Mihir Jaiswal's Blog

मैं जब लौट आया हुं

मैं जब लौट आया हुं तो सौ साल पुरानी चीजे नयी लगती है
कभी मुझे जाने की जल्दी थी नयी चीजे ढुंढने की जल्दी थी
मैं जब लौट आया हुं तो सदियो पुरानी प्रथाएं नयी लगती है
कभी मुझे आजमाने की जल्दी थी कुछ जानने की जल्दी थी
मैं जब लौट आया हुं तो पंछीओ की हर उडान नयी लगती है
कभी मुझे बनने की जल्दी थी कुछ नया बनाने की जल्दी थी
मैं जब लौट आया हुं तो सब बनी बनायी मुझे नयी लगती है
मैं गया था अपनी मर्जी से मैं लौटा भी हुं अपनी मर्जी से
मैं जब लैट आया हुं तो अपनी मर्जी भी मुझे नयी लगती है

A System Architect’s Perspective on Quantum Computing: An Interview with Dr. Gokul Subramanian Ravi

Dr. Gokul Subramanian Ravi has been a career computer scientist. He is an assistant professor and active researcher in quantum computing at the University of Michigan. In this interview, we talked about the philosophy and technology of quantum computers. Dr. Ravi talked about quantum computers, its need, current state, architecture, and quantum advantage at length. While this interview is more technical than previous ones in quantum chats, it is very enjoyable and informative.

Mihir: Why do we need quantum computers? Classical computers are getting better every day. Can’t we just use classical computers for everything?

Dr. Ravi: That’s a good question. The classical computers’ capability is not increasing as fast as it used to be. We all have heard about Moore’s law failing. Thus, there is a fundamental need for new technology. We want more computing capabilities in any form, not specifically quantum computing. Today, computing and computers are the most fundamental driver of innovation. We want to keep pushing for new innovations. That reason motivates us towards emerging technologies, quantum computing being one of them.
Some problems are exponentially hard to solve. That means the computational resources required to solve such problems increase exponentially with the increase in problem size. Classical computers quickly reach their limitations in addressing this kind of problem. For example, to discover new medicines, you want to understand chemistry between two chemical molecules. You can’t mix thousands to chemicals together in the lab and study them, so computer simulations are done. Computational models for solving such problems represent each molecule as some numerical interaction and perform calculations to predict the molecular interactions. As the size of molecule increases, the numerical equations become exponentially complicated and soon reach the limits of classical computers. The reason for that is at the molecular level, when we are considering electrons; we cannot ignore some of the non-trivial forces, which we generally ignore in day to day calculations like gravity. With number of electrons, these forces become very large in numbers, hence the exponential growth of the problem. These are called quantum mechanical properties.

When Richard Feynman proposed quantum computing, the idea was that we needed a device that was able to simulate quantum mechanical properties and such a device would be quantum computing machine. Thus, quantum computer is specifically of interest for solving large-scale scientific problems in physics, chemistry etc. Other problems, like factoring, also have important application of quantum computing. If you are able to factor a number quickly, that has implication in security and cryptography. Factoring is a classical problem, not quantum, but there is a method that can solve factoring faster than a classical computer can. Quantum computer has a long way to do. However, in theory, there are quantum, classical as well as scientific problems that can be solved more efficiently using quantum computer than any classical computer.

Mihir: As you said, classical computers are reaching its capacity and no longer growing as fast as they were. As a result, we need new technologies to fill that gap and continue expanding our computational power. Is quantum computing one such new technology or are we calling a group of technologies quantum computing? Are we able to define quantum computer today?

Dr. Ravi: Again a very good question. In general, we would define quantum computer as a technology that is able to exploit quantum mechanical properties towards computing. Within that definition, all different technologies like supercomputing qubit, trapped ion qubit, neutral atoms, and photonic qubits are quantum technology. In their own way they all are exploiting quantum mechanics. If we are being very specific than you are absolutely right that quantum computing is an umbrella term. However, broadly they all fall within the same scope of exploitation of quantum mechanics.

Mihir: In my understanding, a problem has to be converted to a mathematical formula to make an algorithm that can be computed by a classical computer. Is that true for quantum computing also?

