New quantum computers - Potential and pitfalls | DW Documentary

Summary

量子计算作为一项前沿技术，正在逐步改变科学研究和多个行业。量子计算机通过模拟分子，为新药开发和疾病治疗提供了巨大潜力。瑞士初创公司Alveolix利用超级计算机模拟人类肺部，以加速疾病治疗和药物测试，减少动物实验。量子比特（qubits）是量子计算机的基础，能够在极低温度下进行并行计算，解决传统计算机难以处理的复杂问题。尽管量子计算仍处于起步阶段，但其在药物开发、可再生能源存储和物流优化等领域的应用前景广阔。全球科技巨头和国家都在积极投资量子计算研究，而瑞士则通过QuantumBasel等项目，为企业提供量子计算资源。量子计算的发展需要时间和投资，但它有望在未来几十年内带来革命性的变化。

Takeaways

• 🚀 量子计算机是前沿技术，有望改变科学计算和药物开发等领域。
• 🧬 量子计算能够模拟分子，这对于新药的开发具有突破性意义。
• 💊 量子技术有助于加速药物测试过程，并可能减少药物开发成本。
• 🧼 瑞士初创公司Alveolix使用量子计算机模拟人类肺，以加速疾病治疗。
• 🏆 Nina Hobi和Janick Stucki因在Alveolix的工作获得了2022年瑞士医疗技术奖。
• 🔬 量子计算机通过并行计算，可以快速解决传统计算机难以处理的复杂问题。
• 🌡️ 量子比特（qubits）需要在接近外太空温度的极低温度下被控制和使用。
• 🔗 量子纠缠是量子力学中的一个重要现象，允许粒子在不同状态和位置同时存在。
• 💻 量子计算机的发展可能会威胁到当前的数据加密安全。
• 🌐 量子计算机的潜力巨大，但需要时间和投资来克服技术和应用上的障碍。
• 📈 量子计算领域的研究和商业化正在吸引大量投资和人才，预示着未来的变革。

Q & A

量子计算是什么，它将如何改变我们的世界？

量子计算是一种利用量子力学现象（如叠加和纠缠）对数据进行操作的计算方式。它有望解决传统计算机难以或无法解决的问题，比如药物开发、复杂系统模拟等，从而在科学研究和多个行业中引起革命性的变化。

量子计算机在药物开发中有哪些潜在应用？

量子计算机能够模拟分子，这对于新药的开发是一个突破性进展。它还可以帮助处理大量数据，提供对患者遗传构成的深入洞察，从而为癌症患者提供更有效的个性化治疗方案。

为什么说量子计算机在模拟人体器官方面比传统方法更有效？

量子计算机模拟的微型器官比传统体外测试或动物实验更接近真实情况。它们能够在一个塑料芯片中重现人体环境，从而模拟出更加精确的微型器官模型。

量子计算机在能源存储方面有哪些潜在的应用？

虽然文中没有详细说明，但量子计算机在能源存储方面的潜在应用可能包括优化能源分配、提高能源效率以及开发新的能源存储材料或技术。

量子计算机如何帮助物流行业提高效率？

文中提到量子算法的引入已经帮助提高了洛杉矶港口货物移动的速度和容量，使得设施运行更加高效且能耗更低。

量子计算机的发展目前面临哪些挑战？

量子计算机的发展面临的挑战包括需要更多的投资、技术上的障碍以及长期的研究和发展。此外，量子计算机的物理实现，如量子比特（qubits）的稳定性和错误率，也是当前研究的重点。

量子计算机对当前的数据加密技术构成哪些威胁？

量子计算机能够快速分解大整数，这将使得当前依赖于大整数分解困难性的公钥加密体系变得不安全。一旦量子计算机投入使用，拥有它的实体将能够立即访问所有加密数据。

什么是量子比特（qubits），它们如何成为量子计算机的基础？

量子比特（qubits）是量子计算机的基本构建单元，与传统计算机中的比特（bits）不同，qubits可以同时表示0和1两种状态，这种特性称为叠加态。这使得量子计算机能够进行高度并行的计算。

