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Quantum Computers are the supposed computers of the future. Capable of out-calculating even the fastest current systems, this bleeding edge tech has promised to bring a new age of computing power to the world; but how much of it is true, and how much is media hype? While quantum computers have already been proven to be faster than conventional computers, science journalists greatly exaggerate the current state of this tech and its application. So what do quantum computers look like today and do they live up to the hype?

Quantum computing uses qubits (vs bits in normal computers) to calculate problems by exploiting the phenomenon that is superposition. To put it simply, normal bits are either 1 or 0 (computer language), whereas qubits can be 1, 0, or both at the same time. This means exponentially more data can be stored in a single qubit versus its binary counterpart.

This science is solid and thoroughly proven. Quantum computers already work as designed. There is one major problem though preventing it from becoming mainstream tech: scaling.

Classical computers cram billions of transistors onto a single chip in order to make it calculate problems. Quantum computers currently use about 50 qubits. The main problem with using subatomic qubits is that it is hard to control a large number of them. Scientists are already pushing the physical limits of how many qubits can be controlled at one time, and the systems they have designed are already massive. Now, you might think Moors Law would apply to this tech (the idea that the number of transistors will double every year), however it does not. Scientists are pushing the limits already, and unless new breakthroughs are discovered it will be a slow grind to adding more qubits. To put it in perspective: in order for Quantum computers to be used in mainstream settings, the target goal of qubits is 1,000,000. We are at 50 with no expected exponential growth.

So, do Quantum Computers work? Absolutely, and there is no doubt that in the future we will be using them every day. Will we reach a goal of 1,000,000 qubits in the next 50 years? Maybe, but probably not. Science Journalists hyping this tech as the next big thing are going to be waiting a long time before anything of major substance comes to fruition. Quantum computers currently suffer the same fate as nuclear fusion; the science is solid, but scaling atomic tech to production levels is extraordinarily difficult. There is a running joke of nuclear fusion is only 30 years away, and it might be that quantum computers will be the same, but only time will tell.

See the article here:

Are Quantum Computers Over Hyped? (the reality) | by Stephen Pelzel | Upskilling | Apr, 2021 - Medium