Quantum Computing – Will it Help Cope with COVID-19?

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Quantum computing is expected to spur the development of breakthroughs in many fields, such as medication to save lives, and enable tasks to be completed at warp speed compared with conventional computers.

Quantum computing’s ultrafast processing capabilities may help the world cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. kyodonews.net brings insights from Japan and Canada. Local companies there have been basing on Canadian quantum computing expertise in search of novel and efficient solutions.

Whether it be formulating more efficient transport solutions for sick people and testing supplies, or the implementation of evidence-backed social distancing measures, the companies are hoping Canada has built a unique and vibrant quantum computing ecosystem in Waterloo, Ontario, where a tight cluster of multiple institutions pursue everything from research to commercialization.

Quantum computing harnesses and exploits quantum mechanics laws to process information, which allows quantum computers to examine a vast number of possibilities instantaneously to find solutions.

It is anticipated that quantum computing will provide an exponential acceleration in crucial calculations and improvements in optimization, and many companies worldwide have formed alliances to utilize the quantum technologies developed by Canadian firms.

Several Japanese companies have joined a project of D-Wave Systems, the leading Canadian developer of quantum computing systems. D-Wave provides people working on coronavirus pandemic challenges immediate and free access to its quantum computer via the cloud.