量子计算机在医学研究中的潜力有多大，为什么？

量子计算机在医学研究中具有巨大的潜力，因为它们能够处理和解析庞大的医疗数据集，包括图像数据、健康追踪器数据和医疗记录等。这将有助于在药物开发和个性化医疗中取得更快的进展。

为什么说量子计算机的发展需要“一步一个脚印”？

量子计算机的发展需要“一步一个脚印”，因为它们目前还处于早期阶段，存在许多技术挑战和物理限制。此外，量子计算机的构建和完善可能需要10年或更长时间，类似于传统计算机的发展过程。

量子计算机的商业潜力如何，目前有哪些公司在这一领域处于领先地位？

量子计算机的商业潜力被认为非常高，已有多家科技公司和国家参与者，如谷歌、IBM和中国，投入数十亿美元进行研究，竞争建造第一台高性能量子计算机。

瑞士在量子计算领域的方法与其他国家和地区有什么不同？

瑞士的方法与其他地区不同，例如Uptown Basel Infinity通过私人部门资助，为公司提供免费访问美国量子计算机的机会。此外，瑞士的QuantumBasel和UptownBasel使用混合系统，结合传统和量子计算机进行研究。

Outlines

00:00

🌌 量子计算的革命性影响

量子计算是一种利用量子力学原理进行计算的新技术，它有望解决传统计算机无法解决的问题。科学家们认为量子计算机是开创性的技术，能够模拟分子，推动新药开发，并且加速科学研究的进程。瑞士初创公司Alveolix利用量子计算机模拟的人类肺部模型，来加速疾病治疗和药物设计，其技术在2022年获得了瑞士医疗技术奖。量子计算机的潜力巨大，尽管目前还处于起步阶段，但其未来的发展备受期待。

05:01

⚙️ 量子计算机的工作原理和应用前景

量子计算机与传统计算机不同，它利用量子比特（qubits）进行计算，可以在多个状态和位置同时存在，这称为量子叠加态。量子计算机在处理特定问题，如大数分解时，表现出极高的效率。量子计算机的低温要求和复杂的控制过程是当前技术面临的挑战。随着技术的发展，量子计算机在药物开发、可再生能源存储和物流优化等领域展现出巨大的应用潜力。

10:02

💼 量子计算的商业潜力和全球竞争

量子计算被认为具有巨大的商业潜力，全球众多科技公司和国家都在竞相开发高性能量子计算机。瑞士采取了与其他国家不同的策略，通过QuantumBasel等项目，利用私人部门资金为公司提供免费访问美国量子计算机的机会。量子计算机与人工智能结合使用，可以更高效地处理复杂的数据，这对于医疗保健和药物开发尤其重要。

15:09

🧪 量子计算在药物开发和动物实验替代中的应用

量子计算机在药物开发中的应用可以减少对动物实验的依赖，提高药物测试的效率。在瑞士，每年有超过五十万只动物被用于实验室测试，而有效的药物往往只在人类基因组和人类细胞中有效，这使得动物测试变得不那么有价值。美国在2022年通过立法取消了市场批准前动物测试的要求，并允许使用计算机模型或人工器官进行测试。量子计算机在医疗领域的应用，尤其是在个性化医疗和免疫疗法中，展现出减少副作用和提高治疗效果的潜力。

20:13

🌐 量子计算的全球合作与数据安全挑战

量子计算的发展需要全球合作，但欧洲和美国的合作关系面临挑战。瑞士和美国的合作，尤其是在IBM的量子计算机研究方面，显示出积极的前景。量子计算机对当前的数据加密方法构成威胁，因为它们能够轻易破解依赖于大数分解的公钥密码系统。为了应对这一挑战，研究人员正在开发新的量子加密技术，利用量子力学的特性来保护数据传输的安全。

25:14

🚀 量子计算的未来发展与投资

量子计算的未来发展充满机遇，但也面临许多技术障碍和挑战。科学家们认为，量子计算机的发展可能需要10年甚至更长时间才能实现其全部潜力。尽管如此，量子计算领域的投资正在增加，许多初创公司和大型科技公司都在积极探索量子计算项目。量子计算的发展需要耐心和持续的投资，同时也需要新的思维方式来实现技术上的突破。

