1 Quantum computing: the hype and the promise
This chapter covers
- The kinds of problems quantum computing might solve better than classical computing
- Three main components of quantum computing systems: algorithms, hardware, and software
- Major milestones of quantum hardware development, past and future
- Quantum software development workflow
Quantum computing uses quantum-mechanical phenomena to perform computations. It is a new computing paradigm that is fundamentally different from “classical computing”—the traditional technology that powers our world, from the home computers and smartphones we use on a daily basis to supercomputers that solve scientific problems.
Classical computing relies on the concepts that are familiar to us from our daily lives, and thus it feels intuitive to us, even if we often don’t know the exact algorithms our computers employ to solve the problems we ask of them. For example, we can plan a trip using a paper map of the area, so a map application doing the same thing doesn’t feel odd.