WeirdoW

Have you ever looked at lines of code and wondered what whoever came up with that confusing mambo jumbo was smoking? I mean, that stuff looks like it was structured by a neat freak, philosopher, and a whole lot of crazy mashed together. This must be the reason it’s so easy to identify a programmer. They always look to be high on something other than life. The messed up thing is, it’s about to get a whole lot more difficult. But these weird computer nerds are likely going to go crazy for it. So what exactly am I rambling on about? Quantum computers that’s what!!

A new age of computing is nearly upon us and believe me when I say, we are about to skip quite a few levels of computational power. When mashed with the ridiculous speeds of 5G, the future of tech is nearing a crucial turning point, and woe unto whoever has to learn binary language at that point. Some of you may be wondering what I’m talking about, so let’s dive into my take on the madness that is the quantum computing realm.

Ever heard of the saying that, ‘If you want something done well, you gotta do it yourself’? Well, these computers take that a little too literally. If you remember, the traditional computing principles that our current devices rely on at based on bits, that is, 1s and 0s. Quantum computers shall take this one further through an extraordinary phenomenon called superposition. This basically means that quantum bits (Qubits) are able to be a 1 or a 0 at the damn same time. I know it’s kind of hard to wrap your head around but trust me, this makes a huge difference computationally. This essentially means that they will be exponentially faster than the current fastest machine out there.

The potential gains of the actualization and standardization of quantum technology would span every possible aspect of our lives. For example, software modeling would advance in leaps and bounds enabling scientists in technology, medicine, aerospace, heck maybe even those who believe the earth is flat will likely get an even more accurate way of getting some sense knocked into them. It is so advanced that some governments are already working on upping the security on their most secure systems as a precaution in case quantum technology is realized. And bear in mind some experts estimates have given it a timeline ranging from a few years to a few decades.

With that comes a bitter dose of reality for those of us looking forward to it. The tech is still years away from being actualized as a result of its complexity and our general lack of proper understanding of quantum physics. For starters, the Qubits need seriously cold temperatures to operate properly. When I say cold, I mean colder than interstellar space. These chips require operating temperatures close to absolute zero which is quite hard to achieve sustainably. The current most advanced quantum computer can only handle 53 qubits but is already fast enough to beat existing supercomputers. However, experts estimate that tens of thousands of qubits will be required for it to be able to comfortably handle complex tasks.

While this technology is still a faraway dream that may not actually become a reality, its potential capabilities are mind-blowingly tantalizing. Though I will admit to having a bit of a Mojo Jojo moment while thinking of all the mischief the first perfected quantum device would be capable of in questionable hands.