Keywords

💡量子计算

量子计算是一种利用量子力学原理进行信息处理的技术。与传统计算机使用二进制位（bits）存储和处理数据不同，量子计算机使用量子位（qubits），能够同时表示0和1的状态，从而实现高度并行的计算能力。在视频中，量子计算被描述为一种具有革命性潜力的技术，能够解决当前无法构想的问题，比如模拟分子以开发新药，或在可再生能源存储等领域的应用。

💡量子位（qubits）

量子位是量子计算机中的基本信息单位，与经典计算机中的二进制位不同，量子位可以同时处于0和1的叠加状态。这种特性使得量子计算机能够进行大规模的并行计算。视频中提到，量子位是量子计算机的构建块，它们能够在极低的温度下被控制和用于计算。

💡量子叠加

量子叠加是量子力学中的一个核心概念，指的是量子系统可以同时存在于多个可能的状态中。视频中通过薛定谔的猫的思想实验来说明这一概念，即在不被观测的情况下，猫可以同时处于生和死的两种状态。量子叠加使得量子计算机能够快速处理大量数据。

💡量子纠缠

量子纠缠是量子力学中的另一个重要现象，指的是两个或多个量子位之间建立的关联，即使它们相隔很远，一个量子位的状态变化也能即时影响到另一个量子位的状态。视频中提到，量子纠缠使得量子计算机在计算时能够实现更加复杂的操作。

💡量子算法

量子算法是为量子计算机设计的算法，它们利用量子计算的特性来解决特定问题。与传统算法相比，量子算法在处理某些类型的问题时能够显著提高效率。视频中提到，量子算法已经帮助提高了洛杉矶港口货物运输的速度和容量。

💡量子计算机的冷却

量子计算机的操作需要极低的温度，以保持量子位的稳定性。视频中描述了量子计算机需要被冷却到接近外太空的温度，大约零下270摄氏度，以确保量子位能够在没有热干扰的情况下进行计算。

💡药物开发

视频中提到，量子计算机在药物开发领域具有潜在的应用价值。通过模拟分子，量子计算机能够帮助科学家更快地设计新药，从而缩短药物开发周期，降低成本，并减少对动物实验的依赖。

💡器官芯片

器官芯片是一种模拟人体器官功能的微型设备，可以在实验室中模拟器官的生理反应。视频中的Alveolix公司使用器官芯片模拟人肺，以研究疾病并开发新药。这种方法比传统的体外测试或动物实验更能准确地模拟人体内的细胞环境。

💡动物实验

动物实验是药物开发过程中常用的测试方法，但存在争议，因为它们可能无法准确预测药物在人类身上的反应。视频中提到，量子计算和器官芯片技术的发展可能会减少或消除对动物实验的依赖。

💡数据安全

量子计算机的强大计算能力对当前的数据加密技术构成威胁。视频中指出，量子计算机能够轻易破解现有的公钥加密系统，但同时也为开发新的量子加密技术提供了可能，这种技术利用量子力学的特性来保护数据传输的安全。

💡量子态

量子态是描述量子系统状态的数学对象，通常用波函数（如ψ）表示。视频中提到，量子态可以表示为向上自旋和向下自旋的系数之和，这种状态被称为数学上的叠加或同时性。量子态的概念对于理解量子计算的工作原理至关重要。

