"Students and graduates of computer science must convert to quantum programming, because this is the future"

This is what Nir Minrabi, CEO of Classiq, says in an interview with the Hidan website. This requires a certain set of tools that includes linear algebra and an understanding of quantum theory. The company is developing a software language for quantum computers that will make it easier for programmers

"The bottleneck of the quantum computing revolution is a lack of expert developers in the field." This is what Nir Minrabi, CEO of Classiq, says in an interview with the knowledge website. He points out that a dedicated set of tools is required. The company is developing a software language for quantum computers that will make it easier for programmers and bridge the gap between classical computing and quantum computing (hence the Q at the end of the company's name).

"Quantum computing has been talked about for 40 years and throughout this period it was clear that as soon as someone succeeds in producing a working quantum computer - this will change the world in many dimensions, it will make it possible to solve very computational problems. The bottleneck of the quantum computing revolution is a lack of expert developers in the field. Difficulties that cannot be solved using computers Classics - not even supercomputers even if we give them thousands of years."

"This revolution is called the "second quantum revolution". The first revolution occurred at the beginning of the 20th century with the discovery of quantum theory. The second quantum revolution consists of two central axes. One is the hardware and the software.
The hardware is built from the ground up of the quantum computer itself. This axis is led by the giants of technology such as Google, IBM, Microsoft, Apple and also smaller players, all of whom aim to build the first useful working quantum computer. An arms race is developing between the technology giants and between governments to lead the development of quantum computers, this race is still open."

"Computing power is increasing sharply from year to year, and in the coming years, when quantum computers with hundreds and thousands of qubits will be launched, it will be possible to solve difficult problems that significantly affect heavy industries."

"The second axis is the software. How do you develop software for a quantum computer, what are the leading applications? In the last three years, more and more large companies in various fields, banks, major pharmaceutical companies, car manufacturers and one of the largest chemical industries in the world are opening a group or department dedicated to the development of software for a quantum computer. Their goal It is to develop software that can also be run on today's computers, and when the big quantum computers arrive, they will be able to leave dust for the competitors."

develop drugs in a few weeks

Can you give examples?

Minerbi: "For example, it will be possible to develop medicines in a few weeks and not in laboratory experiments that last 15 years. And in general, it is possible to change the chemical industry from end to end, discover new materials and make it possible to do a complex simulation. For example - ammonia is the most common fertilizer in the world. The problem is that producing it requires a lot of energy : 2% of global energy consumption. The process of ammonia production without energy consumption is a process that any plant can do - nitrogen fixation. We cannot imitate the process artificially because simulation of chemical processes is something that requires a lot of computers even if it is given to millions of supercomputers years - it's not something they'll be able to do, it's a big computational task. For quantum computers, it's a natural way, they can easily create simulations of molecules, so it's expected that quantum computing will revolutionize the worlds of chemistry, medicine and energy, and that's just one example."

Explain what you do?

"Today, when you design a chip, you don't do it at the level of logic gates and transistors. There are development tools and modeling languages ​​like VHDL or Varilog, and tools like Cadence, for example, which allow you to develop at a high level of abstraction and the design of the circuit itself is done automatically. It is clear that the order of billions of transistors One by one, this is not a task that a person can perform manually. You can look at us as the "cadence" of quantum computing. We enable the development of quantum software at a high level of abstraction and allow the developer to focus on what they want to happen, what algorithm they want to be executed, but not on the implementation of the gates. The logical ones because it's not something that can be done manually."

The state of quantum programming today - like the punch cards

"The problem is that the development tools for the quantum field are really in their infancy. Development is carried out at the level of logic gates as it was in normal computers at the time of punched cards. What limits the ability to develop software for quantum computers is that there are very few people with the required expertise. Even the experts have to go step by step because they are not are able to perform their work using the existing development tools. This is exactly the problem that our company solves."

"In general, talented personnel for this field is going to be a significant bottleneck. Today there are very few people with the appropriate set of tools - knowledge of quantum physics and knowledge of software. On the other hand, masses will be required in the coming years when it becomes the common domain and every significant company will need many of them."

What are the skills required to be a quantum computer programmer?

Minerbi: "The situation is somewhat reminiscent of what happened in the field of data scientists in the last decade. Initially, only people who received special academic training with advanced degrees could engage in this, and there is a constant shortage. Today, the software does part of the work on its own, and any programmer with a reasonable background in mathematics and computer science is able to study the field .Quantum computing is completely like this. There is nothing inherent here that requires a suitable mathematical toolkit - mainly linear algebra, that is, how the worlds of quantum computing work, there are courses like this in Israel ."

"Those who are smart enough to start working in the field today - to understand quantum algorithms, how to program a quantum computer and enter this field early, will find themselves in a good position for a market that is developing and it is developing very quickly. Israel has a very strong academic exosystem. Almost every one of the leading universities has strong faculties and professors strong. Israel has the data to be a leader in this field. We also see the beginning of an industry in this field."

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• Classic has completed raising $10.5 million to accelerate software development for quantum computing
• Israel will invest in a quantum computing system for security issues