Quantum Computing, Fizzy Bubbly, Aeromotive Engineering, and Deep Value Investing

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

This past week IBM unveiled the company’s first quantum computer outside of the United States. It’s being operated by Germany’s Fraunhofer, with the goal of advancing research, and driving the creation of application oriented quantum computing strategies. It’s the first of its kind in Europe.

What exactly is quantum computing?

It’s an attempt to harness the phenomena of quantum mechanics in an effort to deliver mind-blowing processing power. Power lies in the ability to manipulate quantum bits, or qubits.

Instead of electrical pulses representing zeros and ones, qubits are typically subatomic particles like electrons or photons. Connecting a group of them can provide significantly more power than the same number of ordinary bits. The two properties in quantum computing are superposition, and entanglement.

Since qubits can represent numerous possible combinations of zero and one at the same time, researchers manipulate the qubits into superposition with laser or microwave beams.

Entanglement means two pairs exist in a single quantum state. No one really knows exactly how entanglement works. Einstein described it as “spooky action at a distance.”…