Highlights

量子计算机可能改变我们的世界，为科学研究带来革命性的变化。

量子计算机能够解决我们目前甚至无法构想的问题。

量子计算在模拟分子方面的应用，为新药开发带来突破性进展。

瑞士初创公司Alveolix利用超级计算机加快疾病治疗的研究，赢得了2022年瑞士医疗技术奖。

Alveolix使用塑料芯片模拟人类肺细胞，以更真实地模拟肺部环境。

这种模拟技术比体外测试或动物实验更接近真实的人体环境。

量子计算机在药物开发过程中，可以更快、更有效地测试分子，减少成本。

量子计算机的并行计算能力使其在处理大量数据方面具有巨大优势。

量子比特（qubits）是量子计算机的构建块，它们可以同时具有0和1的值。

量子计算机需要在极低温度下工作，以保持量子比特的稳定性。

量子算法已经帮助提高了洛杉矶港口货物运输的速度和容量。

量子计算在商业上具有巨大的潜力，许多科技公司和国家正在竞争开发高性能量子计算机。

瑞士采取了不同的方法，通过QuantumBasel等项目为公司提供免费访问美国量子计算机的机会。

量子计算机在医疗保健研究中的应用，特别是在药物开发和个性化治疗方面，显示出巨大潜力。

量子计算机的发展对当前的数据安全和加密方法构成威胁，需要开发新的加密技术。

尽管量子计算机的发展仍面临许多挑战，但已经吸引了大量投资和人才，预示着未来的发展潜力。

Transcripts

The miniscule world of quantum particles

might be foreign to most of us

— but not for the scientists currently using them to build a super-computer.

Nobody knows what "quantum computing" really means,

but it is going to change us.

To its champions, quantum computers are a pioneering development

and a game-changer.

The quantum computer can open up an array of amazing possibilities.

The scale of computer power enables us to solve problems

that we are not yet even able to formulate.

Its many applications include simulating molecules:

A ground-breaking advance in the development of new drugs.

Quantum computing is still in its infancy

— but is set to one day revolutionize scientific research.

What looks like a computer chip made of plastic

is in fact a model of a human lung.

Scientists at a Swiss start-up are aiming to tackle diseases faster

— with the help of a super-computer.

Nina Hobi founded Alveolix together with Janick Stucki.

Their work won them the 2022 Swiss Med Tech Award.

The team here use a pipette to transfer human lung cells

to a thin, porous membrane.

The cells can then be activated mechanically, to mimic a real lung.

We're able to simulate these cells by recreating the environment

of the human body in this plastic chip.

It enables us to simulate miniature organs that are far more similar

to the real thing than any other options currently available.

More similar than with in-vitro testing or animal experiments.

The researchers say the mock miniature lung

will make it easier to design new drugs.

The drug development process takes around 10 to 15 years.

To begin with, you test a huge number of molecules in petri-dishes

— although there, the cells aren't really like they are in the human body.

There are no 3D layers or forces of attraction, for example.

It's a very basic set-up. You later move on to animal experiments

and conduct tests for, say, toxic properties.

The entire process is extremely involved,

especially when you think about the animal testing required.

And this is where our technology comes in.

It's hoped the miniature lung will enable researchers,

most notably at pharmaceutical companies,

to speed up the drug-testing process.

Here we have the endophil cells and the immune cells on top of it.

They’re actually attached to it.

Did you do an infection?

We can determine far earlier whether a particular molecule is effective

and whether there are side-effects.

It enables you to optimize the process and ultimately lower costs

— by 500 million francs per drug, according to studies.

Things that are already possible today could be done even faster

and more efficiently with the technology

— while also rendering animal experiments redundant.

Our company's aim is to help in the development of better medication

and the reduction of side-effects for patients.

We also want our technology to help reduce or eliminate animal testing.

Animal experiments are simply not adequate predictors

of whether a drug actually works with humans.

It was my doctoral supervisor who originally got me interested

in quantum computing. And I'm still there today!

Back when I started studying physics at Zurich technical university,

nobody was talking about it. I'd never heard of it.

Dominik Zumbühl is a researcher and lecturer at the University of Basel,

specializing in quanta.

They're the smallest units of energy known to scientists

— but with properties that would make conventional bit-based computers

look distinctly primitive.

A regular computer with regular computing power

performs one calculation per time unit or 'clock cycle'.

In quantum physics,

you have countless calculations being performed in parallel.

A prime example is the factorization of very large numbers.

In this case, the quantum computer quickly arrives at the result

by simultaneously trying to divide by all possible numbers.

A classical computer processing a number with several thousand digits

would take as long as the universe is old.

But the same problem can be solved by a quantum computer

in a matter of hours or even seconds.

So what actually are quanta? Exploring this mysterious little world

requires us to think in the smallest possible dimensions.

Smaller still than atoms.

At this tiniest-imaginable scale, the classical laws of nature

no longer apply and something fascinating happens.

Quanta can exist in different states and in different places

at the same time.

Quantum theory was pioneered in the 1920s

by the likes of Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrödinger.

They used thought experiments to illustrate these apparent paradoxes

that stretch the limits of our imagination.

