There is a set of mathematical problems that we cannot solve, more specifically, our classical computers cannot solve. This includes several key fields such as computing, sensors, cryptography, simulations, and materials. Quantum computers, currently still under development by companies such as IBM, can simulate and solve complex problems at unprecedented speed and accuracy, making them a powerful instrument in tackling climate change, which often involves calculations and simulations of real-world data.
Quantum computing is a completely different subject from Artificial Intelligence (AI) models that have taken over the world recently, but there are similarities between them in the way we can expect them to impact the world.
Firstly, advancements in quantum computing could cause a ripple effect so huge that it would render most of the security in software completely useless.
This is because future quantum computers will be able to solve certain problems much more efficiently than “classical” computers — for example, cracking cryptographic codes. A strong eight-character password is generally considered unbreakable since a classical computer would take millions of years to figure it out, but quantum computers? Just a few hours.
This could open the world up to a new level of chaos as governments, militaries, and banks all become targets.
Secondly, quantum computers use an extraordinarily small amount of energy compared to classical computers. NASA, Google, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory jointly published a study estimating that to perform the same task, quantum computers require only 0.002% of the energy required by a classical computer.
Current AI technology, including popular products like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has devastating environmental costs due to its massive energy and water consumption. Since current climate tech leverages AI running on classical computers to solve many problems, such as mapping the destructive dredging of sand and charting emissions of potential greenhouse gases, removing the environmental costs by relying on quantum computing would be a game-changer in the fight against climate change.
How is it possible?
Classical computers and their circuit boards operate on binary, 1s and 0s. Quantum computers work differently: instead of bits, they operate on quantum bits (or qubits). This allows them to exist as 1s, 0s, or something else entirely — turning them into exponentially more powerful machines for solving mathematical problems.
Before we panic and imagine a world under the control of quantum computers (and the autocrats who set up teams to run them and control the population) because of their extraordinary efficiency, let’s consider the other side of the coin, the possible positive impacts.
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The role of quantum computing in keeping global warming under 1.5°C
Quantum computing could be the breakthrough needed for several fields to achieve a large-scale decarbonization impact — essential towards getting the planet back on track to stay under 1.5°C of warming.
Because quantum computers are so efficient, they can boost research and innovation. This is likely to include the development of higher-density batteries through simulation, reducing costs, and pushing us towards zero-carbon electrification; decarbonizing of power and fuel through improvements in solar efficiency and even hydrogen production; and reforming the food and forestry sectors by developing new ways of clean ammonia for fertilizers and in reducing CO2 emissions from livestock.
Climate change is possibly the most existential threat to humanity, and by extension, many other lifeforms on this planet, and many scientists trust that investing heavily in quantum computing will lead to a solution.
It is important to note, however, that there will be no magic fix-all invention. Climate change will have to be dealt with through political cooperation worldwide and it needs to be done urgently. Developing technologies like quantum computing is a pointless exercise if the ones in power continue to refuse to take any responsibility in tackling the real-time destruction of the environment we live in.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the Cover Photo: IBM Q. Cover Photo Credit: Pierre Metivier.