Dr. Ravi: I would say yes and no. I would approach this question in two different ways. Think of a problem which can be solved 90% on a classical computer and only last 10% needs a quantum computer because that last part is really exponentially hard. In classical computer, we would use an approximation and perhaps accept a 90% solution. We still need mathematical formula to reach that 90% solution and then improve beyond 90% using a quantum computer. We want to continue to use classical computer to go as far as we can, because quantum computer is always going to be an expensive resource.
Now the other question: is the quantum computing also based on a mathematical formula? I would argue, yes to some extent. Let’s take an example of a classical computer. In designing a complex machine learning algorithm, the algorithm would have complex metrics, its addition, multiplication and many complex mathematical operations. When coded onto a classical computer, a compiler would take that and through multiple steps ultimately pass down to transistors. Transistors would always work in a series of 0 and 1, no mathematical formula there. Thus, classical computer is formulas up to transistors and then it is just transistors’ natural property of 0 and 1.
Quantum computer is not much different. Let’s take example of chemistry. Let’s assume that we are trying to find energy of some chemical molecule, a common problem in chemistry. There are techniques like Jordan Wigner method, which converts fermionic (chemistry) form to the qubit form. There would be cleaning and optimization steps to remove non-important components from the molecular formula and properties. Finally, the qubit form is run on a quantum computer. If we assume there are twenty steps in calculating molecular energy, than nineteen of them are mathematical like cleaning, optimization, Jordan Wigner transformation and so on. Only the twentieth step is quantum computing, similar to going to the transistors in classical computing.
Mathematics and software gets less focus in quantum computing, because everybody is focused on qubits. Whereas in classical computing, we don’t think about transistors anymore.

Mihir: Let’s pivot now to system architecture. What is the simplest way to define system architecture irrespective of technology?

Dr. Ravi: Entire system is made up of multiple layers known as abstraction layers. One layer is an application like zoom or software doing chemistry calculations. Second layer is algorithm that application runs on. Then you have instruction layer like instruction set architecture which runs your device. To convert algorithm to instructions, you need a compiler. You may also have an operating system that is doing resource management. Another layer is micro architecture of the computer, which is how the computer is designed. This micro architecture has components like circuits and circuits are made up of transistors for classical bits or qubits.
System architecture is interactions between these different layers. Hardware architects focus on interactions between circuits, transistors and qubits like hardware components. Architects working at micro-architecture levels organize components within a processor. Other types of system architects deal with interaction between compiler and hardware, or compiler and algorithm, or stacking servers to build complex super-computing architecture. System architect is a broadly defined term for a group of experts working anywhere among different layers of hardware and software and they understand the pathway from application to technology. It is a complex pathway and system architects usually work on only a subset of different layers.

Mihir: How has the role of system architect evolved over the year?

Dr. Ravi: Yes, the role has definitely changed over the years. That change has come based on the needs. During the seventies, there were so many opportunities and needs in a single layer of the stack that a person can focus on being expert of just one layer like on micro-architecture or compiler. Early 2000s, computers started to reach limits of computational power within a single core and multi-core systems became a norm. That prompted change in the role of some system architects. They asked questions about parallelization of processes, dependencies between applications and different cores and other questions that system architects did not think about before. Because the capacity of processors was not increasing rapidly, the focus shifted to building accelerators. Again that had an impact on role of system architects. The architects needed to look at multiple layers from application to processors, but they were focusing on just one application. Earlier system architect’s role was broad within a layer or two. Modern system architect’s role has become deeper than broader.

Mihir: While systems architecture was evolving for classical computing we had opportunities to try and fail. Now that we have all these knowledge about computing, we have to use our knowledge in quantum computing. We do not have enough opportunity to try new things and fail, isn’t it?

Dr. Ravi: Again, a very good question. On one hand it has been a huge positive that we have learned to build a full stack in classical computing and we can apply that knowledge to quantum computing. For example, IBM has been at the forefront of building system architecture for classical computing; it is applying that knowledge to the quantum computing and doing very well.
On the other hand some of the strategies and habits that work in classical computing may not work in quantum computing. In emerging technology you can’t start with being broadly expert in one layer like how classical computing started. We have to be flexible. As other layers are evolving, system architect in quantum computing needs more depth and flexibility in their knowledge and approach.