Erwin Schrödinger was an Austrian physicist

primarily known today because of a cat. More specifically:

An experiment that he fortunately never carried out in practice.

He imagined a cat in a box together with a device

that would have a 50:50 chance of releasing a deadly poison

in the next hour.

According to quantum theory,

the cat is then simultaneously both dead and alive.

But only provided we don't check inside the box!

In a quantum mechanics system,

mere observation influences the actual state inside.

We cannot make an assessment without looking

— including whether the cat is dead or alive.

What sounds absurd was a demonstration of the conundrum

at the heart of quantum mechanics.

The simultaneously different states at the quantum level

are not compatible with accepted laws of nature. In this little world,

particles can be linked or 'entangled' with each other

while at the same time being in different states and places.

And that simultaneity can be calculated.

It's a state that can be called 'mathematical superposition'

or... simultaneity. That state — represented as wave function 'psi' —

comprises a coefficient for an upward spin plus another coefficient

for a downward spin. And this is simultaneity.

And that's how you can imagine a qubit:

an arrow pointing in a random direction.

Quantum- or 'q' bits are the building blocks of a quantum computer.

While a normal computer processes information in bits

— as ones or zeroes — qubits have both values at the same time.

It's comparable to a flipped coin,

where you don't know whether it will land heads or tails.

Before these qubits can be controlled and used for calculations,

they have to be immobilized.

That in turn requires a complex procedure in which they are cooled down

to temperatures otherwise seen in outer-space.

Around minus 270 degrees Celsius.

So the surface area helps to exchange the heat,

so the cold liquid which we're pumping out is cooling the recondensing liquid

which is coming down. We can actually then do the experiments

at temperatures down to 10 milli-Kelvin.

Compared to 4 Kelvin that's about 400 times colder in temperature.

PhD students here at the University of Basel are assembling

a small quantum computer with a small number of qubits.

The aim is to deploy the technology for a variety of applications

once it's been fully developed.

Quantum computers would then simulate molecules,

for example — leading to the development of new drugs

and the elimination of deadly diseases.

Another potential application is renewable energy storage.

The technology has already brought benefits to logistics operations.

The introduction of quantum algorithms has helped to increase the speed

and capacity of cargo movement at the port of Los Angeles.

As a result, the facility now operates more efficiently and with less energy.

Quantum computing seems to have highly lucrative business potential.

For years now, a range of tech companies including Google and IBM

— and nation-state players like China — have been in a race

to build the first high-performance quantum computer.

The money invested in research is in the billions.

Switzerland has a different approach.

Uptown Basel Infinity uses private-sector funding

to provide companies with free access to American quantum computers.

The hub is called QuantumBasel and is headed by Damir Bogdan.

The problems facing industries are getting increasingly complex.

The use of artificial intelligence is a factor, of course.

But when you eventually reach certain limits — and AI reaches its limits —

then you have to think a couple of steps ahead.

Artificial intelligence applications could run far more efficiently

on quantum computers. And when I say 'efficiency',

I mean not only computing speed but also energy efficiency.

The hub works with a hybrid system

combining conventional and quantum computers.

Start-ups in the program can turn to IBM's Frederik Flöther

for advice on tackling their problems — and on thinking outside of the box.

The first thing is to break down the individual issues

and look at which specific quantum algorithm is at all relevant.

And as quantum is a completely different kind of calculating,

it enables you to give problems a complete rethink

and perhaps find a new approach.

This involves what we call the Quantum State of Mind.

Some 40 studies have already been conducted

on the basis of the quantum computer with the purpose of simplifying

and accelerating the development of medication.

In both medicine and health care,

we're seeing a significant increase in the data available

— and also in the range of data...

image data, data from fitness trackers,

data in medical records and so on.

And processing the complex correlations between all those data

requires the kind of computing power that classical computers

struggle to achieve. And that's where quantum computers have real potential.

An example from the pharmaceutical industry:

To date, researchers have covered just 1%

of all potentially active molecules for drugs.

This is reflected in cancer treatment, for example.

Only one in three patients respond directly to drug-based therapies.

We sadly won't be able to resolve all of these challenges

with quantum computing,

but we're confident of being able to help with some of them.

