Quantum Computers , use qubits which can be in two states at once, as opposed to digital bits being simply off or on.
"Large-scale quantum computers could be able to solve certain problems much faster than any classical computer.... There exist quantum algorithms..., which run faster than any possible probabilistic classical algorithm.... The computational basis of 500 qubits, for example, would already be too large to be represented on a classical computer because it would require 2 to the 500 complex values to be stored. (For comparison, a terabyte of digital information stores only 2 to the 43 discrete on/off values)....Trying to store all these complex numbers would not be possible on any conceivable classical computer."
I was just considering how far we've come using digital computers with the massive growth in speed, volume and cross referencing capabilities they give us for processing information and communication. But it's like an abacus compared to a relatively small quantum computer.
I try to imagine the impact of quantum computing, but it's like trying to imagine the world of marvels we have now from a perspective just 30 years ago. Who could envision what the increases in speed and decreases in size would mean--I mean the Internet alone....
The best analogy I can come up with is digital computing has given us the World, while quantum computing would give us the universe. In fact, it is theorized that the universe is indistinguishable from a quantum computer, governing, and recording(?), every quantum level event since time began.
And we thought fire was a big deal. If we could tap (hack?) into that, there would be no secrets, and we could replay ourselves at will, making us essentially immortal. And what if that capability fell into the wrong hands? Which leads us to the ultimate question, does this universe/computer have a security program?