you do, keep in mind, it's a big fuckton of math (physics in general) and I personally didn't like it.
Anyway, if that doesn't scare you and quantum computers can deliver on their promises, then it surely will be a good qualification to have.

It's a big fuckton of maths without any physical intuition so it's worst than all the rest of physics. "Shut and calculate" as they say. It's really not worth it, except if you want or need to be very good in condensed matter physics or advanced optics or things like that, but useless elsewhere.