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Today, we're diving head first into the
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mind-bending world of quantum computing.
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And I know some of you are thinking,
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"Quant computing? It just makes no
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sense." But don't worry, cuz I'm here to
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break it down into bite-sized, easy to
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digest pieces that anybody can wrap
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their head around. By the end of this
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10-minute journey, you'll not only
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understand what quantum computing is,
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but also why it's set to flip the tech
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world upside down. So, grab a coffee,
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kick back, and let's embark on this
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quantum adventure. But let's start with
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the very basics. Quantum computing is a
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totally different beast from the
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classical computing that we're all used
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to. The kind of computing that powers
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your phone, your laptop, or that new
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Thread Ripper desktop. At its heart,
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quantum computing uses the principles of
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quantum mechanics, the science of how
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things behave at the tiniest scales,
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like atoms and electrons, to process
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information in ways that classical
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computers could only dream of. So,
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what's the big difference? Well, as you
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know, classical computers use bits as
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their building blocks. A bit is super
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simple. It's either a zero or a one,
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like an onoff switch. Everything your
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computer does, from streaming this video
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to running your favorite game, is built
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on millions of those little zeros and
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ones flipping back and forth. Quantum
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computers, though, they use something
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called cubits or quantum bits. And
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here's where it gets weird. Unlike
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regular bits, cubits can be a zero or a
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one or both at the same time. You heard
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that right, both at once. This magic
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trick is thanks to a quantum property
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called superposition. And it's the key
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to why quantum computers have so much
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potential. But before we get too far
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ahead, let's unpack that idea a little
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bit more. Whether you think of a cubit
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as having no value at all or both values
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or all possible values at the same time,
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it doesn't really matter. What does
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matter is how they actually respond to
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algorithms. Now, to make superposition
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less of a head scratcher, let's use an
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analogy. Picture a coin. In the
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classical world, you flip it and it's
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either heads or tails. Simple, right?
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Well, that's like a classical bit, a
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zero or a one. One state at a time. Now
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imagine that same coin in a quantum
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world. Instead of landing on heads or
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tails like when it's still spinning in
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the air almost, it's representing both
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heads and tails at the same time until
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you stop and check it. And that's superp
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position in a nutshell. A cubit can
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exist in multiple states at once until
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it resolves. Why does this matter? Well,
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in a classical computer, you have let's
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say three bits. So you can represent one
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of eight possible combinations at a time
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like 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 and so on. But with
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three cubits in superp position, a
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quantum computer can represent all eight
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of those combinations simultaneously.
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Add more cubits and the possibilities
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explode exponentially. With just 300
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cubits, a quantum computer could
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represent more states than there are
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atoms in the observable universe. Let
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that sink in for a second because this
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ability to handle multiple states at
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once is what lets quantum computers
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tackle insanely complex problems way
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faster than classical machines. Imagine
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that you had enough cubits to represent
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a 256-bit encryption key. Theoretically,
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since the cubits can represent all
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possible states and combinations at the
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same time, it's only a matter of
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selecting the ones that resolve the
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decryption key. Superposition allows a
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quantum computer to process all possible
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keys simultaneously. But there's still a
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catch. When you measure the cubits, the
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superposition collapses to a single
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state, one key, with probability
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proportional to its amplitude squared.
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In a uniform superp position, each key
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has an equal chance of being measured.
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So a single measurement is really no
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better than a random guess, which would
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be equivalent to classically brute
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forcing a key one at a time. To deduce
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the correct key, you need a quantum
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algorithm that amplifies the amplitude
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of the correct keys state or otherwise
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exploits quantum properties to somehow
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identify it efficiently. Because without
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going too deep into the weeds, the most
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common algorithm is one known as
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Grover's algorithm. And the basic idea
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is to iteratively apply a series of
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quantum operations that enhance the
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probability of measuring the correct
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key. It starts with a superposition of
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all possible keys and then uses an
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oracle to mark the correct key by
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flipping its phase followed by a
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diffusion step that amplifies its
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amplitude. After roughly a number of
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iterations equal to the square root of
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the key size, the correct keys amplitude
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is boosted enough that measuring the
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cubits is likely to yield the right
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answer, providing a quadratic speed up
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over classical brute forcing. But superp
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position is just one piece of the
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puzzle. There's another quantum trick up
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the sleeve that takes things to the next
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level. Entanglement. Okay, entanglement
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is where it starts to feel a little bit
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like science fiction. When two cubits
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become entangled, they're linked in a
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way that's almost spooky. Einstein
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called this spooky action at a distance,
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and it still blows minds today. So,
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here's an analogy to help wrap your head
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around it. Imagine you've got two coins
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that are entangled. You flip one and it
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lands on heads. Instantly, the other
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coin, whether it's across the room or
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across the galaxy, lands on heads, too.
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They're perfectly in sync, like they're
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sharing some kind of cosmic connection
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with no time delay. In quantum
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computing, this linkage lets cubits work
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together in ways that classical bits
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can't, amplifying their power to solve
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problems. When you combine superp
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position and entanglement, you get a
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machine that can juggle tons of
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possibilities at once and coordinate
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them perfectly. That's why quantum
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computers can take on tasks that would
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leave even the beefiest supercomputers
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in the dust, like cracking codes or
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simulating molecules or optimizing
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massive systems. Speaking of which,
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let's talk about what quantum computing
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could actually do for us. So, why should
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you care about all this quantum
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computing weirdness? Because it's not
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just a cool science experiment anymore.
