Challenges and Solutions of Quantum Computers

Nripendra Abhishek Nrip

India lacks infrastructure and scientists for the development of ‘quantum computing’, which is a major hurdle in this field. Private institutions are still taking less interest in the field of ‘quantum computing’ in our country, that is why there is a need to encourage the private sector. The Government of India does not have any concrete strategy so far, which remains a major obstacle in the development of quantum computers.

Technology and science have become the need of every human being today. Without this every human feels himself incomplete. Quantum computing is a rapidly emerging technology, which uses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve complex problems. At present, only a few quantum computers have been developed in the world.

The world’s first, very small, quantum computer was built in 1997. In 2007, a Canadian company called D-Wave introduced a powerful 28-qubit quantum computer. Rigetti’s quantum computer is considered the most powerful today, with a capacity of 128 qubits.

Leaving aside small systems, the number of quantum computers with good potential in the world today will be less than two dozen. The idea of ​​quantum computing came to the mind of scientists when they realized that atoms are naturally microscopic calculators. In this regard, Neil Gershenfeld of MIT says that ‘nature knows how to calculate’.

Gershenfeld teamed up with Isaac Chuang of IBM to build the most successful quantum computer to date. According to the laws of physics, when any atom rotates naturally, it either goes upwards or downwards, similarly it is also seen in the computer. Quantum computers perform calculations, store and analyze data through qubits.

The process of rotation of an atom can be either up or down at the same time. In this way it can be much better than the average equivalent of a conventional computer, which is why it is called a qubit, the name of a quantum computer. Qubits operate on two key principles of quantum physics. first, superposition, in which each cubit can represent both a one and a zero at the same time, and second, entanglement, in which the qubits in the state of superposition can be correlated with each other.

That is, one position whether it is one or zero can depend on the position of another. This means that the cubits are connected to each other. If one is worked upon, the other is affected by it. Even this effect occurs when they are at a great distance. The computing power of a quantum computer grows exponentially as the number of qubits increases.

Unlike conventional computers, quantum computers are not limited to just two states. While transistors are used in normal computers, atoms, electrons, ions, photons, etc. are used in quantum computers, which can be superimposed on each other. That is, the way a quantum computer works is completely different from a conventional computer and its capacity is one million times more.

For example, decoding information encrypted through an encryption system called RSA is so difficult that if an attempt is made to break this encryption with the help of a normal computer, even a very powerful computer capable of performing one trillion calculations in a second will have to break it. The work will take three thousand trillion years. On the other hand, a quantum computer of modest capacity capable of performing one million calculations per second can do the same thing in just ten seconds.

A quantum computer could perform calculations thousands of times faster than today’s supercomputers. Using this, many complex tasks can be completed very easily. At present, this computer is not fully developed and it is likely to be widely used in the future, which will change our lives.

We can also see its role in the development of artificial intelligence. They will also be used to avoid cyber attacks happening on the Internet. With its help, traffic optimization systems will be used in future, which will help traffic. Using these in pharmaceutical industries, difficult chemical calculations will be done, which will lead to the development of pharmaceutical industries.

Qubit is a device that is a challenge to maintain, as it has a short life span. The encryption tools used to protect the information given in it include ‘RSA’, which is considered the strongest shield, but quantum computers can penetrate it too, which means it will give rise to a big challenge.

Today the world is fighting with technology and it is difficult to be safe in this situation. Quantum technology can threaten the security of any country. This can also increase the risk of breach of confidential information of other countries. The US National Security Agency (NSA) wants to build a quantum computer that can break through all types of encryption used to protect banking, medical, business and other government records stored on computers around the world. This can affect the security of all the countries of the world.

In India, a country that continues to lag behind in the Global Hunger Index, there is a lack of investment by the government for ‘research and development’ in the field of quantum computing. Also, there is a lack of infrastructure and scientists in India for the development of quantum computing, which is a major obstacle in this field. In our country, private institutions are still taking less interest in the field of quantum computing. That is why there is a need to encourage the private sector. The Government of India does not yet have a concrete strategy, which remains a major stumbling block in the development of quantum computers.

In the 2021 budget, the central government had allocated Rs 8,000 crore on quantum technology and applications to promote development in quantum computing, cryptography, communication and materials science. Along with this, in December 2021, the Indian Army established a quantum computing laboratory and an artificial intelligence center at a military engineering institute in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.

The help of some organizations has also been taken for its development. The Center for Development of Telematics (CDOT) launched a quantum communication lab in October 2021. Defense Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT) and Center for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) have agreed to collaborate and develop quantum computers among those ensuring their participation as partners.

The ‘I-Hub Quantum Technology Foundation’ has been started by the Department of Science and Technology and around thirteen research groups of IISER Pune to further the development of quantum technology. Many new enterprises are also supporting its development. This technology is something that may one day be considered useful for everyone, but right now computers are being designed for specific tasks.

Today, whoever has the data is the one who is powerful. Quantum computers can increase the speed of data processing. Can store more data in less space and will make data processing and computing technology more efficient. This will also reduce energy consumption.