સાધારણ જીવનમાં એક મજા હોવી જોઈએ

એક સાધારણ જીવનની આ વાત છે.
સાધારણ જીવનમાં એક મજા હોવી જોઈએ.

મહેનતની મજા છે. આળસની મજા છે.
તહેવારની મજા છે. આરામની મજા છે.
ક્યારેક આ બધામાંથી એક રજા હોવી જોઈએ.
સાધારણ જીવનમાં એક મજા હોવી જોઈએ.

નિયમની મજા છે. એને તોડવાની મજા છે.
માળખાંની મજા છે. પ્રતિકારની મજા છે.
ક્યારેક તો ભૂલની એક સજા હોવી જોઈએ.
સાધારણ જીવનમાં એક મજા હોવી જોઈએ.

આનંદની મજા છે. નિરાશાની મજા છે.
જાણતાની મજા છે. અજાણતાની મજા છે.
ક્યારેક તો દુરથી દેખાય એવી ધજા હોવી જોઈએ.
સાધારણ જીવનમાં એક મજા હોવી જોઈએ.

An Interview with a Quantum Computing Community Leader, Lorraine Tsitsi Majiri - The President of OneQuantum Africa

Building community and giving back are two forces driving Lorraine to contribute to the field of Quantum Computing. While talking to her, her zeal for community service was apparent on top of her deep interest in Quantum Computing. In this interview, she introduces us to quantum computing landscape in Zimbabwe and African continent, different community initiatives and the promise of quantum computing.

Mihir: How did you find out about Quantum Computing? Why did it influence a few of you?

Lorraine: I first found out about it from a friend, Esther Munakandafa. We studied together in high school at a boarding school. She was away studying IT and discovered quantum computing through mentorship Zimbabwe. We had remained in touch throughout the years. She also introduced me to the OneQuantum Africa. She explained that since I had interest in computing, I should join the community of OneQuantum Africa and discover more about quantum computing. That prompted me to attend the very first meeting of OneQuantum Africa. I found quantum computing very interesting and exciting. The people were warm and welcoming in the community. I decided to take the first step and join the community.

Mihir: Did you introduce quantum computing to your colleagues?

Lorraine: I told my classmates about it. However, we were in the last year of our program and many were busy with dissertation and other work, so they were not able to participate actively in quantum computing community. That’s why only about 3-5 students were active. After graduation, more of my former classmates have become active in the field. I would say about 30 are now taking interest in quantum computing. At this point, all of my classmates are aware about quantum computing, because I tell them about it. Some of them are also exploring how to embed it in their own work.

Mihir: How do you explain quantum computing to your colleagues, who have never heard about it before?

Lorraine: I start by mentioning that some literature referred Richard Feynman as the father of quantum mechanics and he said that nobody understands quantum mechanics. Thus, I explain that even the scientist of Feynman’s caliber said that nobody understands quantum mechanics, so quantum fields are not to be afraid of. I go on to say that my interest is more on the computing side of quantum and not on physics or mechanics side. Quantum computing is using quantum mechanics for computation. The field is very broad. I always say that quantum computing has something for everyone as long as you are interested in it. I highlight that quantum computing might help with solving few problems, it might solve few on its own, but it will not solve every single computing problem of the world.

Mihir: Is there an area of quantum computing’s practical application that you find exciting?

Lorraine: While participating in NYU hackathon, I learned that quantum computing can be used in music. That was very interesting to me. Until then, I had never imagined that quantum computing can be used to create music.

Mihir: Let’s pivot to your community efforts. You are the second president of OneQuantum Africa. What is One Quantum Africa?

Lorraine: Andre Konig is the Chair of the OneQuantum as a whole. OneQuantum is a global entity that has chapters across the world. Farai Mazhandu, the first president of OneQuantum Africa, did a great job of building and expanding quantum community on the continent. I picked up from where Farai left. Now the goal is to make quantum computing more accessible, since the world has opened after the pandemic. Local chapters in countries like Ghana, Libya, and Kenya have started organizing in-person events. OneQuantum has four pillars: community, mentorship, career, and skills. The mentorship that I received was so valuable in my growth not only in technical skills but personal skills as well. I understand the importance of community and mentorship. Ultimately, your mentors become your friends. Till today, I get assistance from my previous mentors. We celebrated Africa Unity Day, for example, through OneQuantum for community building. We have many projects that improved the skills of members.

