Computers & Technology
Computer Science
![Michio Kaku - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B000ARDFYQ.jpg)
Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything
An exhilarating tour of humanity's next great technological achievement-quantum computing-which may eventually illuminate the deepest mysteries of science and solve some of humanity's biggest problems, like global warming, world hunger, and incurable disease, by the bestselling author of The God Equation.
The runaway success of the microchip processor may be reaching its end. Running up against the physical constraints of smaller and smaller sizes, traditional silicon chips are not likely to prove useful in solving humanity's greatest challenges, from climate change, to global starvation, to incurable diseases. But the quantum computer, which harnesses the power and complexity of the atomic realm, already promises to be every bit as revolutionary as the transistor and microchip once were. Its unprecedented gains in computing power herald advancements that could change every aspect of our daily lives.
Automotive companies, medical researchers, and consulting firms are betting on quantum computing, hoping to exploit its power to design more efficient vehicles, create life-saving new drugs, and streamline industries to revolutionize the economy. But this is only the beginning. Quantum computers could allow us to finally create nuclear fusion reactors that create clean, renewable energy without radioactive waste or threats of meltdown. They could help us crack the biological processes that generate natural, cheap fertilizer and enable us to feed the world's growing populations. And they could unravel the fiendishly difficult protein folding that lies at the heart of previously incurable diseases like Alzheimer's, ALS, and Parkinson's, helping us to live longer, healthier lives. There is not a single problem humanity faces that couldn't be addressed by quantum computing. Told with Kaku's signature clarity and enthusiasm, Quantum Supremacy is the story of this exciting frontier and the race to claim humanity's future.
The runaway success of the microchip processor may be reaching its end. Running up against the physical constraints of smaller and smaller sizes, traditional silicon chips are not likely to prove useful in solving humanity's greatest challenges, from climate change, to global starvation, to incurable diseases. But the quantum computer, which harnesses the power and complexity of the atomic realm, already promises to be every bit as revolutionary as the transistor and microchip once were. Its unprecedented gains in computing power herald advancements that could change every aspect of our daily lives.
Automotive companies, medical researchers, and consulting firms are betting on quantum computing, hoping to exploit its power to design more efficient vehicles, create life-saving new drugs, and streamline industries to revolutionize the economy. But this is only the beginning. Quantum computers could allow us to finally create nuclear fusion reactors that create clean, renewable energy without radioactive waste or threats of meltdown. They could help us crack the biological processes that generate natural, cheap fertilizer and enable us to feed the world's growing populations. And they could unravel the fiendishly difficult protein folding that lies at the heart of previously incurable diseases like Alzheimer's, ALS, and Parkinson's, helping us to live longer, healthier lives. There is not a single problem humanity faces that couldn't be addressed by quantum computing. Told with Kaku's signature clarity and enthusiasm, Quantum Supremacy is the story of this exciting frontier and the race to claim humanity's future.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for Michio Kaku's Quantum Supremacy
"A renowned physicist explains the mind-blowing potential of quantum computing. Translating complicated scientific concepts into language that lay readers can understand is an art. Kaku, a professor of physics at the City University of New York, is one of the best practitioners. . . . Kaku examines how quantum computing could profoundly affect biotechnology, medicine, energy, food production, and environmental modelling-virtually every aspect of human activity. . . . The author pauses occasionally to provide summaries, which is important given the inherent complexity of the subject. As always, Kaku's enthusiasm is contagious, and this latest book is an important guide to a crucial part of the tech future. An informative and highly entertaining read about the computing revolution already underway." -Kirkus Reviews
"Illuminating … revealing a breathtaking, expansive look into the promise, power, and possibility of quantum computing. . . . Kaku will spark the imagination of [readers] interested in the nexus of computers and quantum mechanics." -Booklist
"A renowned physicist explains the mind-blowing potential of quantum computing. Translating complicated scientific concepts into language that lay readers can understand is an art. Kaku, a professor of physics at the City University of New York, is one of the best practitioners. . . . Kaku examines how quantum computing could profoundly affect biotechnology, medicine, energy, food production, and environmental modelling-virtually every aspect of human activity. . . . The author pauses occasionally to provide summaries, which is important given the inherent complexity of the subject. As always, Kaku's enthusiasm is contagious, and this latest book is an important guide to a crucial part of the tech future. An informative and highly entertaining read about the computing revolution already underway." -Kirkus Reviews
"Illuminating … revealing a breathtaking, expansive look into the promise, power, and possibility of quantum computing. . . . Kaku will spark the imagination of [readers] interested in the nexus of computers and quantum mechanics." -Booklist
Readers Top Reviews
L. D. Gasman
I am only a chapter or two into this and perhaps I will change my mind, but what he describes has little to do with today's quantum computing and misrepresents the whole technology. For example -- his talk about "the end of silicon." Many of the proposed quantum computer technologies are based on silicon, for example Intel's. I get that popular science doesn't have be 100 percent accurate, but from what I have read this is just misleading.
