So, You Want to Build a Quantum Computer

Someone recently sent me an article on a do it yourself (DIY) kit to build a quantum computer. I know exactly what you are thinking. What? I thought the same thing for probably a totally different reason. In the world of computing technology the next greatest leap past transistors, logic gates, and multi-core processors is something called quantum computing. If you always wanted to know more about quantum computing and were too afraid to ask, read on. If not, leave now. But when you hear the term somewhere, come on back. This post will still be here.

Let’s Start in the Middle

I’ll leave the history of computing to Wikipedia and your computer science professor. Technically, computing started around the 3rd century B.C. So now you see why we don’t want to start from the beginning. Let’s pick up with things you use every day like your laptop, smartphone, and toaster. In a world producing more data each day than was generated since the dawn of time, we increasingly need ways to sort, separate, and discern the meaning and patterns within it. Were are not talking about a needle in the haystack anymore. We are talking about a needle in millions of haystacks.

People are fascinated with computing power. However, it’s still in its infancy. Traditional computers simply process instructions at very high speeds. They also can only handle information by using a series of ones and zeroes known as bits. However, as information grows at alarming rates, computers will eventually reach a point where they cannot keep up. Imagine that, they will still be able to process instructions billions of times faster than us, but even that will be too slow. They will be too slow because, for the most part, they process information serially. In other words one instruction at a time. The fact that they process those instructions at such high speed is what makes it seem almost instantaneous.

I know you see the other dilemma. If you can only process one instruction at a time you can’t determine all of the possibilities until you have gone through the progression. What if you could process multiple instructions, variables, and permeations simultaneously, in real-time?

Enter Quantum Computing

Quantum computers work at the atomic level. Instead of processing information in bits that exist in either one state or another – remember what I said earlier about bits (ones and zeros), they can process information in multiple states. That means that you don’t have to wait to be in a state before it can function. It can function in multiple states at any time and given the right programming it can be in a future state or present state at the same time. Okay…take a deep breath……breathe. Another way to think of it is that it can be in a future state while it’s processing current instructions.

If it sounds futuristic it is. But that’s where we are headed. That’s why the article on a DIY kit to build a quantum computer fascinated me. I promised not to go back into the history of computing but there was one turning point that allowed for the explosion of personal computers. The first personal computers were hulking metal beasts that were only affordable by companies and people with deep pockets. When computer kits hit the market, computers exploded. Anyone with minimum technical or handyman skills could build a computer. Fast forward where we have generations of children now weened on computing technology and voila. Building a quantum computer at some point will be as easy as putting together Legos.

Did I Make you Think?

Well, this post either made your head hurt or it made you think. I apologize if it made your head hurt. On the other hand, I hope it did a little of both. Some people want you to think outside the box. Others implore you to not see the box at all. I encourage you to do both. Be quantum. Anytime a company that started off as a search engine is now working on nuclear fusion projects it has to make you wonder. Quantum computing is the next big leap to exploit the massive amounts of data being collected every minute of every day. Have fun exploring the world of quantum computing and we’ll talk later.