Mihir: You are also a founding member of QZimbabwe, another community. How does that differ from OneQuantum Africa?

Lorraine: For me, QZimbabwe came before I got involved in OneQuantum Africa. QZimbabwe, we are more focused on education. We help people learn quantum computing through workshops like qbronze, qsilver and qnickle. You learn quantum algorithms, basic programming like quantum’s equivalent of ‘hello world’, and other skills. Then OneQuantum Africa helps you grow with those skills through its community and mentorship. You can turn the knowledge gained from QZimbabwe into a career or community. That is how the two are connected.

Mihir: What kind of support and partnership does QZimbabwe have?Lorraine: QZimbabwe is organizing a winter school in 2024, when it will be summer in USA. Many high schools and colleges are partnering with us on that and contributing to its growth.

Mihir: You have done many trainings in different areas of quantum computing? What was training strategy?

Lorraine: Once I came across quantum computing, I was very excited to learn. I am still excited. That is where my heart finds the happiness. Training for me was about get as much knowledge about the field as I could, and to explore the field in its broadness. I also wanted to find what area of the field I like and narrow down my interest in quantum computing. I was able to narrow down my interest to quantum machine learning.

I am also interested in giving back to the community, be a mentor to others, help out in different situation. So some of the trainings I did, helped me become an instructor. I wanted to be in a position where I could teach other Zimbabweans and I am able to do that now. I want everyone’s journey of learning quantum computing to be successful.

Mihir: What is the future of quantum computing? According to you, where is the field going?

Lorraine: Even with hardware and software limitations, there is so much research progress happening in quantum computing already. When the issues of today’s quantum computers are resolved, in future, we will be solving the problems that we are not able to solve today. We will reduce noise. We will have more qubits. Quantum computing, overall, will be more efficient. More and more theoretical aspects will turn into practical achievements.

Mihir: What message would you give to a new quantum computing aspirant?

Lorraine: Quantum computing is for everyone whether you are interested in biology, music, finance, chemistry or any other field. Learning quantum computing is like learning anything new. It comes with some challenges. Learning anything new is not easy. Quantum computing has many communities and support that helps with learning. Learning alone may not be easy. I faced many challenges while learning, but with the help of community I was able to overcome them. With passion and interest, you find your own space and avenue.

Mihir: That concludes the interview. Is there anything you would like to add?

Lorraine: If you are interested in something, go for it. It may look far, there may be some hiccups, and that’s life. There are no guarantees or promises that the life would be smooth. Never be afraid to seek help. If you work towards something, you will get it eventually. Good leaders always ask for help.

Further Reference Recommended by Lorraine

On the Shoulders of Giants: 10 Quantum Pioneers of the Past by Brian Lenahanand Kenna Hughes-CastleberryQiskit textbookThe Coding School (QubitxQubit) https://youtu.be/lbsuHWvXwzc?si=2BE12ovdp7lYOgiM Quantum Computation and Quantum Information by Michael A Neilsen and Isaac L ChuangAn introduction to quantum machine learning by Maria Schuld, Ilya Sinayskiy& Francesco Petruccione

An Interview with a Quantum Computing Community Leader, Lorraine Tsitsi Majiri - The President of One Quantum Africa

Building community and giving back are two forces driving Lorraine to contribute to the field of Quantum Computing. While talking to her, her zeal for community service was apparent on top of her deep interest in Quantum Computing. In this interview, she introduces us to quantum computing landscape in Zimbabwe and African continent, different community initiatives and the promise of quantum computing.

Mihir: How did you find out about Quantum Computing? Why did it influence a few of you?

