Quantum computing is the quantum theory, where traditional laws of physics do not apply and involve atomic and subatomic particles. The exciting thing about these particles is that they behave in unexpected ways. These particles can exist in multiple states at the same time. That is the underlying power that quantum computing will harness. Instead of using the traditional bits that classical computing utilizes, quantum computing will use qubits of quantum bits. What is the difference? It is easiest to think about this with an image. If you have a globe or sphere, a bit can exist at one of the field’s two poles. A qubit, on the other hand, can exist at any point on the sphere. The result of this is that a quantum computer using qubits will store and process enormous amounts of data and information a million or more times faster using less energy than a classical computer.

This research represents the most recent step towards the development of a quantum computer. A quantum computer can be defined as an ultra-powerful machine that could solve problems currently beyond traditional networks’ realm. For example, your desktop PC would struggle to answer the following question: “If a salesman has lots of places to visit, what is the quickest route?” Traditional computing can answer this question for a certain number of cities, but if I wanted to add more cities, it would get much harder, very quickly. Light is already used to transmit data very fast over long distances via fiber optic cables. With this discovery, it may be possible to manipulate these photons and enable data distribution in much more powerful ways. The research team is now trying to use photons in ways beyond attraction. The next test will be repulsion, where they slam photons into each other and scatter. These researchers are exploring uncharted territory. They do not know what will happen with distaste. They may form a regular pattern, like a crystal of light, or something different may occur.

The impacts of quantum computing will undoubtedly change our world because there will be applications for this technology in every industry. It is safe to assume quantum computing will open the door to some extraordinary possibilities when you consider qubits can process millions of calculations all in the same moment. The impacts will be game-changing across industries.

The race is on to bring quantum computing to a commercial scale, and the cloud will play a large role in how that happens. It will forever change how we think and interact with data and bring significant changes to how we do business. It is an incredibly exciting development. Like IBM and Rigetti, AWS also has their quantum computing cloud called QC2 that features the first production-ready quantum computer. AWS invites you to try it to solve certain types of math and logic problems at a speed that will take your breath away. The future is here.

It’s difficult to predict how quantum computing will change our world, but what we do know is that it will be a game-changer for every industry you can imagine. It will significantly impact the way we do business, from inventing new medicine and materials, safeguarding our data, exploring space, and predicting weather events and climate change. Not surprisingly, some of the world’s most influential companies like IBM and Google and world governments are investing in quantum computing technology. They expect quantum computing to change our society because it will allow us to solve problems and reach levels of efficiencies that aren’t possible today.