Cameron Forbes
Listening to the audiobook during my commute. Fascinating background on the future of quantum.
bernieAndreaRomance
I was very disappointment in this book. It talks very little about quantum computing itself and focuses more on the use cases and benefits it will bring to different fields. It does very little to address the challenges and opportunities within the quantum computing field. I was expecting discussions about the software and hardware challenges and opportunities. Do not bother with this book if you want to seriously learn about quantum computing
Short Excerpt Teaser
chapter 1
End of the Age of Silicon
A revolution is coming.
In 2019 and 2020, two bombshells rocked the world of science. Two groups announced that they had achieved quantum supremacy, the fabled point at which a radically new type of computer, called a quantum computer, could decisively outperform an ordinary digital supercomputer on specific tasks. This heralded an upheaval that can change the entire computing landscape and overturn every aspect of our daily life.
First, Google revealed that their Sycamore quantum computer could solve a mathematical problem in 200 seconds that would take 10,000 years on the world's fastest supercomputer. According to MIT's Technology Review, Google called this a major breakthrough. They likened it to the launch of Sputnik or the Wright brothers' first flight. It was "the threshold of a new era of machines that would make today's mightiest computer look like an abacus."
Then the Quantum Innovation Institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences went even further. They claimed their quantum computer was 100 trillion times faster than an ordinary supercomputer.
IBM vice president Bob Sutor, commenting on the meteoric rise of quantum computers, states flatly, "I think it's going to be the most important computing technology of this century."
Quantum computers have been called the "Ultimate Computer," a decisive leap in technology with profound implications for the entire world. Instead of computing on tiny transistors, they compute on the tiniest possible object, the atoms themselves, and hence can easily surpass the power of our greatest supercomputer. Quantum computers might usher in an entirely new age for the economy, society, and our way of life.
But quantum computers are more than just another powerful computer. They are a new type of computer that can tackle problems that digital computers can never solve, even with an infinite amount of time. For example, digital computers can never accurately calculate how atoms combine to create crucial chemical reactions, especially those that make life possible. Digital computers can only compute on digital tape, consisting of a series of 0s and 1s, which are too crude to describe the delicate waves of electrons dancing deep inside a molecule. For example, when tediously computing the paths taken by a mouse in a maze, a digital computer has to painfully analyze each possible path, one after the other. A quantum computer, however, simultaneously analyzes all possible paths at the same time, with lightning speed.
This in turn has heightened an intense rivalry between competing computer giants, which are all racing to create the world's most powerful quantum computer. In 2021, IBM unveiled its own quantum computer, called the Eagle, which has taken the lead, with more computing power than all previous models.
But these records are like pie crusts-they are made to be broken.
Given the profound implications of this revolution, it is not surprising that many of the world's leading corporations have invested heavily in this new technology. Google, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Rigetti, and Honeywell are all building quantum computer prototypes. The leaders of Silicon Valley realize that they must keep pace with this revolution or be left in the dust.
IBM, Honeywell, and Rigetti Computing have put their first-generation quantum computers on the internet to whet the appetite of a curious public, so that people may gain their first direct exposure to quantum computation. One can experience this new quantum revolution firsthand by connecting to a quantum computer on the internet. For example, the "IBM Q Experience," launched in 2016, makes fifteen quantum computers available to the public via the internet for free. Samsung and JPMorgan Chase are among these users. Already, 2,000 people, from schoolchildren to professors, use them every month.
