It wasn’t that long ago when the internet was seen as nothing more than a science fiction idea. The ability to connect with people across the other side of the world in a matter of seconds seemed ludicrous, yet in the thirty years since its genesis, the internet has become an integral part of day-to-day life that we often take for granted. Now, researchers at Oxford University have made huge developments in quantum computing, a term that sounds just as science fiction to most people as the internet did back in the 90s. Are we on the brink of a quantum internet, or is this just another crazy idea from physicists that will never be more than a research interest?
Unlike traditional computing which uses “bits” to store information—the ones and zeros you might have seen if you ever learnt about binary at school— quantum computing uses quantum bits, “qubits”, that can be both a one and zero at the same time. This is all possible due to a concept in quantum mechanics known as superposition that is only seen on a very small scale. This might allow for the development of quantum computers, which would be many, many times more powerful than even the best supercomputers currently in the world.
Earlier this month, leading researchers at Oxford University demonstrated the first quantum teleportation of logic—the essential components of—over a distance of six feet. If this technology were to be successfully scaled up, it could lead to the development of a system of quantum computers that could behave effectively as one big computer, without the limitations of traditional computing. If successful, we could see in the not-so-distant future, a quantum internet, but what would this mean for the average person?
The sheer potential of quantum computing and a so-called quantum internet cannot be overstated. Though the traditional internet has brought society closer than ever before, it can suffer from security issues and is limited by supercomputers not being able take advantage of concepts such as superposition and quantum entanglement that only quantum objects such as qubits can. From making use of these concepts, we could end up with a quantum internet that is ultra-secure and able to solve problems in hours that supercomputers would take years to solve. Even some of the world’s most complex challenges such as climate change and weather predictions might be solvable.
For now, however, there are difficulties with the scalability of quantum computing and further breakthroughs will be required until we are able to achieve a fully realised interconnected quantum internet. Nonetheless, it feels like we are on the precipice of something massive. Just as how the internet sounded like a science fiction idea to people in the ’90s, quantum computing and the quantum internet sounds similar to people now. Yet, if physicists at world-leading universities and companies are able to continue with the rate of breakthroughs of recent years, it might not be too long until you are able to search the quantum internet for your favourite Netflix show.