What type Applications We need for Quantum Computers?
While breakthroughs in quantum computing technology seem to be in tech news every day, very little is said about the actual applications of the super fast computers of the future.
While breakthroughs in quantum computing technology seem to be in tech news every day, very little is said about the actual applications of the super fast computers of the future. Researchers in the field tout their ability to increase computational speed exponentially to solve problems, create unbreakable cryptology, and possibly fix molecular problems in chemistry, but the full potential of quantum computer applications is still greatly unknown.
Now a study out of Caltech, to be presented at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE, 2017 Symposium on the Foundations of Computer Science, posits that “semi definite programs” are ideal for use with quantum computers.
These types of programs are used to solve optimization issues. For example, a semidefinite program may be used by an airline to effectively assign flight crews throughout its fleets or by a finance company trying to reduce risk in certain investment portfolios.
The study suggests a brand new quantum algorithm, that is an algorithm with specific instructions for the quantum computers to understand how to solve a presented equation, that might increase the speed at which quantum computers solve semidefinite problems.
Specifically, the algorithm presented in the study will be a great aid in quickly finding the solutions for semidefinite programs meant to determine quantum states.
According to Fernando Brandao, the Brem Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech and co-author on the study, this is the type of problem that quantum researchers who study large systems like superconducting qubits.
Once the semidefinite program describes the behavior of the quantum matter, researchers can understand what exactly is happening at the subatomic level.
Although fully usable quantum computers may still be years away, discovering what they can be used for and how they can benefit researchers is a compelling endeavor.
“We are still far from knowing all the applications of quantum computing, and that’s part of the excitement — there are possibilities we haven’t even dreamed of yet,” said Brandao.
More info about this study; “Quantum Speed-ups for Semidefinite Programming,”
More News to Read
- Breakthrough IBM Z Mainframe Promises to Stop Data Theft
- Quantum Data can be Secure even When Remote Accessed with Traditional Computers
- More Giga factories to open in U.S., Musk Announces
- New ESA Mission: Manmade Spacecraft to Orbit the Sun and Detect Gravitational Waves
- UM Solar Car Race Team Wants to Win The American Solar Challenge With Novum
Related Coverage
- This Startup Wants to Deliver Super-Fast Internet to Your Home
- AI is Now More Accurate at Diagnosing Skin Cancer than Dermatologists
- Getting to Grips With Whats Below Us
- Technology: The Future of Agriculture
- The World’s First Quantum Enigma Machine Unveiled
Don't miss new tech stories on Google
Add TrendinTech once in the Google app and our stories appear in your news suggestions.
Rachel Kowalski
Rachel Kowalski is the Cybersecurity Analyst at TrendinTech, where she covers vulnerabilities, ransomware, supply chain attacks, nation-state operations and the security rules shaping organizations in the United States and Europe. Before moving into journalism she worked as a threat intelligence analyst at a security vendor and later reported for CyberScoop and the security desk at Wired, covering the SolarWinds compromise and the ransomware wave that hit hospitals and pipelines. Rachel holds a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from the Georgia Institute of Technology and attends Black Hat and DEF CON in Las Vegas each year, where she follows research from the security community. She writes to make risks and countermeasures understandable to people who are not specialists.
All stories by Rachel Kowalski (214)