(Story contributor: Naresh, farmer and green technology enthusiast.)

“Nature isn’t classical, damn it, and if you want to make a simulation of nature, you’d better make it quantum mechanical, and by golly it is a wonderful problem, because it doesn’t look easily”. The words of famous American Nobel laureate Richard P. Feynman may turn into a reality with advancement of Quantum Technologies across the world.

The global race for quantum supremacy is pushing forward for powerful computational solutions. According to the journal ‘Nature’  scientists at Google achieved  quantum supremacy and they confirmed development of a 54-qubit processor, named ‘Sycamore’ which performed target computation in 200 seconds; and estimates it would take the world’s fastest supercomputer 10,000 years to perform the same task. 

“We argue that an ideal simulation of the same task can be performed on a classical system in 2.5 days and with far greater fidelity” claimed IBM in another counter statement to Google.

After a few months of Google’s announcement, a team of scientists from the University of Science and Technology from China claimed the breakthrough in Quantum computing with Jiuzhang, which is 10 billion times faster than Google’s Sycamore. As per Science journal, Chinese researchers achieved a supremacy milestone by using the quantum computing advantage of photons.

In a surprising move, Finance Minister of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in Union Budget 2020-21 speech highlighted that “Quantum technology is opening up new frontiers in computing, communications, cyber security with wide-spread applications. It is expected that lots of commercial applications would emerge from theoretical constructs which are developing in this area. It is proposed to provide an outlay of ` 8000 (80 billion Rupees) crores over a period five years for the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications.

” The Quantum Measurement and Control (QuMaC) Lab in TIFR is headed by Dr. R. Vijaya Raghavan is the only established research group working on quantum technologies in India.  The forecasting market of quantum technologies are attracting investments from corporate conglomerates to Government agencies.

So, how Quantum computing is different?

The key computing difference between the classical and Quantum computers is the way of encoding the information. The classical computers can only encode information in bits that take the value of 0 or 1. On the other hand, the working principles of quantum computers are based on quantum theory which can encode data in “Qubits”. 

Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics which gives us the physical properties of nature at atomic and subatomic levels. So, unlike classical computers, ‘Qubit’ is the basis, which can be either 0 or 1 or superposition of both 0 and 1 for quantum computers and it will result in greater speed of  computing and consuming less energy.

The advancement of quantum theory is a key for simulation of nature and to catalyze green innovations. IBM report stated, in Life science the relationships among sequences, structures and functioning are computationally complex for classical computers to analyze. However, scientists believe quantum computing could make inroads for precision medication and innovations in coming days.

Another article published by North Western’s Office for Research highlighted the significance of quantum technologies to address climate challenges. They highlighted the possibilities for flawless model complex molecules to develop higher efficiency batteries and superconductors with minor power losses in transmission. Another important application is to cut-down greenhouse gas emissions which occur due to lab-made nitrogen production. The Quantum technologies can catalyze effortless nitrogen production from nature itself.

The developments of quantum technologies are in the laboratory phase. Of course, there are concerns over the negative impacts of technology if it goes into wrong hands. These technologies can easily manipulate encryption, web security etc and may become a threat for web security. However, simulating nature through quantum computation is fascinating for many and a significant tool for greentech innovators to predict and address environmental challenges.

Are you a greentech innovator using quantum technology? Share your story with us!

Feature Image credits: Artem Belaikin