Quantum Computing: Influencing the Modern Factory

Modern computing power has given businesses the ability to analyze vast data sets quickly and make changes to system processes based on various outputs. However, as technology continues to advance, computing power grows exponentially more powerful. Quantum computing is the next step in the evolution of computing power, offering the capability to solve seemingly impossible problems unimaginably fast. Below, we’ll break down the basics of quantum computing and discuss how organizations can utilize it in the future to improve factory efficiency and performance.

The Basics

Quantum computers are supercomputers capable of extraordinary processing power. While normal processors measure the state of an object using 1s or 0s, quantum computers perform calculations based on the probability of an object’s state, giving them the potential to process exponentially more data. Qubits, the result of understanding the quantum state of an object, allow researchers to learn and decipher complex problems quickly. For example, mathematicians who focus on complex, “unsolvable” problems can enter algorithms into a quantum computer and receive calculations within minutes whereas those results may never manifest in a classic computer. Therefore, such algorithms used in quantum computing can be key tools in solving further complex mathematical proofs, predicting multiple particle interactions in chemical reactions, or cracking hard-to-break security codes.

What’s Next for Quantum Computing?

While most contemporary quantum computing is confined to research labs, analysts predict they will slowly be introduced to commercial business within the next couple of decades. With being said, there are limitations to quantum computing in modern businesses. Quantum computers are expensive and require extremely low temperatures (-300^o C) to operate. However, major organizations like Google, Intel, and IBM are currently exploring techniques to implement quantum computers into commercial applications. Hopefully, within the next several decades, leaps and strides will be made to bring quantum computing to the forefront of modern innovation.

An IBM quantum computer

Image Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ibm/2020/01/16/the-quantum-computing-era-is-here-why-it-mattersand-how-it-may-change-our-world/#73a9f7195c2b