The trend pointed out by Minsait, a leading company in digital transformation and Information Technology consulting in Spain and Latin America, is based on the exponential speed of adoption of new technologies in today's society and on the constant advances to which large companies in the technological sector are dedicated. . "We understand that the benefits generated with the adoption of the quantum computer will be fundamental mainly in the area of research and development, especially when applied to solve a problem in a very short time, such as simulating and optimizing processes such as building safer airplanes, designing models economics, optimize artificial intelligence systems, or simulate all kinds of molecules, which will allow us to discover new materials, or develop new medicines", says Wander Cunha, head of Minsait in Brazil.
And why aren't we using quantum computing?
Getting all these perks comes at a significant price. Minsait points out two fundamental challenges to be solved until the effective adoption of the quantum computer in mass: overcoming physical conditions and guaranteeing cybersecurity of the information contained in the qubits.
Regarding the first topic, it is necessary to remember that, in order to guarantee the functioning of a quantum computer, it is necessary that temperatures are below one degree kelvin (-272.15°C) and without external interference.
In addition, the complexity of ensuring that the information contained in a physical qubit does not change unexpectedly also represents an obstacle that has not yet been overcome. "The mere interaction with the quantum computer produces these instabilities, which makes it very complex to perform calculations and recover the results in a stable way", says Cunha.
This rapid change raises another concern: cybersecurity. Many people are concerned that, due to the massive processing capacity of quantum computers, a large part of the cryptographic systems that ensure the transmission of information today would become obsolete - since the limitation of cost and time could no longer be a problem for quantum computers, compromising a large amount of sensitive information.
According to Minsait, today there are already projects that aim to design the first cryptographic systems resistant to quantum computing technology. "China is already carrying out its first tests with this new technology, which allows the use of subatomic particles to transmit information between distant points in an immediate and safe way using quantum principles. With this technology, traditional encryption would no longer be necessary, since the transmission information would be immediate", highlights Cunha.