As we gradually transition from this current age
of computing into a fourth industrial revolution,
this will be a time of even greater transformation.
It will be defined by disruptive technologies
and macro trends that will have materially greater impact,
scope and velocity than anything that has come before.
This period will be the context
for the emergence of quantum computing.
All ready anticipated to be a groundbreaking period
due to factors such as artificial intelligence,
blockchain technology, urban innovation,
fifth generation or 5G telecommunications,
demographic and economic shifts, medical advances
and our response to climate change,
quantum computing will drive change
in unexpected and important ways.
Sure, it will enable faster processing of the most complex
computing tasks, but it will be its relationship
and convergence with other technologies
and behavioral shifts that will result in the biggest
and most important changes.
Take for example artificial intelligence or AI.
AI is breaking new ground every day in the capabilities
it can improve, augment and create.
From medicine, to new material sciences,
to financial analysis, consumer electronics and more,
it's already a game changer.
When we integrate AI with quantum
we'll accelerate capabilities, innovation
and energize research to achieve stunning results.
Let's look at blockchain technology next.
The future relationship between blockchain
and quantum computing may be a little more complex.
Blockchain like quantum computing is a disruptive
and important new technology.
It's a different type of database
for storing and managing data.
It is more secure than traditional databases
and not governed by any central authority.
It's the basis of cryptocurrency
but has found important roles
in a wide range of applications.
It's also emerging and evolving.
One of it's best qualities is its security.
Blockchains use cryptography that both enables
only authorized individuals to interact with them
but also helps to protect data
from being altered in the database.
The cryptography uses math that is just too hard
for a human or even the best existing
classical computing power to solve
in order to break the security.
That is until quantum computing.
Quantum computing is the perfect solution for solving
highly complex mathematics problems really quickly.
To make a long story short, quantum has the potential
to break the cryptography that makes blockchain function.
It's a long way off, but a real possibility.
One of the near term promises of quantum computing
is quantum cryptography.
- You know it's used to communicate information
from one source to another using, say, photons.
Photons are elementary particles of light
and this information, this communication channel
is very secure.
Meaning that if somebody is listening or tapping
and trying to intercept this information
the receiver and the sender they will know that
and they will know immediately
that the information was distorted,
because that's the fundamental
property of quantum mechanics.
And so there is a great potential
both for business application, military application,
all sorts of applications for quantum communications,
quantum secure communications.
- This would allow a single quantum particle
to encrypt the database in a way
that can not be hacked without destroying it.
Wow, let's take a moment to process that.
One of the most obvious manifestations
of the fourth industrial revolution
will be changes to our cities.
Destined to be home to over 70% of humanity by mid-century
our cities are undergoing massive change.
Much of it has been driven by new ideas and technology.
A new generation of city leaders are open to try new things
and embracing emerging technologies in attempt
to meet current and future challenges.
Some of these challenges include transportation demands,
expectations of digitization,
providing clean abundance and low-cost energy
and maintaining and growing economic development.
- You can have a problem in say, you know,
traffic optimization that's taking you minutes.
And that's not a relevant timescale
for solving that problem.
You need to do that on a second-by-second basis
to be able to scale up to say the number of cars
in a major metropolitan area.
And so it's really that range, you know,
where do you have these big computing challenges?
- Finally, the fourth industrial revolution will emerge
in the context of a growing climate crisis.
The scientific consensus is that humans are altering
the climate in such a way that the planet is heating up
and this may prove to be catastrophic
over the next century and beyond.
We will need bold, new ideas and technologies
to help solve this existential crisis.
- The key application areas we think about really enabling
are in the simulation of physical systems.
What that means is we're looking
at simulating chemical processes, reaction rates,
catalyst problems, you know, when does a catalyst
come in and can it make it a reaction more efficient?
We want to model that and that, you know, for example,
would help with carbon capture, right?
Which would help with combating global warming.
It could help with artificial fertilizer production
which actually helps us save
natural gas and natural resources.
So these types of problems are catalysis problems.
Quantum computers are excellent at that.
Excellent at modeling physical systems.
In addition, they're excellent, you know,
you can take that a step further
and say we can look to material science.
I want to understand exotic properties and materials, right?
What if I can take a material that super conducts, right?
So it has like a lossless transmission,
if I can have that superconductor,
that material at high temperature,
I can get lossless power transmission, right.
Smart energy grids, cleaner energy solutions.
So to study such a material, such properties of materials,
it really does require a quantum computer.
Our classical computers it will take
lifetime of the universe timescales
to get those solutions.
And on a quantum computer you're looking
at weeks, months to get a solution.
That's much, much faster than lifetime of the universe.
- Yeah.
It should be clearer now that the fourth industrial
revolution is going to be a big deal for all of us
and generations to come.
Also clear are some of the important roles
that quantum computing may play in it.