The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the future of quantum computing
In the run-up to Christmas, it was widely reported that Google’s Willow computer chip had completed a standard benchmarking test that would take today’s best supercomputers 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years. Willow finished the test in five minutes. As I tried to make sense of this news, I remembered the bit in Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy where the mice build a computer to solve the problem of life, the universe and everything.
When the computer is switched on, it describes itself – to the consternation of its creators – as the ‘second greatest’ computer in the universe:
MOUSE:
“But, but, but - this is preposterous! Are you not a greater computer than The Milliard Gargantu-Brain at Maximegalon, which can count all the atoms in a star in a millisecond?”
DEEP THOUGHT:
“the Milliard Gargantu-Brain? A mere abacus. Mention it not.”
Deep Thought goes on to say that it can solve the problem of Life, theUniverse and Everything, but “will have to think about it.”
At this point, philosophers break into the room and demand that the computer be switched off: “we’ll take care of the eternal verities thank you very much.” They are mollified when Deep Thought suggests that they take to the pundit circuit to violently disagree about the answer it will eventually produce: “if you get yourselves clever agents, you’ll be on the gravy train for life.”
Seven-and-a-half million years later, Deep Thought finally delivers its answer to the problem of Life, the Universe and Everything: 42. It is then tasked with designing a computer to make sense of this answer – the computer being Arthur Dent’s home planet, otherwise known as the Earth – which is destroyed 5 minutes before completing its task to make space for the Vogons’ hyperspace bypass…
Google’s Willow chip may make leading supercomputers look like an abacus on a standard benchmarking test, but – like Deep Thought – it has not yet provided any useful answers to real problems.
This time last year, Dr Steve Brierley, CEO of Cambridge-based company Riverlane, told the House of Commons Science, Innovation & Technology Committee (in an oral evidence session about commercialising quantum technologies) that:
“The quantum computers we have currently are not as good as your laptop or mobile phone because errors overwhelm the computation. We have not yet built the scale of the quantum computer needed and included quantum error correction. If people are talking about having a quantum advantage today, they are over-hyping the technology.
Where we are underestimating the impact of quantum computing is in the transformational nature of this new type of computer. For me, that really means the ability to simulate perfectly molecules and electrons, the physics of the very small. This has a transformational capability across multiple different sectors.”
What is the Government doing to encourage quantum computing in the UK?
The government has established a National Quantum Technologies Program, which invests in accelerating the translation of quantum technologies into the marketplace.
It has also helped fund the creation of five research hubs:
- The London & Cambridge led UK Quantum Biomedical Sensing Research Hub (Q-BIOMED).
- The Birmingham-led UK Quantum Technology Hub in Sensing, Imaging and Timing (QuSIT).
- The Glasgow-led Integrated Quantum Networks (IQN) Quantum Technology Research Hub.
- Another Glasgow-led hub, The UK Hub for Quantum Enabled Position, Navigation and Timing (QEPNT).
- The Oxford-led QCI3: Hub for Quantum Computing via Integrated and Interconnected Implementations.
Commercial applications the quantum research hubs will be working on
- Quantum-enhanced blood tests to diagnose infectious diseases and cancer quickly and cheaply using portable instruments.
- Quantum-enhanced MRI scans, heart scanners and surgical and treatment interventions for early-stage and hard-to-treat cancers.
- Quantum brain scanners to enhance investigation of dementia and epilepsy.
- Quantum microscopy to measure biomarkers for cancer diagnostics.
- Upgrading the GPS positioning systems in submarines, allowing them to operate for months without surfacing to reconnect with satellites.
Final thoughts
How will quantum computers transform our lives? And what will the most important commercial applications be? That is for journalists and philosophers to speculate. For the time being, what the UK quantum computing industry needs is funding, and lawyers who can help facilitate that. If you are interested in any of the issues raised by this article, please get in touch.