So what is the big difference between classical transistors and qubits? Transistors as we know them now have two different states, 1 or 0, and can be controlled by a voltage that comes through the base of the transistor and is limited by resistors. The resistors help control the voltage and either saturate the transistor, or send voltage through it to reach the state wanted. “The difference between these transistors and the new qubits is that the qubits have 4 different states; 00, 01, 10, 11 (Merian 2012)”, which allows it to compute thousands of times faster than a modern day classical computer (Love 2013).
The advantage of being able to calculate much faster will improve many aspects of life. “One of the ways that a quantum computer will be able to help the future is much like the actions of a super computer such as Watson (Stahl 2013).” Hospitals would benefit because much like supercomputers in hospitals now, they can be implemented into robotics, and also they can help search for better pharmaceutical cures by comparing billions of medical cases and going over a lot of information at once.
They can also find faster routes for delivery men and all because they can run many more paths at the same time. A good example of this is the traveling business salesman. He wants to figure out the fastest route from town to town, but the only way to do this is run each possibility and then compare. This would take an entire lifetime. “Well, a quantum computer could run every one of these routes at the same time and give the best answer (Love 2013).” This is because a quantum computer basically does everything at the same time because of the superposition of the states of the qubits. Insanely enough, this simulates doing something, then going back in time, and doing it again, and then repeating that until the final answer is achieved, and in real time this is much faster than a normal computer or person could ever achieve. This theory of quantum mechanics is very confusing for those that study it, moreover for those who do not study it.
A third advantage of a quantum computer is the ability to encrypt data and security to a much more intense level. “Quantum computers will be able to produce virtually unbreakable codes, and increase data encryption and security (Love 2013).” This is a big advance, especially with people worrying about how secure the new “cloud” is. The major companies that will gain from quantum computing are the companies that are already putting time and money into research of the field. These companies include D-Wave from Canada, Lockheed & Martin, and IBM. These companies will be at the top of the pyramid instead of trying to play catch-up. “Also, some businesses other than manufacturers would be hospitals based on previous use of supercomputers (Stahl 2013)”, and companies that review large amounts of data, like the financial industry and banking industry.
As with any invention, the inventors and scientists that combine brain power to develop new theories also win. Serge Haroche, a Frenchman, and David J. Wineland, an American, were awarded the Nobel Prize ‘for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems’ (Rothman 2013).” These two scientists among many others will reap the benefits of quantum computing, not only because of the money, but because they have an understanding of how it works and that itself is a very big advantage.
Quantum Computing: The Future Computers 