[Editor’s note: “How Quantum Computing Is Already Changing the World” was previously published in January 2022. It has since been updated to include the most relevant information available.]
Back in October of 1927, the world’s leading scientists descended upon Brussels for the fifth Solvay Conference — an exclusive, invite-only conference dedicated to discussing and solving the outstanding preeminent open problems in physics and chemistry.
In attendance were scientists that, today, we praise as the brightest minds in the history of mankind.
Albert Einstein was there; so was Erwin Schrodinger, who devised the famous Schrodinger’s cat experiment, and Werner Heisenberg, the man behind the world-changing Heisenberg uncertainty principle — and Louis de Broglie, Max Born, Niels Bohr, Max Planck.
The list goes on and on. Of the 29 scientists who met in Brussels in October 1927, 17 of them went on to win a Nobel Prize.
These are the minds that collectively created the scientific foundation upon which the modern world is built.
And yet, when they all descended upon Brussels nearly 94 years ago, they got stumped… by one concept. It’s one that, for nearly a century, has remained the elusive key to unlocking humankind’s full potential.
And now, for the first time ever, that concept is turning into a disruptive reality through breakthrough technology that will change the world as we know it.
So… what exactly were Einstein, Schrodinger, Heisenberg and the rest of those Nobel laureates talking about in Brussels back in 1927?
Quantum mechanics.
The Mechanics of Quantum Mechanics
I’ll start by saying that the underlying physics of this breakthrough — quantum mechanics — is highly complex. It would likely require over 500 pages to fully understand.
But, alas, here’s my best job at making a Cliff’s Notes version in 500 words instead.
For centuries, scientists have developed, tested, and validated the laws of the physical world, known as classical mechanics. These scientifically explain how and why things work, where they come from, so on and so forth.
But in 1897, J.J. Thomson discovered the electron. And he unveiled a new, subatomic world of super-small things that didn’t obey the laws of classical mechanics… at all. Instead, they obeyed their own set of rules, which have since become known as quantum mechanics.
The rules of quantum mechanics differ from that of classical mechanics in two very weird, almost-magical ways.
First, in classical mechanics, objects are in one place at one time. You are either at the store or at home, not both.
But in quantum mechanics, subatomic particles can theoretically exist in multiple places at once before they’re observed. A single subatomic particle can exist in point A and point B at the same time until we observe it. And at that point, it only exists at either point A or point B.
So, the true “location” of a subatomic particle is some combination of all its possible positions.
This is called quantum superposition.
Second, in classical mechanics, objects can only “work” with things that are also “real.” You can’t use an imaginary friend to help move the couch. You need a real friend instead.
Entanglement
But in quantum mechanics, all of those probabilistic states of subatomic particles are not independent. They’re entangled. That is, if we know something about the probabilistic positioning of one subatomic particle, then we know something about the probabilistic positioning of another subatomic particle — meaning that these already super-complex particles can actually work together to create a super-complex ecosystem.
This is called quantum entanglement.
So in short, subatomic particles can theoretically have multiple probabilistic states at once, and all those probabilistic states can work together — again, all at once — to accomplish their task.
And that, in a nutshell, is the scientific breakthrough that stumped Einstein back in the early 1900s.
It goes against everything classical mechanics had taught us about the world. It goes against common sense. But it’s true. It’s real. And now, for the first time ever, we are leaning how to harness this unique phenomenon to change everything about everything…
Quantum Computing Will Change the World
The study of quantum theory has led to huge advancements over the past century. That’s especially true over the past decade. Scientists at leading tech companies have started to figure out how to harness the power of quantum mechanics to make a new generation of super quantum computers. And they’re infinitely faster and more powerful than even today’s fastest supercomputers.
Again, the physics behind quantum computers is highly complex, but here’s my shortened version…
Today’s computers are built on top of the laws of classical mechanics. That is, they store information on what are called bits, which can store data binarily as either “1” or “0.”
But what if you could turn those classical bits into quantum bits – qubits – to leverage superpositioning to be both “1” and “0” stores at once?
Further, what if you could leverage entanglement and have all multi-state qubits work together to solve computationally taxing problems?
Theoretically, you’d create a machine with so much computational power that it would make today’s most advanced supercomputers seem ancient.
That’s exactly what’s happening today.
The Possibilities Behind Quantum Computing
Google has built a quantum computer that is about 158 million times faster than the world’s fastest supercomputer.
That’s not hyperbole. That’s a real number.
Imagine the possibilities if we could broadly create a new set of quantum computers 158 million times faster than even today’s fastest computers…
We’d finally have the level of artificial intelligence (AI) that you see in movies. That’s because the biggest limitation to AI today is the robustness of machine learning algorithms, which are constrained by supercomputing capacity. With quantum computing capacity, you get infinitely improved machine learning algos — and infinitely smarter AI.
We could eradicate disease. We already have tools like gene editing. But the effectiveness of gene editing relies on the robustness of underlying computing capacity to identify, target, insert, cut and repair genes. Insert quantum computing capacity, and all that happens without an error in seconds – allowing for us to truly fix anything about anyone.
We could finally have that million-mile EV. We can only improve batteries if we can test them. And we can only test them in the real world so much. Therefore, the key to unlocking a million-mile battery is through cellular simulation. And the quickness and effectiveness of cellular simulation rests upon the robustness of the underlying computing capacity. Make that capacity 158 million times bigger, and cellular simulation will happen 158 million times faster.
The applications here are truly endless.
But so are the risks…
Not-So-Distant Threat
Most of today’s cybersecurity systems are built on top of math-based cryptography. That is, they protect data through encryption that can only be cracked through solving a super-complex math problem. Today that works because classical computers cannot solve those super-complex math problems very quickly.
But quantum computing – 158 million times faster than today’s classical computers – can solve those problems in the blink of an eye. Therefore, quantum computers threaten to make obsolete math-based cryptography as we know it. And this will compromise the bulk of the world’s modern cybersecurity systems.
Insiders call this the “Quantum Threat.” It’s a huge deal. When it arrives, no digital data will be safe.
Back in 2019, computer scientists believed the Quantum Threat to be a distant threat – something that may happen by 2035. However, since then, rapid advancements in quantum computing capability have moved up that timeline considerably. Today many experts believe the Quantum Threat will arrive in the 2025-to-2030 window.
The Final Word
That means the world needs to start investing in quantum-proof encryption today. And that’s why, from an investment perspective, we believe quantum encryption stocks will be among the market’s biggest winners in the 2020s.
The global information security market is tracking toward $300 billion. That entire market will inevitably have to shift toward quantum encryption by 2030. Therefore, we’re talking the creation of a $300-billion market to save the planet from a security meltdown.
And at the epicenter of this multi-hundred-billion-dollar, planet-saving megatrend is one tiny startup pioneering the most robust quantum encryption technology platform ever seen…
This company is working with the U.S. and U.K. governments and various other defense and intelligence agencies to finalize its breakthrough technology. The firm plans to launch the quantum encryption system globally in 2023.
If the tech works at scale, this stock – which is trading for less than $20 – will roar higher by more than 10X by 2025.
Trust me. This is a stock pick you are not going to want to miss. It may be the single most promising investment opportunity I’ve come across over the past year.
Gain access to that stock pick – and a full portfolio of other potential 10X tech stock picks for the 2020s.
On the date of publication, Luke Lango did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.