Quantum computers have a lot of work ahead of them. Their potential is impressive, but they still need to develop an identity, not to mention the fact that all current designs are essentially prototypes. One of them sits in the computing center of the initiative IBM Q, whose goal is the creation of the first quantum computers with commercial applications. The folks at IBM shared a kind of audiovisual tour of the facilities, placing special emphasis on the unusual sound of the computer.
Everything starts with the bit, the most basic unit of information. The bit has two fundamental states (0 and 1), but when we move to its quantum equivalent, the qubit, we discover that its state can be a superposition of both. In relaxed terms, 0 and 1 at the same time. It sounds very confusing, and from a certain point of view, that confusion extends to all of quantum physics, but there are many companies out there convinced that the future of computing depends on it. Today, quantum computing is in its infancy, but thanks to IBM's efforts, we can see and hear this:
This brief audiovisual tour in the first IBM Q computing center shows us a 20-qubit quantum computer emitting a sound full of mystery. The video explains that the system generates it while maintaining a temperature of just 15 millikelvins, on the threshold of absolute zero. The dilution refrigerator contains qubits of aluminum, niobium, and silicon, in the closest thing to what we could call "perfect darkness". Beyond the obvious complexity of the computer, I personally find it striking how much exposed copper there is, and the gold bath at the base. The 20-qubit computer will be available online for all members of the IBM Q network, and later it will be replaced by 50-qubit versions.
One of the main reasons that giants like IBM cite to justify their bet on quantum computers is that Moore's law is running out of fuel. On the other hand, the challenges that humanity will have to face in energy, medicine, and economics would take too long on a traditional supercomputer, and the great promise of the quantum computer is to reduce that wait to just a few minutes. Shortcut and wildcard in a single system. Will it be true?
