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SuperComputing: Is Quantum Computing on the Horizon?

By Dick Weisinger

Bill Gates recently told Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) that he is excited about the prospects of quantum cloud computing.

He said that “Microsoft and others are working on quantum computing. It isn’t clear when it will work or become mainstream. There is a chance that within 6-10 years that cloud computing will offer super-computation by using quantum. It could help us solve some very important science problems including materials and catalyst design.”

Computers to date have been based on binary arithmetic (zeros and ones) to perform calculations.  Quantum computers would allow multiple states to exist at once, a concept called qubits.  This could enable computers with more powerful parallel processing and being able to create much more powerful computers.

Peter Lee, the corporate vice president of Microsoft Research, said that “quantum computing is stupendously exciting right now. At least at my part of Microsoft Research, it’s the largest area of investment, and we just have the sense that we’re on the verge of major scientific achievements. … There’s just hope and optimism those scientific achievements will lead to practical outcomes. It’s hard to know when and where…  With quantum, we’ve made just gigantic advancements making semiconductor interfacing, allowing semiconductor materials to operate as though they were superconducting. What that means, just to boil it down, is the possibility of semiconductors that can operate at extremely high clock rates with very, very little or no heat dissipation. It’s just really spectacular.”

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