Lorraine: I first found out about it from a friend, Esther Munakandafa. We studied together in high school at a boarding school. She was away studying IT and discovered quantum computing through mentorship Zimbabwe. We had remained in touch throughout the years. She also introduced me to the One Quantum Africa. She explained that since I had interest in computing, I should join the community of One Quantum Africa and discover more about quantum computing. That prompted me to attend the very first meeting of One Quantum Africa. I found quantum computing very interesting and exciting. The people were warm and welcoming in the community. I decided to take the first step and join the community.

Mihir: Did you introduce quantum computing to your colleagues?

Lorraine: I told my classmates about it. However, we were in the last year of our program and many were busy with dissertation and other work, so they were not able to participate actively in quantum computing community. That’s why only about 3-5 students were active. After graduation, more of my former classmates have become active in the field. I would say about 30 are now taking interest in quantum computing. At this point, all of my classmates are aware about quantum computing, because I tell them about it. Some of them are also exploring how to embed it in their own work.

Mihir: How do you explain quantum computing to your colleagues, who have never heard about it before?

Lorraine: I start by mentioning that some literature referred Richard Feynman as the father of quantum mechanics and he said that nobody understands quantum mechanics. Thus, I explain that even the scientist of Feynman’s caliber said that nobody understands quantum mechanics, so quantum fields are not to be afraid of. I go on to say that my interest is more on the computing side of quantum and not on physics or mechanics side. Quantum computing is using quantum mechanics for computation. The field is very broad. I always say that quantum computing has something for everyone as long as you are interested in it. I highlight that quantum computing might help with solving few problems, it might solve few on its own, but it will not solve every single computing problem of the world.

Mihir: Is there an area of quantum computing’s practical application that you find exciting?

Lorraine: While participating in NYU hackathon, I learned that quantum computing can be used in music. That was very interesting to me. Until then, I had never imagined that quantum computing can be used to create music.

Mihir: Let’s pivot to your community efforts. You are the second president of One Quantum Africa. What is One Quantum Africa?

Lorraine: Andre Koenig is the Chair of the One Quantum as a whole. One Quantum is a global entity that has chapters across the world. Farai Mazhandu, the first president of One Quantum Africa, did a great job of building and expanding quantum community on the continent. I picked up from where Farai left. Now the goal is to make quantum computing more accessible, since the world has opened after the pandemic. Local chapters in countries like Ghana, Libya, and Kenya have started organizing in-person events. One Quantum has four pillars: community, mentorship, career, and skills. The mentorship that I received was so valuable in my growth not only in technical skills but personal skills as well. I understand the importance of community and mentorship. Ultimately, your mentors become your friends. Till today, I get assistance from my previous mentors. We celebrated Africa Unity Day, for example, through One Quantum for community building. We have many projects that improved the skills of members.

Mihir: You are also a founding member of QZimbabwe, another community. How does that differ from One Quantum Africa?

Lorraine: For me, QZimbabwe came before I got involved in One Quantum Africa. QZimbabwe, we are more focused on education. We help people learn quantum computing through workshops like qbronze, qsilver and qnickle. You learn quantum algorithms, basic programming like quantum’s equivalent of ‘hello world’, and other skills. Then One Quantum Africa helps you grow with those skills through its community and mentorship. You can turn the knowledge gained from QZimbabwe into a career or community. That is how the two are connected.

Mihir: What kind of support and partnership does QZimbabwe have?Lorraine: QZimbabwe is organizing a summer school in 2024, when it will be winter in USA. Many high schools and colleges are partnering with us on that and contributing to its growth.

Mihir: You have done many trainings in different areas of quantum computing? What was training strategy?

Lorraine: Once I came across quantum computing, I was very excited to learn. I am still excited. That is where my heart finds the happiness. Training for me was about get as much knowledge about the field as I could, and to explore the field in its broadness. I also wanted to find what area of the field I like and narrow down my interest in quantum computing. I was able to narrow down my interest to quantum machine learning.

I am also interested in giving back to the community, be a mentor to others, help out in different situation. So some of the trainings I did, helped me become an instructor. I wanted to be in a position where I could teach other Zimbabweans and I am able to do that now. I want everyone’s journey of learning quantum computing to be successful.

Mihir: What is the future of quantum computing? According to you, where is the field going?

