5 - Quantum Computing Applications

Summary

The risk of wide-scale cryptanalysis pervades narratives about quantum computing. We argue in this chapter that Feynman's vision for quantum computing will ultimately prevail, despite the discovery of Peter Shor's factoring algorithm that generated excitement about a use of quantum computers that people could understand---and dread. Feynman's vision of quantum devices that simulate complex quantum interactions is more exciting and strategically relevant, yet also more difficult to portray popular descriptions of technology. The Feynman vision for quantum computing will lead to applications that benefit humans in multifarious and unforeseen ways, just like the classical computing revolution improved our lives. Feynman's vision may also enable a ``winner-take-all'' outcome in building a large quantum computer. \par To explain this outcome, we canvass the three primary applications that have been developed for quantum computing: Feynman's vision of simulating quantum mechanical