A seemingly unanswerable, thought-provoking paradox that have pondered mankind since its proposal by the Greek philosopher Plutarch in the 1st century will soon be solved — by quantum computing.That is neither a chicken nor an egg — it’s my cat Schrödinger (aka Smokey)I used to think quantum computing was way over my head and that it was merely a wacky undertaking formulated by physicists with too much time and chalk, not to mention psychedelics, on their hands. In 2008 when I was working for IBM, they put me on a quantum computing project. Colleagues, friends, fellow plane passengers and other small talk acquaintances would give me that puzzling, strange look as soon as I mentioned quantum computing. When the project ended, my manager advised that I would be better off not mentioning anything quantum for my next assignment. No worries, I’ll just say that I took long lunches, hung out at the research library chatting with the librarian, listened to audiobooks, and took frequent Starbucks breaks. Fast forward 10 years later, and I still get the same looks. What’s going on? Is it my hair? What is this quantum computing thing? I am glad you asked.Quantum mechanics, the underpinning branch of physics, for which the technology is based, is not theoretical. It is real, proven, tested, and confirmed reliably without failure. Let me confess that I had a very difficult time learning quantum mechanics when I was an undergraduate. The terms quantum mechanics and quantum physics are interchangeable. Mind you, I said learning, not understanding. Einstein had a difficult time grappling with it himself, although he is a main contributor to the subject with his 1921 Nobel Prize on the photoelectric effect. Richard Feynman, himself a Nobel Laureate in physics, stated: If you think you understand quantum mechanics then you don’t understand quantum mechanics. What chance would we mere folks have to understand quantum mechanics if it bedazzles the likes of Einstein and Feynman?Is that a supercomputer in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?Mind you, that the technology and accomplishments behind classical computing are nothing to sneeze at. The first practical general purpose computer was the ENIAC built in the 1940s by the University of Pennsylvania. Comprising 20,000 vacuum tubes, the logical equivalent of the modern-day transistor, the ENIAC is recognized and honored as an IEEE Milestone. By comparison, today’s most powerful single chip comprises over a trillion transistors, making it 100 million times more powerful than the ENIAC.However, Gordon Moore, the namesake of his law which states that transistor doubles about every 18–24 months, predicted that the finite practical limit of the current silicon technology is fast approaching. CPU architecture techniques such as superscalar, pipelining, caching, clock speeding, and multi-core are no longer creating newsworthy capabilities. But is that reason to explore new territories? Aren’t most of us quite content staring obsessively at our smartphones? Do we even need quantum?It isn’t a question of needing it or not; it’s just what man does. But maybe we need it. If you believe in the climate’s threat crisis, then quantum computing may be the savior by discovering less emission harming ways to produce energy and other industrial needs while also directing us on where to optimally cool the planet. The debate rages on, but big players like Google, Microsoft, IBM, Amazon, Baidu, TenCent, Alibaba along with national governments like the US and China are all betting big on quantum. Quantum computing can perform tasks that are not possible with current computing, even if we loaded all the atoms and energy in the universe into a giant supercomputer. Financial modeling, accurate weather prediction, route optimization, molecular dynamics, drug discovery and true artificial intelligence are examples of the new computing capabilities enabled by quantum computing.Moore’s Law at work. ImpressiveIn October 2019, Google made a startling announcement that it had achieved quantum supremacy. The term signifies the crossover threshold where quantum computing overtakes its classical computing counterpart. From there on, the two respective computing power curves will diverge ushering us into a new age. But not so fast. IBM countered that despite the impressive achievement, IBM’s Summit Supercomputer, using an enhanced, hyperthyroid configuration, could have duplicated the same feat — in theory. We may be closer, but we are not there yet.Fight Fire with FireI am a paranoid person after having been in IT for too long. My company, QuantDART is in the cryptocurrency custodial services, the equivalent of wearing a “kick me in the ass” sign on my back. Making matters worse, in 1994 Peter Shor devised a quantum algorithm that can easily break current encryption, although the hardware is not yet available. Shor’s algorithm, which can factor large prime numbers, the basis for 2048-bit RSA encryption in use today, will necessitate a complete overhaul of encryption standards. This will probably be the first quantum computing battleground when the technology can disrupt commerce and sensitive information transmission and storage. However, post-quantum cryptography (PQC) technologies, such as lattice-based LWE key exchange, and BB84 key distribution, can repulse and prevent such attempts fighting fire with fire. Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is quantum-resistant but since it’s based on symmetrical encryption, the challenge is in the safe transmission of its keys, which is exactly the impetus behind RSA. Another method of key distribution, Elliptic-Curve Cryptography (ECC), may be resistant to future quantum attacks, but the technology has yet to be thoroughly tested. The good news is that companies like London-based Post Quantum have been developing new encryption technology. Disclaimer: Post Quantum is a partner of my company, QuantDART.He is a hot guy (credit to Marvel Comics™)How does quantum computing workSir Isaac Newton derived classical physics in the 17th century when a falling apple dropped on his head during a nap. If you ever caught a fly ball, returned a tennis shot, kicked a soccer ball for a goal, then you have instinctively mastered classical physics. But individuals don’t behave like the herd.Transistors, lasers, MRI, and electronics are a product from our understanding of quantum mechanics. Classical computers store data in the form of 0’s and 1’s, or bits. Have you ever considered how inefficient it is to transform a picture, a song, or anything else into digital 0’s and 1’s, and then transform it back? Classical computing is really a brute force method! In fact, we all have a quantum computer already — it’s your brain. Neurons work at the quantum level, and some neuroscientists are working on the hard and mysterious problem of consciousness and its possible link quantum mechanics. Welcome to the real world.Quantum computer stores data in units of qubits. Qubits can be in multiple states simultaneously rather than waiting for sequential, synchronized clock cycles as in classical bits. If you are scratching your head, I can commiserate. The qubit is walking and chewing gum at the same time. Better yet, the qubit is not limited to discrete 1’s and 0’s. It can store a complex value (see the Bloch Sphere). This combination of being in multiple states of complex values is known as superposition.A representation of possible qubit states — the Bloch SphereThe qubits working together form the real power of quantum computing. Instead of being physically wired with other bits by sending molasses-like electrons, the qubits communicate with each other faster than the speed of light in a phenomenon known as entanglement. Einstein never said that nothing could travel faster than the speed of light. Instead, he postulated that all observers in relative motion would measure the same speed of light in a vacuum, the statement from which we inferred, incorrectly, as a speed limit. A recent experiment of entangled photons showed that interactions traveled at least 10,000 times faster than the speed of light.¹ It is bizarre and spooky, but it’s real.Example Problem of Qubit ProcessingLet me give you a simple, albeit contrived, example of how quantum computing differs from its classical cousin.An advertising executive must schedule the advertising during a particular television show. Seven different consecutive time slots are available for advertisements during a commercial break, and are numbered one through seven in the order that they will be aired. Seven different advertisements A, B, C, D, E, F, and G must be aired during the show. Only one advertisement can occupy each time slot. The assignment of the advertisements to the slots is subject to the following restrictions:· A and C must occupy consecutive time slots· A must be aired during an earlier time slot than G· C must be aired during a later time slot than E· G and H cannot occupy consecutively numbered time slots· If E does not occupy the fourth time slot, then D must occupy the fourth time slotWhich of the following could be a possible list of the advertisements in the order that they are aired?ACDEFBGBFAECGDEACDFBGECADGFBEFCADGBUsing classical computing, the algorithm would re-iterate sequentially through the 7 factorial, or 5040, permutations and determine which permutation would either comply or violate the restrictions.Quantum computing instead would use 7 qubits, each representing an available time slot. The qubit would then have multiple states of A to G, but simultaneously. The qubits are programmed to conform to the restrictions, and in one single step, all the permutations would be computed for validity. It’s taking candy from a baby.True current classic computing can solve this in a blink. But factorial growth trumps even exponential growth, eventually. 50 factorial equals 30414093201713378043612608166064768844377641568960512000000000000. That’s 65 digits and classical computing cannot re-iterate though that in the lifetime of the current universe. Not even close.SummaryCurrent quantum computers are in the 53-qubit range, such as those in service at Google and IBM. However, qubits are the ultimate divas — needing to be kept near absolute zero temperatures, isolated from noise and vibration, and they are error prone. 5 error correcting qubits are needed to create one logically functioning qubit. Estimates are that thousands, if not millions, of qubits are needed to build a functional quantum computer. And it becomes increasingly difficult to scale the number of qubits together. While some say it’s only a matter of engineering, the challenge is really more daunting. 5 years? 10 to 20 years? Maybe never. Technology does not progress linearly.There is no way to predict when or even if quantum computing will ever reach its promise. A serendipitous discovery in material science, a revelation of a new subatomic particle, or a breakthrough in refrigeration could be the key enabler. The merger of AI and quantum computing together, as exciting as it is, will should also be a major concern. Are we overstepping ourselves if we don’t carefully consider the potential dangers? A closing door opens a new one.I hope that that I have at least started your interests on a fascinating topic. In future articles, I plan to expand further on quantum topics: cryptography, superposition, entanglement, the collapse of the wave function when a quantum particle is measured (observed), Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, Schrödinger’s Cat (a thought experiment where the cat puts the Noble laureate in a box), the double-split experiment and the different interpretations of quantum mechanics. And you thought it was just the chicken or the egg question. Coming soon: quantum computing untangle the annoying question about “Who’s on first?”References1. https://www.livescience.com/27920-quantum-action-faster-than-light.htmlEdward Wong is a Co-Founder at QuantDART, a crypto custody, wallet, investment funds, advisory, and exchange. Edward is the Co-founder of the Shanghai Futures Exchange and was the former Treasury Architect at the Federal Reserve. Besides being a FEDophile he is a World Champion Spicy Eater, Stuyvesant alumni and a cat lady.The Capitalhttps://medium.com/media/3b6b127891c5c8711ad105e61d6cc81f/hrefQuantum Computing Resolves the Chicken or the Egg Question was originally published in The Capital on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.