Further south, in Berne, the team at Alveolix are hoping to resolve

one of those problems in the very near future.

Quantum computers can be used to evaluate huge amounts of data,

providing detailed insights into a patient's genetic make-up.

The small-scale replica of a lung — or another organ —

is designed to deliver more effective treatments for cancer patients.

We don't know yet which of the different types might be effective.

You can look at the genome and wonder what the best one for the patient is,

and maybe make a customized cocktail.

The patient might then start an immuno-therapy.

And when they have a break, that's when we can take a tissue sample.

After placing the sample onto our organ-on-chip,

we would then try out a new cocktail, so that it would have a better effect

when the patient goes for their next treatment.

What's especially crucial for cancer patients is minimizing side-effects.

Instead of additional suffering, you want them to be safe

and getting the most effective medication available.

And that's where we can help.

At the same time, Alveolix wants to help eliminate animal testing

from preclinical studies.

For decades, animal experiments have been standard procedure

in the development of new drugs, with rodents the most widely used species.

In Switzerland alone,

labs perform tests on over half a million animals a year.

Our immediate objective is to reduce animal experiments.

There are a large number of drugs that are only effective

with the human genome and human cells, making animal tests of zero advantage.

So effective drugs don't even reach the market

because they're stopped prematurely in the pre-clinical study phase.

Our aim is not removing all of them from the market

but abolishing the most severe tests

where the animals are under extreme pain and duress.

Experiments with severity levels 3 and 4.

And we're very optimistic about helping to make this happen soon.

But in Europe, their efforts face a hurdle.

The European Medicines Agency refuses to grant approval for drugs

without animal testing beforehand. In the United States, however,

a bill passed in 2022 removed the requirement for animal tests

prior to market approval.

And a proposed update on that legislation would also allow tests

using computer models or artificial organs.

There is already large-scale research in the US on this front

— as seen at the Cleveland Clinic in the state of Ohio.

The latest breakthrough there is an in-house quantum computer.

It's the first quantum computer in the world to be uniquely dedicated

to healthcare research. And its work will be much appreciated,

given the clinic's 10 million patient-visits per year.

John R. Smith is a senior researcher at IBM and highlights the dividends

from the vast amounts of medical data:

This has the potential to drive our pace of progress

to addressing the important disease challenges that we’re facing

— and challenges in patient care. So much faster.

And to produce breakthroughs and discoveries

that will be absolutely essential for all of us.

In March 2023 the clinic officially unveiled

its treasured quantum computer.

Its CEO welcomed guests from Cleveland and further afield.

Thank you very much.

We’re bringing something new to our organization and to the world.

The quantum computer System I — it sounds a little bit science fiction —

which is right behind me, is the most advanced computational technology

and computational platform that exists.

We’re very excited because it is going to allow to us to advance research,

advance discovery and advance medical care.

And it will also create a lot of jobs.

Among the guests invited to the event was Damir Bogdan

from QuantumBasel and UptownBasel — which is no coincidence.

The US is the leading market in the development of quantum computers

— and Uptown is a partner of IBM.

An Australian think-tank published a study citing 44 technologies

that will change the world. And China is already leading in 37 of them.

And one of the remaining seven,

where the US is ahead, is the field of quantum computing.

Bad news for the EU too,

with a failed partnership agreement making cooperation more difficult.

The decision by Switzerland or the EU that Switzerland cannot be involved

in the Horizon program means we have to find someone else to work with.

It doesn't mean UptownBasel is no longer interested

in European partnerships.

But we are in the US a lot because of all that's happening there.

Another attraction for the company executive

is the Silicon-Valley mentality

— a world away from the conservative, risk-averse approach in Switzerland.

That said: Switzerland does have a lot of strong points.

We have brilliant research in this area — in Basel, at the EPFL

and Zurich Technical University.

What we're missing sometimes is the proper climate

for start-ups to grow in

— and that's a lot better in the US.

The quantum computer's evolution to date promises incredible opportunities

in the future.

But scientists in universities are more cautious about developments.

There's a risk of it perhaps taking longer,

and of certain problems cropping up.

Building a quantum computer that can immediately solve gigantic problems

won't be easy. It will have to be one step at a time.