Wall Street has taken a keen interest in this technology. IonQ became the first major quantum computing company to go public, raising $600 million in its IPO in 2021. Even more startling, the rivalry is so intense that a new start-up, PsiQuantum, without any commercial prototype on the market or any track record of previous products, suddenly soared on Wall Street to a $3.1 billion valuation, with the ability to capture $665 million in funding almost overnight. Business analysts wrote that they had rarely seen anything like this, a new company riding the tide of feverish speculation and sensational headlines to such heights.
Deloitte, the consulting and accounting firm, estimates that the market for quantum computers should reach hundreds of millions of dollars in the 2020s and tens of billions of dollars in the 2030s. No one knows when quantum computers wil...
End of the Age of Silicon
A revolution is coming.
In 2019 and 2020, two bombshells rocked the world of science. Two groups announced that they had achieved quantum supremacy, the fabled point at which a radically new type of computer, called a quantum computer, could decisively outperform an ordinary digital supercomputer on specific tasks. This heralded an upheaval that can change the entire computing landscape and overturn every aspect of our daily life.
First, Google revealed that their Sycamore quantum computer could solve a mathematical problem in 200 seconds that would take 10,000 years on the world's fastest supercomputer. According to MIT's Technology Review, Google called this a major breakthrough. They likened it to the launch of Sputnik or the Wright brothers' first flight. It was "the threshold of a new era of machines that would make today's mightiest computer look like an abacus."
Then the Quantum Innovation Institute at the Chinese Academy of Sciences went even further. They claimed their quantum computer was 100 trillion times faster than an ordinary supercomputer.
IBM vice president Bob Sutor, commenting on the meteoric rise of quantum computers, states flatly, "I think it's going to be the most important computing technology of this century."
Quantum computers have been called the "Ultimate Computer," a decisive leap in technology with profound implications for the entire world. Instead of computing on tiny transistors, they compute on the tiniest possible object, the atoms themselves, and hence can easily surpass the power of our greatest supercomputer. Quantum computers might usher in an entirely new age for the economy, society, and our way of life.
But quantum computers are more than just another powerful computer. They are a new type of computer that can tackle problems that digital computers can never solve, even with an infinite amount of time. For example, digital computers can never accurately calculate how atoms combine to create crucial chemical reactions, especially those that make life possible. Digital computers can only compute on digital tape, consisting of a series of 0s and 1s, which are too crude to describe the delicate waves of electrons dancing deep inside a molecule. For example, when tediously computing the paths taken by a mouse in a maze, a digital computer has to painfully analyze each possible path, one after the other. A quantum computer, however, simultaneously analyzes all possible paths at the same time, with lightning speed.
This in turn has heightened an intense rivalry between competing computer giants, which are all racing to create the world's most powerful quantum computer. In 2021, IBM unveiled its own quantum computer, called the Eagle, which has taken the lead, with more computing power than all previous models.
But these records are like pie crusts-they are made to be broken.
Given the profound implications of this revolution, it is not surprising that many of the world's leading corporations have invested heavily in this new technology. Google, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Rigetti, and Honeywell are all building quantum computer prototypes. The leaders of Silicon Valley realize that they must keep pace with this revolution or be left in the dust.
IBM, Honeywell, and Rigetti Computing have put their first-generation quantum computers on the internet to whet the appetite of a curious public, so that people may gain their first direct exposure to quantum computation. One can experience this new quantum revolution firsthand by connecting to a quantum computer on the internet. For example, the "IBM Q Experience," launched in 2016, makes fifteen quantum computers available to the public via the internet for free. Samsung and JPMorgan Chase are among these users. Already, 2,000 people, from schoolchildren to professors, use them every month.
Wall Street has taken a keen interest in this technology. IonQ became the first major quantum computing company to go public, raising $600 million in its IPO in 2021. Even more startling, the rivalry is so intense that a new start-up, PsiQuantum, without any commercial prototype on the market or any track record of previous products, suddenly soared on Wall Street to a $3.1 billion valuation, with the ability to capture $665 million in funding almost overnight. Business analysts wrote that they had rarely seen anything like this, a new company riding the tide of feverish speculation and sensational headlines to such heights.
Deloitte, the consulting and accounting firm, estimates that the market for quantum computers should reach hundreds of millions of dollars in the 2020s and tens of billions of dollars in the 2030s. No one knows when quantum computers wil...
