When Quantum Computers Come, They May Speak

Microsoft on Monday announced that it has been working on a language for a computer that doesn't exist.

The company unveiled the language -- as yet unnamed -- at its Ignite conference in Orlando, Florida. Part of its Visual Studio product, it will run on a quantum simulator and quantum computer.

Microsoft introduced the language during a presentation about the company's progress toward developing a topological qubit and an ecosystem of hardware and software for developers to produce wares using the power of quantum computing.

"Quantum computing is the next phase in computing," said Jack E. Gold, principal analyst at J.Gold Associates.

"It's the new frontier, and Microsoft wants to be a major player," he added.

"Other companies have already introduced languages, so Microsoft needed to do it, too," Gold told TechNewsWorld.

Qubits, or quantum bits, encode information in a quantum computer. Their analog in the computing devices we use today is the binary bit.

Binary bits store information in one of two states: zero or one. Qubits, which represent atoms, ions, photons or electrons, can encode information in many states simultaneously, opening the door for computers millions of times more powerful than anything we have crunching zeroes and ones today.

A Qubit Apart

When it comes to qubits, Microsoft is taking a road less traveled. Companies like IBM and Google, as well as a number of academic labs, are using mature hardware solutions, like loops of semiconducting wire, to make their qubits.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has been exploring a different way of encoding information in qubits, through quasiparticles called "non-abelian anyons." If Microsoft can exploit the topological properties of the quasiparticle, it could create qubits more robust and less susceptible to outside interference than the qubits created by its competitors.

Tapping the Power

Microsoft's qubit efforts are notable in two ways, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

"First, the company's topological quantum computing project is different than other publicly available quantum solutions, and could theoretically be applied to different areas of problem solving," he told TechNewsWorld.

"In addition, the company's plan to leverage its Visual Studio and other programming technologies in its efforts should open its quantum solution to a wider audience of individuals and organizations," King said.

Programming Freedom

Programming a quantum computer will be a liberating experience for developers, noted FireMon's Mayfield.

"Programmers have always been shackled with the rigidity of computers: 'You have a great idea -- now translate that into the language the computer can understand.' Imagine that rigidity being removed," he suggested.

"The new programming language can be conceptual in nature, rather than concrete and exact. Quantum computers can 'get the gist' of what it is receiving without blundering into errors of imprecise translation," Mayfield explained.

Transforming Science

Quantum computers also will change the scientific landscape.

"They're going to enable simulations to be used to answer basic scientific questions, making simulation science an equal partner with traditional 'theory and experiment' methods as an avenue of scientific discovery," ITIF's Ezell said.

The computers will be able to run millions of models at once to discover which works best, he noted.

When will quantum computers become a practical reality? The jury is still out.

"I really cannot see working implementations of proper qubit size in the next 10 years," Curran said.