It comes as no surprise that Germany is one of the countries that is most committed to the quantum computing. Last year, the German government announced that it would invest 3 billion euros in a new 500-cubit quantum computer. Now, however, it has gone one step further - innovative and revolutionary - by announcing a plan to developing the world's first quantum laptop. But... When? Why? What for? We answer these questions below!
A portable quantum computer for defence
One of the main applications of the first portable quantum computer The world's first defence project, which is expected to be launched in 2027, will be that of defence. Indeed: Germany will use this device for defensive purposes.
However, unlike the 500-cubit quantum computer mentioned above, this machine will not be developed by the German government or any other public institution. The organisations Quantum Brillance y Oxford Ionics, The project and its start-up will be carried out by the project managers, among others.
One of the main attractions of the future portable quantum computer is to reduce the size of quantum computing devices. As you know, the quantum computers The current dimensions are large for a number of reasons. Among the main reasons is the need to incorporate cooling systems, The system includes, among other things, external interference isolation systems, sophisticated control hardware and an extensive support infrastructure (signal generators, amplifiers, etc.).
If the development of a new quantum laptop, In the future, the dimensions of the equipment should be very noticeably reduced. In fact, as we will explain below, the first desktop quantum computer, This led to a major reduction in the size of the equipment.
But, what does it mean if Germany develops the world's first quantum laptop? We answer!
A milestone in quantum technology
If Germany finally succeeds in developing and launching the first quantum laptop In this sense, Germany would enable Europe to place itself at the top of the global technology race, led by China and the United States. In this sense, Germany would allow Europe to put itself on the map in the global race for technology. quantum supremacy, competing with these two world powers.
Some of the advantages for Germany if it succeeds in developing the world's first portable quantum computer would be:
- Technological leadership in quantum computing, at the European and global level
- Technological supremacy in the defensive domain
- Improving cyber security and IT security throughout the country
- Reconfiguration of geopolitical alliances in Europe
Gemini, the first quantum desktop computer
Although the quantum laptop is still in the development phase, other companies have focused on developing desktop and desktop quantum computers. In particular, the first was SpinQ Gemini, developed by Chinese company SpinQ Technology, which also claimed to be working on portable quantum computers.
SpinQ Gemini is a small device compared to the quantum computers developed so far, measuring approximately 70×40×80 cm. Thus, this computer was launched in 2021 with the intention of occupying the desk of any office. Its original retail price was 50,000 price tag.
Although SpinQ Gemini is a far cry from what it claims to be the world's first quantum laptop, The new technology, without a doubt, was a revolution in terms of the size and accessibility of these devices. Quantum computing went from being something ‘far away’ for the general public, to «being able» to incorporate it in your office.
How does a quantum computer work?
Although it is possible that the world's first portable quantum computer has notorious differences with respect to previous devices, from Euroinnova, we want to explain to you how a quantum computer works today. This will give you a better understanding of why the development of this type of machine is so important for Germany - and for the world in general. Shall we go?
At the base of the operation of a quantum computer we find the quantum bits, also known as qubits o cubits. They process information in a very different way to traditional bits. As you know, the traditional bits are represented by ones and zeros, while the qubits They can be in superposition of states, i.e. in zero and one simultaneously. What does this imply? That the processing capacity of qubits is much higher!
The quantum state of these cubits is associated, among other things, with the spin of an electron. This is the basis for the superposition of states explained above. To summarise, in a ‘normal’ computer, the amount of information encoded using X bits is X in size. However, in a quantum computer of X qubits, a particular state will be the combination of all possible combinations of X ones and zeros.
Differences between a traditional computer and a quantum computer
To better understand the difference between traditional computers and quantum computers, In this context, we must refer to two main factors.
Firstly, the traditional computers use sequential search, while those who do so with simultaneous searches. This implies that, for example, a quantum computer would query all available data at the same time and simultaneously, while a traditional one would do so one by one, which takes more time.
Secondly, we must refer to quantum properties, as the overlap and the entanglement. The first implies that the qubits can be in multiple states at the same time, and not in 1 or 0 as is the case with bits, which increases their processing capacity. Only when we are going to measure them, they «choose» one state or the other.
The second quantum property -the entanglement- means that qubits can be intertwined, affecting each other, allowing information to be processed in parallel.
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