Quantum computing has the potential to radically change the world around us by revolutionising industries such as finance, pharmaceuticals, AI, and automotive over the next several years. The value of quantum computers comes as a result of the probabilistic manner in which they function. By directly using a probabilistic style of computation instead of simulating it, computer scientists have shown the potential applications in rapid search engines, more accurate weather forecasts, and precise medical applications. Additionally, representing the original motivation for the development of quantum computing, quantum computers are extremely useful in directly simulating quantum mechanics. Perhaps the main appeal of quantum computing is that it solves problems faster, making it a natural fit for applications that need to process huge amounts of data (e.g., aerospace logistics, drug manufacturing, molecular research, or other fields using canonical processes at an atomic level).

The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) has access to the largest computing grid in the world. To run calculations for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), it links 11 major computer centres worldwide, and these have access to 160 smaller computer centres. This effectively creates one giant supercomputer, but even with the collective computing power of humankind, CERN experiences limitations.

To give you an idea of how much of an advantage quantum computing could provide over classic computing, let`s compare the performance of humans to supercomputers. In 2018, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee revealed the Summit supercomputer, the world`s fastest and smartest at the time. It could complete 200,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second. Put another way, "if every person on Earth completed one calculation per second, it would take the world population 305 days to do what Summit can do in one second" according to ORNL. Now, replace "person" with "supercomputer" and "Summit" with "quantum computing," and you`ll get an idea of why scientists are ecstatic about the potential that quantum computing offers.

In the same way that supercomputers transform what desktop PCs can do by switching from serial processing to parallel processing, quantum computing can reinvent what supercomputers are capable of by changing from a binary bit to a qubit capable of leveraging superposition and quantum entanglement. As a general principle, quantum computing offers as much of a potential leap forward over supercomputing as the latter does over a human with a pencil.

Many large computer companies are investing billions of dollars into building quantum computers. Similarly, many academic institutions are also investing a lot of money and brainpower into this area. The current generation of quantum computers need to be managed by expert staff due to their specialised hardware and cooling requirements. As a result, in the near future, quantum computing functionality will be mostly offered as a cloud service.