I did something interesting this weekend that I have never done before. I designed my own quantum computer. And while I doubt that I will actually see my shiny new quantum machine anytime soon, the fact that I was able to design it and confirm that it probably would work as intended is pretty exciting.
It’s all possible because of the new Qiskit Metal program from IBM, which is part of their effort to bring open-source tools to the world of quantum computing. The Qiskit Metal program promises to allow anyone to build their own quantum machine in just a few minutes. For me, it took a lot longer than that. But still, it was a relatively short period of time given the complexity of the machine I ultimately designed.
This new development also moves quantum computers one step closer to the point where they can start to be deployed in government, not just as general-purpose computers, but as highly configurable machines designed for highly specific tasks. This should also enable agencies to find out if a quantum machine might be able to solve tricky problems where traditional computing hardware isn’t up to the task, or would take far too long to find a solution.
I have been covering quantum computing for about a decade now. I’ve written quite a few Nextgov columns about ways that various government agencies could use the technology, and how it could actually be completely transformative in some cases. The federal government is certainly interested in the competitive edge that quantum technology could provide, and program users design their quantum computers
