Table of Contents
What specific problems will quantum computing solve?
Quantum computers can solve NP-hard problems that classical computers are unable to solve. Currently, the two most important and notable complexity classes are “P” and “NP.” P represents problems that can be solved in polynomial time by a classical computer. For instance, asking if a number is prime belongs to P.
Why is it so hard to make a quantum computer?
Building quantum computers is incredibly difficult. Many candidate qubit systems exist on the scale of single atoms, and the physicists, engineers, and materials scientists who are trying to execute quantum operations on these systems constantly deal with two competing requirements.
Can quantum computers solve everything?
Yes, they might someday solve a few specific problems in minutes that (we think) would take longer than the age of the universe on classical computers. But there are many other important problems for which most experts think quantum computers will help only modestly, if at all.
What are the biggest challenges of quantum computing today?
From a technological standpoint, a variety of challenges are still to overcome as well, e.g. building the programming languages for quantum computers or, more on the hardware side, the refrigeration of quantum chips. However]
Why are materials easier to model than chemicals on quantum computers?
In addition, materials have a regular structure with (mostly) local interactions making them generally easier to model than chemicals on a quantum computer. Many cryptosystems are built using math problems more difficult than a classical computer is able to solve.
What are the advantages of quantum computers over binary computers?
We can solve a million computations in parallel whereas as a classic binary computer can only solve one at a time. For complex, computationally-intensive problems that need to be solved in real-time, in many cases, it’s only quantum computers that are up to the task. This is obviously deeply technical.