Lorraine: Even with hardware and software limitations, there is so much research progress happening in quantum computing already. When the issues of today’s quantum computers are resolved, in future, we will be solving the problems that we are not able to solve today. We will reduce noise. We will have more qubits. Quantum computing, overall, will be more efficient. More and more theoretical aspects will turn into practical achievements.

Mihir: What message would you give to a new quantum computing aspirant?

Lorraine: Quantum computing is for everyone whether you are interested in biology, music, finance, chemistry or any other field. Learning quantum computing is like learning anything new. It comes with some challenges. Learning anything new is not easy. Quantum computing has many communities and support that helps with learning. Learning alone may not be easy. I faced many challenges while learning, but with the help of community I was able to overcome them. With passion and interest, you find your own space and avenue.

Mihir: That concludes the interview. Is there anything you would like to add?

Lorraine: If you are interested in something, go for it. It may look far, there may be some hiccups, and that’s life. There are no guarantees or promises that the life would be smooth. Never be afraid to seek help. If you work towards something, you will get it eventually. Good leaders always ask for help.

Further Reference Recommended by Lorraine

On the Shoulders of Giants: 10 Quantum Pioneers of the Past by Brian Lenahanand Kenna Hughes-CastleberryQiskit textbookThe Coding School (QubitxQubit) https://youtu.be/lbsuHWvXwzc?si=2BE12ovdp7lYOgiM Quantum Computation and Quantum Information by Michael A Neilsen and Isaac L ChuangAn introduction to quantum machine learning by Maria Schuld, Ilya Sinayskiy& Francesco Petruccione

Lifebushido Stories: James Stewart

Bushido, Dinnerbushido, Coffeebushido, Lifebushido and BushidoSteve. This story is of James Stewart’s Bushido. Bushido is a word associated with Samurais in Japanese and Lifebushido, a word invented by Steve Kantor, resulted in creating many real life Samurai’s hurtling towards their passion.

James Stewart is one such Samurai. He defines Bushido as, “A unique gift or talent that you want or you want to improve. A passion that you want to pursue and make difference to the rest of the world.” Bushido had a definite impact on James. He has met tens of other Samurai’s pursuing their Bushido virtually or as a part of Bushido events like Coffeebushido and Dinnerbushido. He describes the impact of Bushido as, “There’s a big difference in having words up here (in mind) and actually writing down on paper. It (writing down) transforms them. It was challenging to codify my goals in words for first couple of times, but I kept doing it. It was like saying the magic word, abra cadabra. It gave a greater sense of care and deliberateness to my goals.” Another benefit James has realized is the community of Bushido enthusiasts that Steve has created. James mentioned about his own cultural awareness that he has achieved by traveling and meeting people all around the world. He says, “It never fails to amaze me how vast variety of different people that Steve knows. I have spoken to people from 4-5 different continents, from different walk of life. Every one of those is different, but the idea of following their Bushido and sticking to their passion was common. I probably had 20-25 one-on-one Bushido interactions and many more in groups. I have only not found less than five people exciting.”

James has been part of Gobundance men’s group. Few of the men from the group were regularly interacting through Marco Polo video chat, including Steve and James. In those interactions they would share ideas about mutual well-being. James was introduced to BushidoSteve in the middle of 2022. James became curious. He did not go looking for dictionary meaning for the word Bushido, but he knew few Japanese motivational words and he found that vibe in Bushido. In his own words, “It was a little wild. I heard word Bushido Steve before I heard the word Bushido (by itself). Steve is unique. He is not mainstream. So it certainly sparked some curiosity, but also Steve and Bushido connected. It had certain anticipation. Because I have heard few other Japanese motivational words, it sat with me in a positive way.”

James’ Bushido is to “Create space and facilitate transformational change in people with the power of breath work.” His goal is to help 5000 people by the end of year 2023, organize breathing retreats, and create digital product to spread the awareness of breath work. He has already helped over a thousand people. Born in Australia, and after doing business in four different countries, James is now settled in the United States. He is certified in Wim Hof method and The Language of Breath. His interest in breath work was born out of existential questions in his mind like ‘why are we here?’ and ‘who am I?’ He says that in younger years he was gravitated towards the external motivations, but as he was gradually attracted towards meditation and internal motivation his interest in breath work grew. In his own words, “Breath work is the easiest way to slow down, calm down and stop that monkey-mind that continuously chattering.” Over the years, James grew more proficient in breath work. He provided breath work service to many people, motivating them. At this moment in life, he is sure of his techniques, and confident of reading his audience to offer them breath work that is the most appropriate. With the help of Lifebushido community and motivation, and his own experience and expertise, James will achieve his goals.