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It could change the world. And here are
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some big areas where quantum computing
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is poised to make waves. Number one is
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cryptography. Right now, most of the
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internet security, like your online
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banking or those encrypted messages you
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send, rely on math problems that are
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really, really hard for classical
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computers to solve. Take a 256-bit
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encryption key, for example. A classical
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computer would need billions of years to
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crack it. But a quantum computer, it
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could potentially do it in hours or even
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minutes using another algorithm called
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Shor's algorithm. And that's a gamecher,
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both a threat and an opportunity. It
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means we'll need new quantum resistant
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encryption methods soon and quantum tech
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could help us build them. We could also
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save lives faster because in medicine
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creating new drugs is a slow expensive
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process. And a big part of that is
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simulating how actual molecules
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interact. Something classical computers
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struggle with because these calculations
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are so complex. Quantum computers could
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possibly zoom through these simulations
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modeling molecules down to the atomic
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level. That could mean faster
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development of life-saving drugs, from
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cancer treatments to vaccines, cutting
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years off the process and getting help
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to people who need it sooner. AI and
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machine learning are already
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transforming the world, but they're
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hungry for data and computing power.
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Quantum computers could supercharge them
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by processing the massive data sets way
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faster than classical machines. Imagine
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training an AI model in minutes instead
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of days, or building systems that learn
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and adapt in real time. That could lead
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to smarter assistance, better
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self-driving cars, or even breakthroughs
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in robotics.
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And ever wonder how companies figure out
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the fastest delivery routes or the best
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stock portfolios? Those are optimization
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problems and they get insanely
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complicated as the number of options
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pile up. Classical computers have to
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grind through possibilities one by one.
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But quantum computers can explore tons
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of them all at once. And that could mean
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more efficient supply chains, cheaper
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energy, or even helping scientists
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design better materials. And those are
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just the tips of the icebergs. Quantum
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computing could also tackle climate
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modeling, financial forecasting, and
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even fundamental physics questions that
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we haven't cracked yet. It's not just
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about doing things faster. It's also
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about doing things we couldn't do
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before. Now, before you start picturing
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a quantum PC on your desk, let's pump
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the brakes a bit. Quantum computing is
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still very much in its early days, like
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in the vacuum tube or maybe even relay
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era of classical computing. We've got a
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long way to go before it's ready for
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prime time, but the progress is very
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exciting. Big players like IBM, Google,
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and Microsoft are pouring billions into
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quantum research. Back in 2019, Google
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made headlines when their sycamore
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processor achieved quantum supremacy. It
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solved a super specific problem in 200
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seconds that would have taken a
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classical computer 10,000 years. IBM's
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got their quantum experience letting
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developers tinker with cubits in the
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cloud. And startups like Regetti and
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D-Wave are pushing the boundaries, too.
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But there are some big challenges
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holding us back. Cubit stability is one.
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Cubits are fussy little things. They
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need to be kept at temperatures colder
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than outer space, like minus 460
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Fahrenheit, which is about 275 below
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Celsius. And even then, tiny vibrations
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or even electromagnetic noise can mess
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them up. This is called decoherence, and
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it leads to errors in calculations.
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Fixing those errors is tricky. Quantum
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air correction needs extra cubits to
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doublech checkck the work, which makes
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the whole system more complex and
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expensive. It's like trying to proofread
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a book while somebody's shaking the
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pages. Right now, we can build quantum
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computers with dozens of cubits.
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Google's got 53. IBM's hit 65. The
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practical applications might need
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thousands or millions of them. Scaling
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up without losing control of these
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delicate cubits is a massive engineering
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puzzle. Still, the pace of innovation is
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actually picking up. New materials,
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better cooling systems, and smarter
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algorithms are chipping away at these
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hurdles. We're not there yet, but we're
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definitely on the road. In short, your
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classical computer is a trusty workhorse
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for daily stuff, while quantum computers
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are like rocket chips built for
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exploring uncharted territory. They're
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not here to replace your laptop. They're
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here to solve the unsolvable. So, what's
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next? Where is this all heading? Well,
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the experts reckon we're maybe a decade
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away from quantum computers hitting the
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mainstream. Think 2030s or so. When that
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happens, industries like healthcare,
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finance, and security could look totally
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different. Imagine drugs designed in
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months instead of years, or AI that's
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way smarter than anything we've seen
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yet. But it's not just about practical
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stuff. Quantum computing could help us
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crack the big mysteries, like how the
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universe works at its deepest levels, or
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how to build the perfect climate models.
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It's the kind of tech that doesn't just
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improve what we have. It opens doors
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that we didn't even know existed. So,
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there you have it. We covered the
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basics: cubits, superp position,
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entanglement, and why it matters. It's a
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wild, fascinating field that's going to
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shake up the world, and we're just
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getting started. If you enjoyed this
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episode, don't forget that I'm mostly in
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this for the subs and likes. So, I'd be
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honored if you consider subscribing to
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the channel and leaving a like on the
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video before you go today. If you've got
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questions, drop them in the comments. I
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do love hearing from you. I read them
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all and we answer the best ones every
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Friday on Shop Talk. Check it out at the
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link in the video description. In the
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meantime, and in between time, hope to
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see you next time right here in Dave's
