How Google's Quantum supremacy affects the future of computing?

Google’s Quantum supremacy

Google announced that it has reached quantum supremacy which is deemed to be an important milestone in Quantum computing. So what does that mean and how it affects the society, business and the mankind.
Quantum supremacy basically means the point where Quantum computers is able to perform a task that best supercomputers available today is incapable of handling.Google has achieved this by using a chip with 53 superconducting Qubits.A Qubit is an information storing building block of a Quantum computer.The chip is able to perform a complex calculation in 200 seconds versus a predicted time of 10,000 years for the world’s fastest supercomputer. Although these are just experimental results and are not yet applied on solving a real time practical problem, it is nevertheless a landmark scientific achievement that marks the new area of Quantum computing.
Google’s ambition would now be to build a fully functional and large scale quantum computer that can handle complex tasks like handling nature at a basic level and delivering a huge leap in Artificial intelligence, where Google is already a leader. Google claims that it can solve complex optimization problems like allocating scarce resources better and find better ways to use nitrogen from the atmosphere to prepare fertilizers.

What is Quantum supremacy

• Quantum computing is built on the principles of Quantum mechanics which describes nature at a very small scale.Due to this, Quantum computers are good at simulating the behavior of atoms and molecules. This potential of simulating the atomic and molecular behavior can help in solving problems related to drug discovery, efficient renewable energy, safer industrial materials and countless other real life applications.
• Quantum computing can also help in improving the modeling of complex systems like weather, communication networks and asset portfolios which are harder for even the most powerful supercomputers.
• What Google has done is to harness the quantum mechanical properties at a large scale with accurate control to go beyond the current capabilities of traditional computing.

Benefits to quantum supremacy

• Google’s claim that this would provide immense benefits to the society and mankind needs to be manifested in reality by addressing real life applications and issues.
• For this, it is imperative that we build better algorithms that can harness the unique problem solving properties of Quantum computers.The development of these algorithms will provide the immediate opportunities for accelerated progress and further scientific breakthroughs. Companies can drive this development of algorithms and applications by identifying most promising areas within their organizations where Quantum computing could be applied.
• In order to develop algorithms, it is essential that one have access to Quantum computers because it is harder to test an algorithm if one does not have access to Quantum computers.The more computers are made available to users, higher the opportunity to build a growing industry around this technology.
• The speed of progress in Quantum computers depends on the improvements in manufacturing and reliability of Quantum chips along with other specialized components.Making Quantum chips presents fresh challenges that industries need to address.

Final Takeaway

The scientists who formulated Quantum mechanics would never have predicted what we have achieved.Google’s Quantum supremacy ability to compute with Quantum states opens a new frontier in computing technology which can unravel further innovations.
What Transistor and integrated circuit did in the 20th century, Quantum computing will do in 21st century which is to be a key driver of economic development.