I Want to Go There

I want to go there because it is there
The vast fields, dark abyss, deep lake
Big leaps, high winds or stormy scare

I want to go there because it is there
Be frightened by the gloomy clouds
All this water could it be a snare?

I want to go there because it is there
No goal, no end, no target, no game
Of my own journey I want to be aware

I want to go there because it is there
Comforts and customs don’t bind me
My mind conscious; my soul bare

I want to go there because it is there
I am going there whatever is there
I’ll keep going there as long as it is there

और वो शाम आती नहीं

रोज एक शाम आती थी
कुछ अनोखा लाती थी
अगर बारीश भी आती थी
एक समा बनाके जाती थी
नयी कहानीयां सिखाती थी
काफी बातें छुपाती भी थी
यादों की यादी बढाती थी
धुप कभी कभी जलाती थी
इतना भी नहीं सताती थी
चिडिया माहौल बनाती थी
अपने घरोंको लौट पाती थी

ना वो माहौल बन पाता है
अब अंधेरा हो जाता है
चिडिया लौट पाती नहीं
और वो शाम आती नहीं

सहमे हुए लोगों का महोल्लासहमे हुए लोगों का महोल्ला हैन डरका अता हे न दुश्मन का पता हैसहमे हुए लोगो...

सहमे हुए लोगों का महोल्ला

सहमे हुए लोगों का महोल्ला है
न डरका अता हे न दुश्मन का पता है
सहमे हुए लोगो का महोल्ला है

बगीचे का हर फुल सहमा हुआ है
खीलने से डरता है न कुछ भी करता है
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बादल गरजने से डरते है
पानी बरसाते नहीं बाढ़ लाते नहीं
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समय आगे बढने से डरता है
रुका हुआ सा रहता है अजीब सा बहता है
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ना कोई समस्या है ना चेतावनी
भयभीत है हर अनकही कहानी
कमी नहीं कोई हर चीज है सुहानी
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हमही बंदर और हमही है मदारी?

Quantum Computers are Coming: An Interview with Deloitte’s Global Quantum Computing Lead Scott Buchholz

The concepts of quantum computing may be complex, but there is an easier way to understand quantum computing. This interview proves that. Scott Buchholz is the Global Quantum Computing Lead for Deloitte. In this candid, optimistic and insightful interview, Scott talks about quantum computing in plain language and explains how to build a business model around a truly futuristic technology. Find the excerpts from his interview before it becomes part of a book in few months.

Mihir: How do you explain Quantum Computing in plain language?

Scott: Think of a quantum computer as the next generation supercomputer – a computer that can solve problems we haven’t even thought of yet. The computers we use today are really doing math very, very quickly. Everything we see and do, like using emails and video conferencing, is math running quickly under the covers. Quantum computing is different in that it’s using physics rather than math to solve problems very quickly.
Let’s picture a soap bubble to help us understand why this is possible. Every time you blow a soap bubble, it takes the shape of a sphere naturally and almost instantaneously. That’s due to physics. Essentially, the soap is most comfortable being a sphere, so it becomes one. It is not doing a bunch of math to decide that it wants to be a sphere – the laws of physics are taking over the decision making. If it had to do math to figure out the answer, bubbles would never form. Quantum computers are like soap bubbles – they use the laws of physics to arrive at solutions faster than would ever be possible using math.
The challenge is that we’ve spent decades learning to formulate problems as math problems. Now we’re trying to figure out what problems can be formulated as physics problems (and run on quantum computers), and which can’t. And how to map those problems. In a nutshell, how do we transform problems to be more like soap bubbles?

Mihir: Several countries are pursuing quantum supremacy today. Are they pursuing for the sake of competition or is there a real advantage they see to quantum computing?

