AQUANTUM LEAP

Cutting-edge technologies are harnessing advancements in quantuin mechanics, neural networks, nanomaterials and such. Together, they point to a future of superfast, highly-intelligent computing systems that will transform multiple fields, from transportation and communications to medicine and home appliances. In India, the growth is being driven by high-tech industries and start-ups applying these emerging technologies, and government initiatives to build capabilities in quantum computing, Al and semiconductor manufacturing 

- AJAY SUKUMARAN

THE SUPERFAST PROCESSORS

QUANTUM COMPUTERS HOLD OUT THE PROMISE OF EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN PROCESSING POWER, ALLOWING COMPLEX COMPUTATIONS IN A FLASH. AND INDIA IS READY WITH A ROADMAP TO REALISE THE POTENTIAL OF THIS EMERGING TECHNOLOGY ACROSS SECTORS

Developing a drug for a rare disease is a painstaking endeavour. You need to analyse millions of molecular combinations to find one that will work. Use a regular computer, and this could take years. But leverage quantum computing, and pharmaceutical firms can exponentially speed up complex molecular simulations to zero in on the most promising drug candidates in no time. This is the second quantum revolution. The first was in the early 1900s when new theories of quantum mechanics led to the later invention of pioneering technologies that we take for granted today-be it the laser, the MRI scanner, or even a photovoltaic cell. Now, quantum computing beckons as the next frontier.

WHY IT IS A GAME CHANGER 

It's a very different realm, says Prof. Urbasi Sinha, who heads the Quantum Information and Computing (QuIC) laboratory at the Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru. "A quantum computer will not replace laptops, but achieve certain tasks exponentially faster," she adds. Hence, the global race to build them.

Quantum computing employs subatomic particles like trapped ions or photons to hold information. While a classical bit represents 0 or 1, a quantum bit (qubit) can be both simultaneously. This superposition multiplies possibilities manifold and theoretically enables a quantum computer to perform complex atomic-level simulations much faster than digital computers today-like modelling molecular combinations for drug discovery.