Although quantum computing sounds like science fiction, it is a few years away from changing the world as we know it. Many areas will be impacted, including logistics. The logical question is: what is it about?
If classical computing is based on a language encoded in bits (a string of ones and zeros), quantum computing changes that basic binary unit of information to qubits . That is, it is no longer just two numbers, but infinite intermediate positions.
Now what does that represent? Quantum computers will use algorithms just as robust, which translates into exponentially larger capacity and that means not only faster computation speed.
It will be so disruptive that it will be able to perform, in just a few days, minutes or seconds, tasks that would take classical computers millions of years to solve.
For the world of Big Data , artificial intelligence and machines capable of learning by themselves ( machine learning ), this will mean an unprecedented leap.
The qubits will possess a characteristic called quantum entanglement, which will allow them to communicate with each other over enormous distances without there being anything, no transmission channel. Have you already dimensioned the possibilities of that factor?
Although the implications and imprints that it will leave in each area in which it is used are still unknown, experts point out that it could have an impact on fields as varied as industry, the financial sector and health.
Research on quantum computing
The QUTIS Center of the UPV-EHU (University of the Basque Country) is one of the many centers that are already working on the application of quantum computing in projects related to the supply chain .
According to projections, one of the many improvements that the quantum world will cause is to optimize product distribution routes thanks to technologies such as geolocation and artificial intelligence .
Given the enormous range of possibilities that the improvement of this technology opens up, UK authorities and the technology company IBM announced just a few days ago the launch of a joint initiative to investigate in the fields of artificial intelligence and quantum computing .
The goal of this union is to make new discoveries in these fields and develop sustainable technologies in sectors ranging from life sciences to manufacturing.
The researchers will work at the recently launched Hartree Center for Digital Innovation (HNCDI) in Cheshire, UK.
Project leaders will apply artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, data analytics, as well as quantum computing and cloud technologies to advance areas such as materials development and environmental sustainability.
The future and quantum computing
The most visible implications of quantum computing range from the way we travel to consumption habits .
Also read: The importance of new technologies for the automation of international trade
Specialists estimate that in the next 10 years we will see an escalation of experimental applications of quantum projects for companies, related to material design, automation , supply chain logistics and artificial intelligence solutions.
Although at the moment there is no certain solution from the incipient development of quantum computing, experts say that sustainable logistics has enormous potential to move towards a model that is more respectful of the environment.
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In addition, there is a glimpse of the use of smart containers in transport that will significantly revolutionize last-mile deliveries in congested cities.
Although new technologies have already allowed giant steps in these sectors, the future looks promising and intriguing, so much so that it is not even possible to measure for now the turnaround that quantum computing will cause on the planet.
