The terms superposition, entanglement, and interference might sound like they are from a superhero movie, but they are in fact very important terms in the field of quantum computing. Quantum computing is very different from classical digital on/off computing, which you might be more familiar with. It relies on the principles of quantum mechanics to compute and uses these terms to store information in a quantum state.

Recently, the Microsoft Research Podcast interviewed Microsoft Principal Research Manager, Dr. Krysta Svore about her field of quantum computing. In the podcast, Svore talks about how quantum computing can do so much more than digital computing. With quantum algorithms we can “solve real world problems that are going to make a difference…that really affect humanity.”

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Post Moore’s Law Computing Task Force has also been looking into the potential of quantum computing. The following is a quote from CCC Vice Chair and Co-Chair of the Post Moore’s Law Task Force group, Mark D. Hill from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

These are exciting times for quantum computing in many quarters, including the CCC which is sponsoring a workshop to bring together interested parties from academia, industry, and government to accelerate development of the quantum computing “stack,” including software and architectures that bridge from algorithms to devices.

The CCC Quantum Workshop will most likely be sometime in late Spring/early Summer. More information will be posted on the CCC events page soon. To see the full quantum computing podcast with Dr. Krysta Svore, see this website.