WiserIn5! — Quantum Computing 101

Quantum computing explained, 10 areas impacted by quantum.

This article was first published as premium content in the Wiser! Newsletter — the newsletter for the tech economy.

What is quantum computing?

Computing as we know it today is going to change radically. It’s not a question of if, but when. Think of it this way; today’s computers can get you from A to B on any street map. Tomorrow’s quantum computers will have the power to navigate you through the universe.

This is made possible because computing will essentially be harnessing and exploiting the amazing laws of quantum mechanics to process information. Whereas a traditional computer uses long strings of “bits,” which encode either a zero or a one, a quantum computer uses quantum bits, or qubits.

A qubit is a quantum system that encodes the zero and the one into two distinguishable quantum states. Because qubits behave quantumly, quantum computing exploits the phenomena of “superposition” and “entanglement.” (Hang on in there…)

These are the key concepts to get your head around when you think about the future of computing and communications technology.

Superposition is essentially the ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states at the same time — that…