"Some might be thinking we need to stop this train. We are opening up Pandora's Box and have no clue as to what is inside. Is this the marriage of AI and quantum computing that some futurists have been warning us about? Or will this be the magic elixir where we be able to solve problems so vexing, supercomputers of today could not even touch them."
This might sound like science fiction, but it is not. Imagine going forward in time, just a few years. Some of you know that the world of computing is currently going through a huge sea change. Quantum computing, which does sound like science fiction when you hear a computer engineer explain how it works, it going to replace today's super computers. Why? According to the experts, today's Quantum Computing is going to make supercomputing, look like using an abacus in comparison.
Imagine it is the world of 2033. IBM and others will have quantum offerings which will have computing capabilities so vast, it is hard to imagine. Without going into technical details of how they work (now THAT would be a challenge for me!), let me just say the guts of these new whiz bang computing devices are known as qubits. Right now, IBM has a quantum computer called the Osprey, which houses 433 qubits. That is about how far this technology has gone right now, without running into problems such as too much heat. So, IBM is going to try to "scale" the increases in how this new technology develops.
The plan however is this - by the year 2033 (a scant ten years away), IBM wants to have a quantum centric supercomputer which houses 100,000 qubits. The amount and speed of computing this behemoth will be able to do is beyond our current comprehension. Plus, it will be a perfect place for machine learning (super AI) to advance. Maybe this is why some scientists think that 2035 will be the year we achieve singularity. Singularity will be where machines can outthink humans.
Some might be thinking we need to stop this train. We are opening up Pandora's Box and have no clue as to what is inside. Is this the marriage of AI and quantum computing that some futurists have been warning us about? Or will this be the magic elixir we need to solve problems so vexing, supercomputers of today cannot even touch them.
In any event, just about every technology company in the world is now chasing quantum computing. If they are not developing it, they want to use it. Slowing things down until we figure out the risks is out of the question. Companies and countries know that whoever gets there first, will have won (what they hope will be) the "golden fleece". Stay tuned - the future is coming quickly.
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