Homegrown quantum computer vital for Türkiye as protectionist walls rise, expert says

ADANA, Türkiye

Developing homegrown quantum computer technology is of vital importance for Türkiye and would be a major mistake to overlook as protectionist walls are rising across the world, according to the head of an Istanbul-based tech firm ComPro.

The era of a globalized world where all data is everywhere and everyone contributes in every way is over, Abdurrahman Keklik told Anadolu during Türkiye's premier tech event, TEKNOFEST, in the southern city of Adana, adding that it is becoming more and more localized, with everyone producing their own technology and setting restrictions.

There are very clear examples of this, he said, noting that the European Union has banned the unauthorized export of quantum technologies outside the bloc.

He noted that China also carries out all its work in a completely closed circuit.

"The efforts of all other countries in the world continue at the highest level. In Türkiye, we have been working intensively for the last two years to raise awareness of this issue," he stressed.

Keklik said every country and many firms are making huge investments in this field.

ComPro will import IBM's latest quantum computer system, IBM Quantum System Two, but the firm's aim is to enable Türkiye to produce its own quantum computer, he said.

He said that TEKNOFEST is spreading the firm's target to the whole country, and it is targeting to produce the first prototype of the Turkish quantum computer before the next edition of the event.

- Biggest revolution mankind has ever experienced

It is very difficult to come to a conclusion by comparing quantum computers with classical ones, because the working of classical computer is based on bits, the smallest unit of information in computing, which can either represent a zero or a one, he highlighted.

But quantum computers are different as instead of the binary code of their classical counterparts, they use quantum bits, or qubits, that can represent multiple states at once through the concept of superposition, which allows them to solve complex problems much faster.

"When we look at this, what we call quantum mechanics, quantum physics, we start from the interesting behavior of the matter there.

"In quantum, everything is uncertain, it is probabilistic. There is controlled freedom and it is chaos," he said.

Now, an algorithm and a computer structure that has emerged with this data is something completely different, he highlighted.

Keklik said therefore, people should not think of them as areas where they will actually compete with each other, very different from the structure in classical computers.

"The areas where classical computers will work will continue, but quantum computers come into play in areas where classical computers cannot do anything or cannot produce solutions in any way," he added.

He said work that used to take months and years can now be reduced to seconds and minutes, while with regards to a 2048-bit RSA cipher, which is currently impossible to crack with existing computers, with a 4100-qubit quantum computer, it can be broken in six seconds.

"The world is entering a disruptive era. In fact, the world is entering the biggest revolution that mankind has ever experienced," Keklik said.

He said it is going to affect everything, from AI to technological developments; the world is on the threshold of an important era.

While quantum computers were announced in 2016, they are not commercialized yet, he said.

He said quantum computers are working in all fields and work that takes numerous days with existing technology can be completed in minutes via a quantum computer.