Google's quantum computing efforts to give you better health and unlimited electricity

Today is World Quantum Day and to mark the occasion, Google has outlined three benefits that quantum computing will unlock for you in the coming decades. For a bit of grounding, Microsoft recently announced a new quantum chip called Majorana 1. In an editorial following that, which took a deep dive into quantum computing, it was found that most companies were targeting practical quantum computers for the mid-2030s.

Drug discovery

The first benefit that Google says quantum computers are expected to deliver is drug discovery, leading to better health outcomes. With the technology, researchers will be able to test different drug candidates with their targets and other biological molecules, helping to create more effective medicines.

Google recently published a research paper with Boehringer Ingelheim that shows quantum computers will be able to more accurately simulate Cytochrome P450, a key enzyme at determining drug effectiveness, due to its role in breaking down drugs in the bloodstream.

Improved batteries

Another way that Google expects quantum computers to benefit us is through the development of improved batteries. These are important for cleaning up transportation such as electric cars and buses, as well as energy grids as excess energy can be stored for the times when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining.

To improve batteries, Google envisions quantum computers assisting in the design of new materials. It has already worked with the chemical company BASF to determine that quantum computers will be able to simulate Lithium Nickel Oxide (LNO) which could improve industrial production processes and lead to better batteries. Right now, LNO is difficult to produce, so this holds work in the area back. One of the main benefits is that it has a smaller environmental footprint than lithium cobalt oxide, which is more commonly used.

Fusion power

The third and final area that Google said quantum computers will benefit is energy production. Today, clean renewable energy means solar or wind power, but in the future, it will mean fusion power. The technology for fusion reactors is still being figured out, but Google believes quantum computers will be used to design reactors to unlock fusion power.

Current computer models can be inaccurate, according to Google, and they need to be run for billions of CPU hours. The search giant has collaborated with Sandia National Laboratories to show that quantum algorithms that run on fault-tolerant quantum computers, could “more efficiently simulate the mechanisms needed for sustained fusion reactions.”

The introduction of science-focused artificial intelligence models has already sped up drug and materials discovery, so when coupled with quantum computers, the discoveries that are made are likely to accelerate even more. Happy World Quantum Day!

Source: Google