Is 2020 the first year of quantum computers? Consider the possibility of practical application and the relationship with AI (1/4)

Is 2020 the first year of quantum computers? Consider the possibility of practical application and the relationship with AI (1/4)

      This time, I would like to think about the relationship between "quantum computers" and AI, which are using huge amounts of money for their development around the world. Quantum computers are said to affect various fields. Before looking at the practical use cases, let me first explain what a quantum computer is.

Before we get to the point of what a quantum computer is, we will organize the world of quantum mechanics, which is the foundation for realizing it.

      Imagine the work of decomposing some substance such as iron and copper. Water (H2O) is often used for explanations, so I would like to decompose it here as well. After a while, the water substance reaches a level where it can no longer be decomposed. This is a molecule. The molecule of water is made up of smaller atoms, and in the case of water, it consists of three atoms, two hydrogen (H) and one oxygen (O).

Let's use a special force to look inside the atom. Then, it can be seen that an atom is composed of a nucleus and an electron, which are smaller units, and the nucleus consists of a proton and a neutron. These atoms and the electrons, protons, and neutrons that make them up are called "quanta." The video released by Tri Group is also helpful.

  For example, one of the important characteristics deeply related to quantum computers is what is called "state superposition". In our world, the situation that something is in a space (state 1) or nothing (state 0) cannot occur at the same time.

Either it's there or it's either 1 or 0. However, in the quantum world, there is also the state of being "1 or 0", or more precisely, the state of "1 to 0 is continuous". In other words, that much information can be overlaid and expressed simultaneously.

    There is a phenomenon called "quantum entanglement". This is a phenomenon that two particles bring, and if some effect is applied to one of the two entangled particles, it will be transmitted to the other particle. "Quantum entanglement" may occur not only between particles in the immediate vicinity, but also between particles that are far apart. That is, the state = information of one particle can be associated with another particle at the same timing.

By utilizing these quantum characteristics, it is possible to process in parallel while superimposing a lot of information. The quantum computer realized that. In the conventional computer, the smallest information unit (bit) has only two values, 0 or 1, and there is no choice but to process it in order. Compared with it, you can see how quantum computers have the potential to process information at high speed.

For example, in October 2019, a US paper published in the scientific journal Nature, which attracted a great deal of attention, showed that the quantum computer `` Sycamore '' developed by the company calculated that a conventional supercomputer would take 10,000 years to process. , Claims to have been successful in just 200 seconds.