These phenomena allow cryptographic keys to be shared securely over hundreds of kilometres, quantum computers to solve classically intractable problems and quantum sensors to make measurements of unprecedented precision. These technologies are still under development, but already pose challenges: for example, we can confidently anticipate that future quantum computers will be able to crack most of the encryption techniques currently used to secure communications and data. More speculatively, it has been suggested that quantum phenomena might play a role in processes such as the functions of biological systems, which if confirmed would raise the prospect of unanticipated new technologies.
Selection of GESDA Best Reads and key reports
In July 2023, renowned institutions, including CERN and IBM, produced Quantum Computing for High-Energy Physics: State of the Art and Challenges. Summary of the QC4HEP Working Group, offering a roadmap on the state of quantum computing within high-energy physics and highlighting the IBM 100 x 100 challenge. In another notable report entitled Disentangling Hype from Practicality: On Realistically Achieving Quantum Advantage, a Team of Microsoft researchers shed light on the true potential and challenges of achieving quantum advantage, with special attention to areas like material science and chemistry. An international collaboration with researchers from the US, Germany, Canada and Austria published Drug design on quantum computers in January 2023, underscoring the revolutionary prospects and hurdles of employing quantum computers in pharmaceutical research.
