Modern supercomputers can perform computationally intensive tasks in a fraction of the time. But compared to a modern quantum computer, even a supercomputer is nothing more than a glorified calculator. Canadian company Xanadu performed a calculation in 36 microseconds (36 millionths of a second) with a photon quantum computer called Borealis. According to research results published in Nature, the same calculation would take 9,000 years in the best supercomputer.
Of course, quantum computing has been around for several years, but there is no practical application for the seemingly magical physical phenomenon yet. The researchers in question performed a Gaussian Boson sampling calculation on the Borealis. This extremely complex calculation is mostly used to test how impressive a quantum computer can perform. And as the icing on the cake, the researchers reported that the entire calculation was correct, providing legitimacy to the performance.
Quantum computing is not yet a fully experienced science. The researchers take advantage of a phenomenon where particles can be in several places at once. This is also the instant advantage of technology; A normal computer works digitally and processes ones and zeros in sequence. In a quantum computer, the probability of an output is estimated, which means that unimaginably many calculations can be made per second.
Sources: Nature, via SingularityHub
Source: Hardware Info