Scott: The idea of being able to do things faster and better than we can today is always attractive to people who are trying to solve hard problems. The idea that you might get a time-information advantage is very compelling in several areas. Financial services and life sciences are industries that could see a massive shift in their daily operations if quantum computing takes off. Many people believe that this could be a transformational technology in many ways and lots of countries, justifiably, want to make sure that they are at the forefront of this evolution.

Mihir: What is the simplest wayto explain qubits?

Scott: If traditional computersrun on bits, quantum computers run on qubits. Bits support true/false Booleanalgebra to do math. I think it’s easy to overestimate how intuitive Booleanalgebra is to people today, because we had many decades to get accustomed tothis idea that bits exist, and they correspond to 0 and 1. Qubits are producedby physics and are harder to wrap our heads around because even though they arethe fundamental building blocks and basic units for computation in quantumcomputing, they are not particularly related to Boolean algebra.

Even though you may notunderstand what a qubit is, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to understandwhat quantum computing is. Though most people can’t do Boolean algebra ordeeply understand the transistors that power our devices today, they still knowhow to use their smart phones, laptops and other computers. This is why Ibelieve that for most people it’s less useful to start with understandingqubits and more important to know how to build use cases. Start asking: wheredo we go to find problems that can be solved using quantum computers? How do Ifind a friend that can take that problem and convert into quantum computingprograms?

Mihir: How can one be sure thatthey are interacting with a quantum computer and not a quantum simulator on aclassical computer?

Scott: For the time being, youcan’t. There will likely come a time when it won’t be feasible to simulate aquantum computer on today’s supercomputers, and we are getting closer toreaching that point.

Mihir: Let’s talk aboutcommercialization and utility. Quantum computers are new and relatively unknownas well as expensive. When you interact with different leaders about quantumcomputers, how easy or difficult is it?

Scott: First, most organizationstoday are pursuing universal quantum computers which are gate-based machines. Theseare general-purpose hardware machines that are still fiendishly difficult tobuild, and we are a few years away from having useful quantum hardware.

Looking at different publicroadmaps for the general purpose quantum computers, we are still at least a fewyears away from developing a useful machine. However, it takes over a year tounderstand a quantum computer well enough to even formulate a question that canproduce a useful answer. That’s why if you work in an industry that may bedrastically affected by quantum computing like financial services,pharmaceuticals, chemicals, or manufacturing, it makes the most sense to beginyour quantum computing journey now.

However, there is another classof quantum machines called quantum annealers. They are simpler, but more limited,focusing on optimization. Because this is an easier problem to solve, there arequantum annealers today that get us answers better and faster than classicalcomputers for some use cases. And, for some of those use cases, thecost/benefit shows it’s worth paying to use a quantum annealer. What might someinstances be? Fraud detection is one example in financial services. If one canimprove fraud detection by even 1%, it can save billions of dollars.

Annealers can generate value today. Generalpurpose machines will generate value in the future. In the meantime,organizations have two conversations:  Isthere benefit today and is it cost efficient? And how to think aboutopportunity and risk management for possible futures?

Mihir: Now, let’s talk about yourmotivation and journey into quantum computing. How did you get introduced tothe field of quantum computing? What keeps you motivated?

Scott: My father is anexperimental particle physicist, so some of these concepts I heard at thedinner table growing up. I’ve also spent most of my career around emergingtechnologies and trying to understand how they’re most useful for our clients. WhenDeloitte began thinking about quantum technologies, I was asked to take thelead because of this background. It’s been a fascinating journey. I’m not aphysicist, but I do have a broad background as a developer and experienceapplying technology to business problems. When I put those things together alongwith the right members on my team, I feel confident and motivating in givingclients the right advice.

Mihir: Being a new field, thedemand is not overwhelming for quantum computing and the technology is in itsinfancy. How do you form a business model around quantum computing to provideservices to the client?

Scott: Carefully. As you described, this is anew field that is just finding its journey and purpose. What startups like tocall product-market fit is applicable here, because we’re still trying tofigure out all the things that clients want and need. Doing that exercise forquantum computing involves knocking on people’s doors, going to a lot ofconferences and conducting interviews to make sure that people know thistechnology exists, and understanding where it might impact, and sharing thatwe’re a trusted source to get them started.