Five years ago, the scientific community determined that by 2028, modern computer technology will be radically transformed. A machine will appear that works on completely different, quantum principles.
Experts are already counting the days left until the “quantum leap”. They predict such revolutionary changes that it is difficult to imagine them now.
The quantum field of knowledge is so complex and little studied that the processes taking place in it often baffle venerable scientists. Much is still beyond their understanding. Standard measurement methods are completely meaningless. Take, for example, the fact that the mere observation of any quantum process completely changes it.
However, what has already been studied and is quite clear, allows us to work on the creation of a fundamentally new computer technology.
The principle of operation of modern computers is well understood by most of them. The device you are currently reading from is based on good old binary code, simple zeros and ones that work like “on and off” switches.
All calculations by such machines are carried out strictly sequentially. It doesn’t really matter how many cores a processor has, this fundamental principle does not change. Accordingly, in order to perform a certain number of operations, a certain time is required. The more operations you need to perform, the more time will be spent.
It is clear that the power of the technology familiar to us is growing every year. But the binary basis imposes serious limitations. A quantum computer will have to work on a completely different architecture. Roughly speaking, it will be able to “see” the whole set of zeros and ones at the same time. It turns out that for such a machine, the number of operations is completely unimportant.
They predict that their computing power will be hundreds of orders of magnitude higher than that of the most powerful modern supercomputer.
Back in 2009, scientists from several European countries spent eight months on hundreds of computers decrypting a message encrypted with the RSA algorithm with a 768-bit key.
In the end, they succeeded, but they spent a lot of time and resources. Progress does not stand still, and today keys with a length of 1024 bits or more are considered quite reliable.
A quantum computer can do this task in a fraction of a second, just imagine what a huge difference in opportunities!
The “quantum leap” promise to ordinary people
The future of quantum technology is fascinating and scary at the same time.
Imagine that humanity can completely decipher its genome and accurately model the work of the proteins that underlie it. This means that we will not only be completely cured of genetic diseases, but will also be able to solve the issue of personal immortality.
Well, or, at least, we will increase life expectancy by an order of magnitude. Would you like to live a thousand years?
With the help of the immense power of quantum computing, humanity is learning about the processes that take place inside the stars and in deep space. Who knows, maybe we will get an answer to the question of who we are and where we come from? Surely we will find many planets suitable for life.
New materials, sources of clean energy, fundamentally new engines will be invented. Most likely, humanity will learn to use the colossal potential of the gravity of black holes.
All this will allow you to easily and painlessly go beyond the boundaries of our home planet and settle throughout the galaxy. These possibilities will be provided to us by a quantum computer.
However, not everything is as rosy as we would like. Unlimited power implies unlimited responsibility and people have always had problems with it.
Just imagine a hacker armed with a quantum processor! In the digital world, there will be no closed doors for him. Not a single one, even the strongest password, will be able save you.
Everyone who will use old technologies will be especially vulnerable (and this is inevitable at first). The attacker will be able to use the network for any whim of his own.
And that is not all. Quantum technology will allow world governments to develop new, terrifying means of attacks. A nuclear bomb, compared to them, will seem like a childish, harmless toy.
Networked quantum computers will sooner or later (rather sooner) become self-aware. Their combined operational power will undoubtedly exceed the capabilities of the human brain at times. Soon we will have pure artificial intelligence.
We will be very lucky if, at the moment of awakening, quantum intelligence does not perceive humanity as a threat.
The concept of “deus ex machina” – a god from a machine – appeared in the days of Leonardo da Vinci, who was one of the first to argue that mechanisms created by man have a soul and mind. The great Leonardo, of course, did not mean computers, but he argued that any thing that a person touches in one way or another comes to life. The modern desire of a person to make a car as smart as possible can really, in the end, play a bad joke on him.
There is already a lot of evidence today of how many “humanized” computers are self-willed and do not obey their owners. Well, if such a “smart machine” will ever be loyal to people.
