Last Wednesday, on April 19th, 2023, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, finally set in motion India's first quantum computing mission. The Cabinet approved a National Quantum Mission (NQM) worth ₹6,000 crore, with the objective of developing India's own indigenous quantum computer. The NQM aims to establish a dedicated research and development center in the field of quantum technologies.
Quantum computers are important because they have the potential to solve certain problems much faster than classical computers. Quantum computing uses quantum bits, or qubits, which can exist in a state of superposition, allowing for multiple computations to be performed simultaneously.
This means that a qubit can represent a one, a zero, or a combination of both at the same time. In contrast, regular computers use classical bits that can only represent a one or a zero at any given time.
This enables quantum computers to solve certain problems, such as factorizing large numbers and simulating complex chemical reactions, that would take classical computers an impractical amount of time.
Quantum computers are incredibly fast, some experts believe they can be 100 million times faster than the most advanced supercomputers. Google has a quantum computer powered by Sycamore chips with 54 qubits that completed an experimental calculation in just 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
Comparatively, if the same calculation was done on the most powerful supercomputer in the world, it would have taken around 10,000 years! Quantum computing has enormous potential to speed up research in various fields such as health, finance, and more.
The potential applications of quantum computing are vast, ranging from improving drug design and materials science to optimizing logistics and financial modeling. Additionally, quantum computing can also enhance cybersecurity by improving encryption methods and cracking complex codes.
Therefore, the development of quantum computers is of great interest to governments, academia, and industry alike, and is considered a strategic area of research and investment for many countries.
At present, commercially available quantum computers are not yet a reality as quantum computing is still in its early stages. However, leading companies like Google, IBM, D-Wave Systems, Honeywell, Ion-Q, Alibaba, and Rigetti Computing have developed quantum computing systems for research purposes and are working on making them more stable.
Several countries, including the US, China, Canada, Germany, France, and Finland, have announced missions to invest in quantum computing research. Some of these countries have also earmarked large sums of money for this purpose, with China allocating $15.3 billion, the European Union allocating $7.2 billion, and the US allocating $1.2 billion towards its National Quantum Initiative.
No comments:
Post a Comment