Quantum computing continues to dominate the emerging technology news agenda. A series of big moves have been made in the field in the UK recently, including the Ministry of Defence’s purchase of the first government-owned quantum computer and the prediction by Kwasi Kwarteng, secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, speaking at the 'Quantum Computing Summit' in London recently, that national investment in quantum technologies is set to surpass £1bn by 2024.
Quantum computers (QCs) harness the peculiar behaviour of atomic and subatomic particles to execute certain types of algorithms faster and more efficiently than the most powerful conventional supercomputers available today. Although a fault-tolerant and commercially viable QC is yet to be built, it’s clear the momentum is there.
The foundations of the mathematical framework to describe quantum physics were created around 100 years ago and we’re now starting to see fledgling...