Science

Can TU Delft win the global, ambitious race towards Quantum Computing?

In September, the European Commission launched a billion euro Quantum Technologies Flagship as part of their Future and Emerging Technologies initiative.

Their website states that the aim is to ‘unlock the full potential of quantum technologies and accelerate their development and take-up into commercial products in Europe.”

The quantum craze is reminiscent of 20th century Space Race. In North America, companies such as Google, Microsoft and universities such as MIT also have their own labs, with each claiming to be on the precipice of a breakthrough. Earlier this year, China reportedly launched the world’s first Quantum Satellite.

In the absence of big industrial partners, the EU Flagship plays a critical role, not just in terms of funding but also bringing scientific research across the continent under one umbrella. The flagship, which was announced at a European Summit in Amsterdam under the Dutch presidency, also includes QuTech, a quantum research institute started by TU Delft in collaboration with TNO.

Professor Koen Bertels, who is part of the scientific team at QuTech, believes that TU Delft has a significant advantage over most other initiatives. “In most places, the emphasis is still on making the perfect qubit. Here in Delft, we also perform work on that but also look beyond that and try to address the challenges involved in scaling that quantum technology. This scaling is important because it is expected that a quantum computer will need millions, if not more, qubits to do meaningful calculations,” he said.

Bertels explained the scope of Quantum Computing with the example of a popular (among physicists) algorithm called Shor’s algorithm used for integer factorization. “If the algorithm was to run on current technology, it would require a data server the size of North America, would take 100 years of computing and possibly consume all the energy produced on earth.

Comparatively, a (hypothetical) Quantum Computer can do the same thing with a server the size of QuTech and in a day.”

Another advantage, he added, is that when two qubits are entangled they become inseparable. “Any attempt at decrypting a message sent in qubits before it reaches its actual destination will end up destroying it. What that means is that the Internet will be far more secure,” said Bertels.

Experts in Delft believe that Quantum Internet – with usable devices – may be visible five to seven years down the line. Quantum Computing, however, is still 10-15 years away.

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