Current state of play

Earth's computer scientists have been trying to make an effective quantum computer for more than twenty years and there are still significant challenges to overcome

One stumbling block has been the need to transfer quantum information between chips quickly and reliably because the information degrades, and errors are introduced.

There is a need to find ways of maintaining quantum coherence, or keeping a quantum system intact. It is also a necessary to develop systems of error correction, which means detecting and correcting errors caused by decoherence. And then there are issues of scalability, which means being able to increase the number of qubits in a quantum system to solve more complex problems.

These aren't just theoretical or physics problems anymore, they are engineering problems, computer science problems and mathematical problems.

Progress on Heim

Heim scientists, like many on Earth, are actively trying to exploit the weird properties of quantum mechanics. They believe it has the potential to expand our understanding of the universe and solve complex problems at lightning speeds.

They say that they are making great progress in some aspects - greatly aided by the conditions under which they can perform experiments, including access to exotic materials, micro-gravity, low temperatures and natural vacuums.

Their efforts are not only pertinent to the expansion of the Heim settlements, but also the prospect of helping Earth to avoid disastrous climate change, in that quantum mechanics can open up such things as advances in environmental science and decarbonisation, to cyber-security and new medicines. There could be molecules that "eat up carbon" and remove it from the atmosphere, quantum batteries to power cars, aircraft that are designed to lower their emissions and transport logistics to reduce road congestion.

Help from the Neighbours?

Despite the limited successes to date, this is an area where we are hoping to get some help from the Neighbours, as perfecting full scale quantum computing could lead to better solutions to the climate change problems, particularly in the development of such things as nano-scale quantum sensors that can detect tiny fields and measure them, possibly leading to discovery of new molecular biological tools to address such things as carbon and methane sequestration or elimination.

We are sure that the Neighbours will be able to help without revealing the source of such help. However, they may have concerns that such advances could lead to a rapid expansion in the reach of so-called artificial intelligence, leading to its militarisation and the exacerbation of existing conflicts. That is a matter for them to address, but we on Heim think that the advantages of accelerating this science will outweigh the disadvantages.

With this in mind, our computer scientists, mathematicians and engineers are currently preparing a comprehensive and detailed schedule of unsolved quantum computing development issues. This will be framed as specific questions to put to the Neighbours, with a request for assistance. They can always say 'No', but it's worth a try!

UPDATE - March 2025

Since first publishing this chapter, in May 2024, Heim has been sucessful in developing practical quantum computers, which have enabled it to develop its own form of functional Artificial Intelligence. This is referred to by the acronym DEGAS (Data Extraction, Gathering, Analysis and Storage). DEGAS is now used extensively in the Asteroid Watch Control centre, on Delta, [Ch 165] and for Virtual Reality imaging in the new Prime Design Centre. [Ch 166]