Today, we are at a similar inflection point with quantum as we were with semiconductors in the 60s, where new quantum physics-related capabilities appear every 24 months. This article compares and contrasts the two industries, which bear striking resemblances to each other. Chester Kennedy, President of Research and Security Solutions at ColdQuanta, takes us through the overlapping timelines and shares predictions for the future.
For the past several decades, I’ve worked on teams pushing the edge of technology every day. As VP and Chief Engineer for Mission Systems and Training at Lockheed, my goal was to deliver every possible advantage to our warfighters. Today, I remain committed to that goal in the field of quantum technology. Unlike aerospace, quantum can be overwhelmingly complex yet surprisingly simple because it is purely based on science. Trusting it and benefiting from it doesn’t require a degree in physics.Â
The underlying physics of quantum, coupled with our ability to experiment using innovations like quantum emulators, have accelerated our path to quantum readiness. The evolution we are seeing now in the field mirrors much of what I experienced in my earlier career as a semiconductor engineer with Moore’s Law. In 1965, Gordon Moore predicted that the number of transistors in a single integrated circuit would double every 24 months. After a few years of seeing this happen, skeptics doubted it could last another 24-month cycle. They rationalized their negativity by explaining that we were reaching various physical limits and that further miniaturization would not be possible.Â
From Microcircuits to Transistors
My fascination with quantum dates back to my early years as an electrical engineer growing up in pre-color television days. Back then, I lived the evolution of the microcircuit. From advances made in transistors to support the space race in the 60’s to the grouping of multiple transistors into integrated circuits, better known as “chips.â€Â
Formally trained in the 80s, I still remember sitting in class studying how transistors were designed and manufactured. The professor talked about capturing the equivalent of 10,000 transistors in a single package without needing a printed circuit board to perform the interconnections between them. Today, we own devices with multiple “chips†in them, with several of those chips having over 30,000,000,000 transistors in a single package! There is no way my mind could have imagined why anyone would want that kind of power.Â
The transistor unlocked the power to build microprocessors, which led to the Internet and the demand for more portable devices, which gave way to apps. You get the story. Today, every company that has broken a trillion-dollar market capitalization has the transistor to thank for it.Â
Quantum Advantage: Sensors and QPSÂ
I believe the near-term applications of quantum will potentially impact our lives as consumers sooner rather than later. Take autonomous vehicles, for example. Imagine driving accuracy with a built-in GPS that can measure differences in time associated with as little as 6 inches of physical displacement, enabling our cars to measure the slightest changes in gravity and other natural fields. These exact measurements, enabled by quantum positioning systems (QPS), are what is needed to build true autonomous system operations. Clocks of this accuracy are demonstrated every day in lab environments and are currently being hardened for real-world applications, set for improvement in two years.Â
As another example, take the concerns associated with 5G technology. Many of these concerns exist because of the crowded radio frequency (RF) spectrum we are constrained to operate within by standard RF components. Quantum-based technologies free us of those constraints, doubling the entire usable RF spectrum in the very near future and opening the path to multiple orders of magnitude more spectrum within a few short years.Â
Quantum Leaps Ahead
These are just a few examples of achieving true quantum advantage on the computer side of the revolution. Furthermore, quantum-based receivers have much less noise and are extremely sensitive. These characteristics enable us to reduce the power level of the transmitters, which increases safety and improves battery life by requiring less exposure to RF radiation.Â
Today, the U.S. has a huge opportunity to establish a leadership position to help our country and its allies gain and retain a formidable competitive advantage. Back in the day, our nation’s early work at Bell Labs and subsequent NASA-funded research and development enabled the rapid evolution of the transistor. It is now the foundation of the U.S. economy and, to a large extent, the global economy. Advancing quantum initiatives – on Earth and in space – require global effort, and while we collaborate to make better sense of it all, our future awaits.
What applications of quantum technology do you actively use daily, and how have they changed your life? Share with us on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We’d love to know more!