Supercomputers vs Quantum Computers: What’s The Difference?
Putting the Super in Computer
Like the name suggests, a supercomputer is a computer with a high-level of performance in comparison to its mass-produced counterpart. It’s a term that is generally given to the fastest computer of the current times. Unlike regular computers, they have more than one CPU (central processing unit), which enables them to undertake complex processes at fast speeds.
Originally designed for code-cracking, supercomputers have also been used in weather and climate change predictions, molecular modelling, genetic engineering, aerodynamics and medical research.
The first supercomputers were invented in the late 1950s to early 1960s by Seymour Cray, an American electrical engineer. For decades, he developed the fastest models in the world, and has since been credited as the “father of supercomputers.”
With its ability to handle and process large amounts of complex data, it’s no wonder that supercomputers are used in a variety of sectors, from research facilities to government agencies. Without the existence of supercomputers, vaccines for global diseases such as COVID-19 may not have been developed as quickly as they did.
Whilst supercomputers have proved beneficial in a wide range of sectors, they are just more powerful versions of the computers we have at home. And with technology advancing all the time, supercomputers in a sense, are becoming less super. The current personal desktop is as powerful - if not more- than a supercomputer made just a few years prior. Soon, there may come a time when supercomputers are unable to keep up with modern advancements.
The Future is Quantum
And this is where quantum computing comes into play. A whole new generation of technology, quantum computers are in an entirely different league to what has been for the last 50 years.
Instead of using bits and binary processes like in classical computers, they’re made up of qubits, enabling them to process a multitude of calculations simultaneously and with accuracy. In addition, quantum computing has been particularly vital in the development of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
“Qubits are quantum bits, and have the special property that at the same time they can be zero and one. The classical computer can only be – like a light switch – either on or off, and the quantum bits can be on and off at the same time,” says Dr Thomas Monz, who is leading a project to create a fully scalable quantum computer.
Despite their high speeds, quantum computers require a fraction of the power needed to run a supercomputer. In a report by Consultancy UK, it’s estimated that the global market of quantum computing technology will reach $1 trillion (£832 billion) by 2035. But given this technology is in its early days, what methods are in place to future-proof it?
In the field of quantum mechanics, methods are being devised to provide security and protection that can be utilised in quantum computing. Zeroing in on this pioneering technology is Arqit and its cloud-based quantum encryption platform. Overcoming many of the problems that occur in classical encryption, Arqit’s QuantumCloud™ solution delivers the most efficient and effective security that can be utilised in all devices, not just quantum computers.
Although it will be quite some time till quantum computers are commonplace, we are already discovering its capabilities and what could be made possible with its technology. From advancements in medicine to more accuracy in predicting weather-related disasters, the future really is quantum.