The Relationship Between Nanotechnology and Quantum Computing

June 5 2003

Dr. Geordie Rose, President & CEO D-Wave rose@dwavesys.com

“The power of quantum computers is astronomical. If you took every molecule of water on the Earth and used it to build a classical computer, all you need are 86 qubits and you have a quantum computer that is more powerful than this theoretical classical computer. A 40 qubit quantum computer cannot be simulated by even the largest computers in the world.”

Dr. David Cory

Associate Professor, Department of Nuclear Engineering, MIT

The development of quantum computers will rank with the development of agriculture and the printing press as inflection points in human history.

Three competing nanotech companies (or governments / militaries) are trying to develop a specific product.

Company 1 Strategy:

By trial and error, using human brainpower and intuition.

You imagine a solution.

You build it.

You measure the property.

Is it satisfactory?

Company 1 Strategy:

By trial and error, using human brainpower and intuition.

You imagine a solution.

You build it.

You measure the property.

Is it satisfactory?

Company 1 Strategy:

By trial and error, using human brainpower and intuition.

You imagine a solution.

You build it.

You measure the property.

Is it satisfactory?

Repeat until you run out of money or succeed.

Company 2 Strategy:

Virtual design, using computers programmed to simulate the proposed design and calculate the value of the property.

A computer … assembles

… builds a model accurate enough to mimic the behaviour and properties of the real thing.

… calculates the value of the property.

Is it satisfactory?

Company 2 Strategy:

Virtual design, using computers programmed to simulate the proposed design and calculate the value of the property.

Repeat until you run out of money or succeed.

If you succeed, build the product and test it .

Company 3 Strategy:

Virtual design, using quantum computers programmed to simulate the proposed design and calculate the value of the property.

A quantum computer … assembles

… builds a model accurate enough to mimic the behaviour and properties of the real thing.

… calculates the value of the property.

Is it satisfactory?

Company 3 Strategy:

Virtual design, using quantum computers programmed to simulate the proposed design and calculate the value of the property.

Repeat until you run out of money or succeed.

If you succeed, build the product and test it .

Large things (airplanes, bridges, etc.) have

rules of behaviour

(equations) that scientists call classical.

Small things (atomic/molecular sized) have

different rules of behaviour

(equations), which scientists call quantum mechanical.

If supercomputers keep doubling in power every year (Moore’s law),

by 2100 we will be able to predict the properties and behaviour of a

single molecule of caffeine with the world’s biggest supercomputer.

Simulating the behaviour of nanoproducts accurately

with conventional supercomputers is impossible

(violates the laws of physics) !!!

Back to the race between our three companies (countries):

Company 1 and Company 2 differ only marginally in their ability to develop new products.

Reason: Computers are not as good predictors of product behaviour as human brains (good scientists) and never will be.

Key differentiator is quality of scientists.

Simulating the behaviour of nanoproducts accurately

with quantum computers is easy

Access to quantum computers means:

Company 3 has a significant competitive advantage over Companies 1 and 2 and will consistently outperform in nanotech product development.

Reason: Quantum computers are ultra-fast (and always correct) predictors of product behaviour—much better than human brains, which are not good at intuition re. quantum structures.

Key differentiator in success is enabling technology.

Policy Implications:

1940: Highly restricted access to a small number of machines

John Mauchley and J. Presper Eckert build ENIAC, the first all-electronic digital computer

D-Wave superconducting quantum computer

Policy Implications:

2003: Highly restricted access to a small number of machines

Nanotech development will track (geographically) the development of quantum computers

Distribution of economic and military power could be fundamentally changed by nanotech (think Manhattan Project)

Summary:

1. The most important disruptive technology currently being developed is quantum computing—a tool for nanotech;

2. Nations that invest in quantum computing will have a competitive advantage in the development of nanotech products;

3. This will in turn create major technology and economic advantages that could completely change the current balance of power in the world.