PCs, smartphones and tablets are nothing unusual these days. Indeed, they could now even be classified as everyday essentials. This has taken many years and even more development stages. It all started back in the 19th century with the invention of punched cards, which laid the foundation for data storage. Then, in 1948, the pioneer IBM produced the first modern computer, the IBM 604, with the aid of a punched card system. In the following decades computer systems were improved to such an extent that a second world was created: the digital world. Even so, the evolution in calculating machines has not by any means come to an end. While it used to be the innovative supercomputers that demonstrated just what the machines were really capable of, now it's all about what are known as quantum computers. The new trailblazers boast such high computing speeds that the next revolution in digitalisation is already underway.
The principles of quantum mechanics enable a quantum computer to work much faster and more efficiently than all previous systems. That is because it is able to execute many commands simultaneously, making it far superior to the conventional computer. This is made possible by a different computing unit. Whereas a PC uses “bits”, which take the values 0 or 1, a quantum computer works with “qubits”. These are manufactured from ions or superconductive loops and, in addition to 0 or 1, can take on all states in between, or even 0 and 1. The power of a quantum computer thus increases exponentially with the qubits available. It was just in November that the IT dinosaur IBM produced its new quantum chip, “Heron”, which can perform twice as many operations as its predecessor model. According to the company, the new quantum computers that are now a feature of data centres right across the world can tackle scientific problems in the fields of materials, chemicals and biosciences, among others.
“Big Blue” is not the only company working meticulously on the next generation of computers, however: Alphabet subsidiary Google, too, was an early adopter of this futuristic technology. At the end of last year the company presented “Willow”, a new quantum chip which, according to its makers, can execute in less than five minutes special mathematical calculations for which one of today’s supercomputers would need ten septillion years, or 10 to the power of 25. One of the important things in quantum calculations is error correction, however, because the error rate increases with the number of qubits. According to Google experts, they have now succeeded for the first time in achieving a quantum error correction rate below a relevant threshold. IBM has likewise managed to improve error correction with its current system, which uses a special algorithm. Once scientists get a grip on the problem that the error rate rises with additional computing units, the number of qubits can increase. IBM’s roadmap anticipates quantum processors containing 2,000 qubits from 2030.
Microsoft is another powerful player in the new computer age alongside IBM and Google. Having already done pioneering work on the classic computer, the group founded by Bill Gates in 1975 is now looking to do the same in quantum computing. No sooner said than done: in mid-February, Microsoft made a ground-breaking advance with its “Majorana 1” quantum chip. “We have invented the transistor of the quantum age,” said Microsoft expert Chetan Nayak. The point of the statement is that, just as the breakthrough in punch card calculators began with the invention of the transistor, so quantum computers also need something similar in order to make the qubits stable. The secret behind the success is the use of a new category of material, the topoconductor, or topological superconductor. This material is neither a solid, liquid nor gas, but instead takes on a new physical state: a topological state. That makes the qubits smaller, faster and, in particular, more stable than previous ones, so that the Majorana 1 more or less already has error correction as standard.
Source: Grand View Research