Today's computers took many, many years to develop.

And quantum computers will likely be the same,

and need 10 years or more to complete.

Right now, we're still researching the basics.

More qubits means more computing power. The IBM quantum computers

in commercial use today have 433 of them — although currently,

pure research is still focused on the physics of the individual qubits.

Some qubits are relatively easy to make.

There are already computers with 100 or a thousand of them

— and plans for reaching 10,000 or 100,000.

The problem is that the quality isn't good enough yet,

with a relatively high frequency of mistakes in calculations.

There's no point having as many qubits as possible

if they're not good enough.

We need major improvements,

including work on individual or a smaller number of coupled qubits.

But the race is totally open.

Zurich's Technical University is another center of qubit research.

Professor of theoretical physics Renato Renner says

that the development of the quantum computer has still barely begun:

Quantum computers are at a similar stage to early transistors.

They're still very big. The 100 qubits might together take up the space

of a massive experiments table with all the lab electronics.

And it's not yet clear how we could scale it down to at some point

pack millions of qubits into a small space

have a feasible working setup.

That doesn't mean we can't do it,

but comparatively speaking we're still in the vacuum-tube computer era.

Think how back then there was nobody talking about the Internet

or social media! We cannot yet appreciate the potential

— nor the dangers either, of course.

Renato Renner is familiar with the dangers of quantum computing.

He gives lectures in cryptography — data encryption.

Quantum computers really do pose a threat to today's data security.

When we do e-banking or use encrypted communication in other contexts,

we need what's called 'public-key cryptography'.

And that system will become completely insecure

once we have quantum computers up and running.

Whoever has the quantum computer will have full and immediate access

to all of that data. And that's a very concrete problem.

So far, a simple mathematical method has been sufficient to protect our data:

Factorization.

Some calculations are straightforward, say: 3 times 7 equals 21.

But if I turn it around and ask:

What are two numbers that give us that product,

then I basically have to try out all possible combinations.

And with the numbers having up to a hundred digits, I'll be at it forever.

Not even a computer that can process far faster

will be able to test all hundred-digit numbers.

A quantum computer, on the other hand, can try out the numbers in parallel

— and arrive at the result in a fraction of a second.

The implications have experts concerned.

We're relatively late to the game,

because we know the secrecy of the data being encrypted

has a very limited lifespan.

The things that I encrypt today using public-key cryptography

will be readable once the quantum computer exists.

Data can then only be encrypted by again using the quantum computer.

In effect: by beating the enemy at its own game. And this is how:

The sender of the data generates qubits with a value of 0 or 1

— and then sends a completely random sequence

of those qubits to the recipient.

It serves as a key that only those two parties know.

Of course, someone could try to spy on the transfer

— but this is where quantum mechanics enters the equation.

An attempt to intercept the qubits will now change them

— with both sender and recipient alerted immediately.

So the key cannot be secretly copied or read.

The actual encrypted message is not transferred

until the key has first arrived un-read.

The problem is: in technical terms,

the idea is currently not really feasible.

It sounds extremely difficult if not near-impossible,

but we know that it really does work — but it is expensive.

A solution that is absolutely secure is going to cost a lot of money.

But looking at a long-term horizon

— not 10 but more like 40 or 50 years — then it could be a solution.

And data security is not the only factor to consider in the long term.

Quantum computing still has a lot of obstacles to overcome

— meaning that investors will have to be patient.

Everyone's talking about quantum computing,

but we can't expect to have this killer application

in just a few years from now.

It's going to take a lot of development stages and investment

to get to the point where the application is available.

And above all: time — although that in turn depends on investment.

Investment is far higher than we could have imagined a few years ago.

So that is reason to be optimistic.

There are start-ups and companies following the hype,

and eager to invest in this future concept.

As a result:

Graduates studying physics and quantum computing have a range of jobs

to choose from in the various start-ups or big tech firms

pursuing quantum computing projects.

There's a huge number of options.

We can't imagine the changes involved — because they're quantum leaps!

And that's why we need 'moon shots'

— projects where you aim in a direction where you can't lose sight

of the vision but will probably have

to make a few adjustments along the way.

And that's not possible, unless we find a new way of thinking.