As traditional approaches to scientific research face bottlenecks due to the process, cost, and complexity of the work, quantum computing emerges as a revolutionary solution. By harnessing the laws of quantum mechanics, quantum computers can explore problems too complex for classical computers to solve, opening up a world of possibilities in various fields.
Quantum Computing in Biomedical Research
One of the most promising applications of quantum computing is in the field of biomedical research. On average, it takes more than 15 years for a scientific discovery in a biomedical research lab to become a tangible therapy or diagnostic test available to patients.
However, quantum computers hold the potential to run vast simulations to design better drugs and treatments at breathtaking speeds. Cleveland Clinic, a leading innovator in health and medicine, has partnered with IBM to introduce the first quantum computer ever deployed on-site in the private sector and the first in the world dedicated to biomedical and health research. The IBM Quantum System One is part of a groundbreaking effort to significantly speed up the pace of scientific breakthroughs, allowing researchers at Cleveland Clinic to develop more precise, targeted, and effective medicines and more accurately predict which patients will encounter life-threatening and chronic diseases.
UK’s National Strategy for Quantum Technologies
The UK government has launched a new ten-year national strategy for quantum technologies, recognizing their importance as one of the five priority technologies of tomorrow, alongside AI, engineering biology, semiconductors, and future telecoms. With world-leading strengths in research talent, knowledge, and supply chains, the UK is already a global leader in quantum technologies. The government plans to invest £2.5 billion in quantum over the next ten years, aiming to attract significant additional private investment. The ten-year plan will fund new frontiers of quantum research, support and develop the growing quantum sector, prepare the wider economy for the quantum revolution, and ensure that the UK leads internationally in the regulation and ethical use of quantum technologies.
Quantum Science as a Stand-alone Discipline
Quantum science is not only a stand-alone discipline but also a lens through which other disciplines can be transformed. The Virginia Tech Center for Quantum Information Science and Engineering held its inaugural symposium last month, where researchers used poetic language to describe the current state and future possibilities of quantum research. Exploiting quantum behaviors could significantly reduce the number of computational steps needed to solve certain problems, leading to devices that could solve outstanding problems in physics, chemistry, and beyond that are intractable with even the most powerful supercomputers. Collaboration is considered the best approach to quantum science and technology, as it promises meaningful changes in almost every discipline.
Exploring Counterfactual Communication and Strange Metals
Physicists are exploring the possibility of quantum information being carried without a particle being exchanged, a concept known as counterfactual communication. Counterportation, a quantum form of counterfactual communication, involves a particular kind of Einstein-Rosen bridge or wormhole that represents the overlap or connection between entangled objects. A new type of quantum computer would need to be built for counterposition to be realized, one where communicating parties exchange no particles. Additionally, strange metals, which have high conductivity under extremely cold temperatures, have the potential as superconductors for quantum computing. These metals provide insight into new forms of electronic matter and could one day be as ubiquitous in technology as conventional metals like copper.
