[Answered] Explain what is quantum computing? Discuss its potential application in various fields.

A quantum computer is a type of computer that uses quantum mechanics so that it can perform certain kinds of computation more efficiently than a regular computer can. A normal computer stores all information in a series of 0’s and 1’s. Each unit in this series of 0’s and 1’s is called a bit, the smallest unit of memory. A quantum computer does not use bits to store information. Instead, it uses something called qubits (or Quantum bits).

The potential applications for Quantum Computing:

1. Machine Learning: Machine learning is a hot area right now as there are significant deployments at the consumer level at many different platforms. We are now seeing aspects of this every day in voice, image and handwriting recognition, to name just a few examples. Quantum computing has a lot of potential in machine learning technology and enhancing its accuracy.
2. Computational Chemistry: There are many problems in materials science that can achieve a huge payoff on finding the right catalyst or process to develop a new material, or an existing material more efficiently. A quantum computer can be used to simulate the quantum mechanical processes that occur. Potential applications include:
   • Finding new materials that can achieve a room temperature superconductor or
   • Finding a catalyst that can improve the efficiency of carbon sequestration.
   • Developing a new battery chemistry that can significantly improve the performance over today’s lithium-ion batteries
3. Financial Portfolio Optimisation: Finding the optimum mix for a basketful of investments based upon projected returns, risk assessments, and other factors is a daily task within the finance industry. By utilizing quantum technology to perform these calculations, one could achieve improvements in both the quality of the solutions as well as the time to develop them.
4. Logistics and Scheduling: Many common optimisations used in industry can be classified under logistics and scheduling. Quantum computing can make logistics more efficient. For example:
   • Airlines can figure out how to stage his airplanes for the best service at the lowest cost.
   • Factory manager can minimise cost, time and maximise output.
5. Drug Design: Many of the drugs being developed still do so through the trial and error method. This is very expensive and if more effective ways of simulating how a drug will react would save a ton of money and time.
6. Cyber Security: Cyber security is becoming a larger issue every day as threats around the world are increasing their capabilities and we become more vulnerable as we increase our dependence upon digital system. Various techniques to combat cyber security threats can be developed using some of the quantum machine learning approaches mentioned above to recognize the threats earlier and mitigate the damage that they may do.

Although above applications are still in preliminary stage. With time it will evolve into a better maximising the potential of each application.  Quantum Computing in a way can revolutionise many sectors and can lead to a lot of time and cost cutting.