The Kyoto Information Industry Association, chaired by Wataru Hasegawa, president of Kyoto Computer Gakuin (KCG), Kyoto College of Information Technology (KCGI), and other members of the KCG Group, held the Kyoto Information Industry Association New Year Seminar on January 24, 2020, at the 6th floor main hall of KCG Kyoto Station School and KCGI Kyoto Station Satellite, with Yuichi Nakamura, senior technical manager at NEC Corporation (NEC) Central Research Laboratory, speaking on "Why do quantum computers work and how are they used?titled "Quantum Computers," he spoke about the principles of quantum computers, which are currently being developed by companies around the world, and their applications in solving various problems facing modern society.
Nakamura explained the principle and characteristics of quantum computers, saying that while conventional computers calculate with 0s and 1s, quantum computers calculate probabilistically by superimposing 0s and 1s, and are not general-purpose computers that can be used for any purpose, but are computers that specialize in solving "combinatorial optimization problems" that seek the "maximum value" or "minimum value" among a huge number of data combinations.He also introduced some familiar applications, such as pre-simulation of drug synthesis, minute-by-minute instructions to a large number of cabs on traffic congestion routes, and creation of work schedules with various restrictions such as salary and qualifications, as well as its usefulness as an accelerator for AI development and machine learning since it can coexist with existing computers.The current challenge is that quantum superposition, a phenomenon that does not exist in nature, can finally be realized near absolute zero at minus 273 degrees Celsius and disappears even with a little noise, so the challenge is to develop technology to generate that state on a large scale in a sustained manner.The KCG and KCGI students who filled the hall listened with great interest to Nakamura's lecture, in which he explained the mysterious mechanisms of quantum computers using easy-to-understand analogies.
