HOW THE EXPLORATION OF QUANTUM ALGORITHMS ADDRESSES BUSINESS NEEDS
Key players insights
REPLY ON THE WAVE OF INNOVATION
Quantum Computing is a fast-paced field, which is growing quickly both in terms of hardware and software development. While highly mature Quantum technology is still on its way, it is crucial for businesses to keep up to date with the advancements, identify the direction for the most promising algorithms and applications and be prepared for the disruption that Quantum Computers are set to bring to a number of sectors.
In addition to following the latest progress, Reply pursues research activities that focus on finding, analyzing and testing Quantum algorithms and approaches that aim to create business value for customers as quickly as possible.
QUBO AND QUANTUM ANNEALERS FOR COMBINATORIAL OPTIMIZATION
Quantum Computing unlocks the power of a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulation for optimization problems, which can be used to model complex KPIs and constraints opening up the possibility to improve business performance. The rationale behind the use of this mathematical model is that a particular kind of special-purpose Quantum Computers, called Quantum Annealers, are able to find the minimum of a given QUBO model, thus reaching the optimal configuration of a combinatorial optimization problem - which may be minimal logistics costs, maximum financial portfolio returns, and so on.
Reply has conducted extensive investigations into this technology and published promising results.
Until Quantum Computers reach a very high level of maturity, Reply’s answer to business needs in combinatorial optimization tasks resides in MegaQUBO, an accelerator used to solve large QUBO problems exploiting the high performance hardware available today.
Until Quantum Computers reach a very high level of maturity, Reply’s answer to business needs in combinatorial optimization tasks resides in MegaQUBO, an accelerator used to solve large QUBO problems exploiting the high performance hardware available today.
QUANTUM MACHINE LEARNING: THE HYBRID APPROACH
It is no secret that Machine Learning techniques can be computationally costly and it may be that classical strategies imply performance levels that could use a boost from an innovative approach like Quantum Computing.
By combining near-term Quantum hardware and classical resources, Quantum Machine Learning has seen a rise in the use of so-called “hybrid” approaches: while the computationally heavy part of the algorithm is left to the Quantum Processing Unit (QPU), a classical computer is used to aid its Quantum counterpart in a complementary manner, in order to overcome the hardware limitations of today’s Quantum Computers. This allows near-term Quantum devices to be exploited and hence the potential of Quantum Machine Learning and how it could benefit businesses to be explored right away.
Reply has been investigating and developing Quantum Machine Learning algorithms with the aim of leveraging its pros and studying its applicability in depth, in order to best target the practical cases that provide business value. Reply’s experience on the subject can be seen in the content that is continuously created and updated.
THREATS AND SOLUTIONS FOR CYBERSECURITY
A marked concern in Cybersecurity is that Quantum Computing could threaten the communication and encryption standards that have worked fine up to now. Quantum technology entails both threats and solutions for a new era of Cybersecurity.
Reply has been looking in depth at the topic and analyzing first-hand how “near” the disruption to be brought about by Quantum Computers might be.
RSA-based cryptosystems are known to be at risk when Quantum hardware reaches a sufficient level of maturity. Shor’s algorithm is known to provide an efficient – but not yet applicable – strategy to factor large integer numbers, which would mean finding the key to decrypting messages in an RSA-based cryptosystem.
Think about the possibility of someone gaining data today that could be decrypted in the near future: what would happen if critical business information were sent during the communication?
Reply has developed a reduced version of Shor’s algorithm that brings the possibility of factorization closer, tailored to reduce the number of operations required by the Quantum algorithm.
On the Quantum-safe solutions side, the company has been working on Quantum Key Distribution patterns that allow secure transmission of data, which is not threatened by classical or Quantum resources.
Reply’s experience on the subject is detailed in the publicly available content that is continuously updated.
NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR THE FINANCIAL INDUSTRY
Finance is no stranger to the need for high performance resources to create actual business value. More often than not, financial applications are required to settle for a solution that leaves room for potential improvement, so that higher performing hardware would yield more accurate or generally higher-quality results.
Quantum Computing is set to revolutionize the Finance world, via strategies such as:
- Quantum Optimization,
- Quantum version of classical Monte Carlo calculations,
Reply has been focusing on short-term applications such as portfolio and collateral optimization, as well as the investigation of general-purpose Quantum Computers to be used for pricing derivative instruments or estimating credit capital, with the aim of estimating their potential and the business value that comes from the adoption of innovative techniques on disruptive technology.
To learn more about the projects, proof of concept, and research activities carried on by Reply and how your business could already benefit from Quantum Computing solutions, see the link https://www.reply.com/en/topics/quantum-computing/
