0:00:01 – Announcer

You are listening to the National University Podcast.

0:00:10 – Kimberly King

Hello, I’m Kimberly King. Welcome to the National University Podcast, where we offer a holistic approach to student support, well-being and success- the whole human education. We put passion into practice by offering accessible, achievable higher education to lifelong learners. Today we are talking about quantum computing and, of course, data security is a pressing concern, as is AI, as quantum computing threatens existing encryption standards. Sectors such as finance, pharmaceuticals, sustainability and regulated industries are exploring the potential impact of quantum computing in their respective fields. So much more on today’s podcast. Stay with us.

On today’s episode, we’re talking about quantum computing, and joining us is Dr. Shatha Jawad, and Dr. Jawad has over 25 years of experience teaching computer engineering and computer science at both graduate and undergraduate levels, along with more than three years of experience as a software engineer. She holds a PhD in computer engineering and in 2024, she received the Full-Time Faculty Excellence in Scholarship Award. In 2023, she was also honored with the Full-Time Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, both from the School of Technology and Engineering at National University, and we welcome her to the podcast. Dr. Jawad, how are you?

0:01:40 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Good, thank you. How are you?

0:01:43 – Kimberly King

I am well. Thank you, boy. What an impressive background. Why don’t you fill our audience in a little bit on your mission and your work before we get to today’s show topic?

0:01:53 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Oh, I love teaching and I, like my students, learn about this computer and its benefits. So, yeah, this is what I am looking for.

0:02:08 – Kimberly King

Well, excellent, I am excited. I have to be honest with you, and my disclaimer is I don’t know anything about quantum computing. So I’m excited to speak with you today and we are talking about quantum computing. So what is a quantum computer?

0:02:24 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Actually, a quantum computer is a type of computer that uses quantum bits or qubits to perform calculations.

0:02:36 – Kimberly King

Okay, so how does a quantum computer differ from a classical computer? Would that be in like numbers, statistics?

0:02:49 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Yeah, actually the main difference is that classical computers use bits as the smallest units of information, which can be either zero or one, while a quantum computer use qubits, which can represent zero, 1, or both simultaneously, due to superposition. Additionally, qubits can be entangled- Two weird things.

0:03:20 – Kimberly King

Yeah, but thank you for clarifying that. So what are the superposition and entanglement?

0:03:28 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Yeah, as I said, these are the two big terms about quantum computing, and the superposition is the ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states at once. For example, qubits can be in a state of 0, 1, or both 0 and 1 simultaneously, while entanglements is a phenomenon where pairs or groups of qubits become interconnected such that the state of one qubit directly influences the state of another, no matter the distance between them.

0:04:20 – Kimberly King

Okay. And then what about some potential applications of quantum computers? What are those?

0:04:23 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize many fields, including cryptography, drug discovery, optimization problems, material science and complex simulations. They could solve problems that are currently impractical for classical computers, such as factoring large number for cryptography purposes of simulating molecular structures for drug developments.

0:05:06 – Kimberly King

This is seriously going right over my head. I apologize.

0:05:10 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Yeah… it is- We are looking forward to it-

0:05:16 – Kimberly King

But thank goodness you’re in place. I mean. So this I guess I have. I do have so many questions about this. But are quantum computers going to replace classical computers into the future?

0:05:26 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

No, actually no. And big no. Actually, they are complementary. Quantum computers excel at a specific task, while classical computers remain efficient for everyday use.

0:05:44 – Kimberly King

Okay, okay. And what are the current challenges, then, in building quantum computers?

0:05:55 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Major challenges include maintaining qubit coherence, error rates due to quantum decoherence and noise, scalability of qubit numbers and developing practical error correction methods. Qubits are extremely sensitive to their environment, which makes them prone to errors, and maintaining their quantum state long enough to perform calculations is difficult.

0:05:57 – Kimberly King

Oh.

0:05:58 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Yeah.

0:06:30 – Kimberly King

So what are some of the leading quantum computing platforms that we’re using today?

0:06:37 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Yeah, there are many companies, but let me talk about some of the leading platforms include IBM Qiskits, Google Cirque, Microsoft Azure Quantum and we have Regatti Computing. These platforms provide tools and frameworks for developing and running quantum algorithms on actual quantum hardware or simulators. By the way, I have hands-on experience using IBM Quantum’s cloud-based hardware, as well as their simulator. This practical exposure has given me a better understanding of the differences between actual quantum hardware operation and simulations.

0:07:37 – Kimberly King

Wow, your students are so lucky to have you as their professor. I would imagine they are moving on to do amazing things in life, but I love that you are so passionate about this and you have all of this knowledge and experience.

0:07:51- Doctor Shatha Jawad

Thank you.

0:07:54 – Kimberly King

So what about the biggest challenges facing quantum computing today. What are those challenges like?

0:08:03 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

As I said, the problem or the challenge, the main challenge, is maintaining qubits coherence, keeping them in superposition. This is the main challenge. And also filling up the number of qubits in a functional system. And the last one may be also a challenge, developing robust error correction techniques. It is a challenge also.

0:08:33 – Kimberly King

And then the current state of quantum computing development. Where are we at with that today?

0:08:38 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Actually, several companies and research institutions are building functional quantum computers with limited qubits capabilities. There is active research in overcoming technical challenges and exploring new algorithms exploring new algorithms.

0:09:02 – Kimberly King

And then the progress that’s been made in quantum computing in recent years I’m sure has been light years ahead and has gone probably faster than we can ever imagine.

0:09:11 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Yes, it is, and we expect more in the future.

0:09:17 – Kimberly King

So what does that future outlook look like for quantum computing?

0:09:22 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Actually, the future of quantum computing looks promising, with ongoing research and development aimed at overcoming current challenges. While practical large-scale quantum computers may still be years away, incremental improvements in qubit technology, error correction and quantum algorithms continue to push the field forward. Collaboration between academia, industry, and government is also accelerating progress.

0:10:00 – Kimberly King

Okay, and so what is quantum supremacy?

0:10:04 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Yeah, quantum supremacy is the point at which a quantum computer can perform a calculation that is infeasible for any classical computer to complete within a reasonable time frame. In 2019, Google claimed to have achieved quantum supremacy by performing a specific calculation with their quantum processor- Sycamore- which they stated would take a classical supercomputer, which take a classical supercomputer, thousands of years to complete. This is supercomputer.

0:10:58 – Kimberly King

Wow, it is what it says, it is, it’s supreme, it sounds like. Wow. How does quantum error correction work?

0:11:06 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Quantum error correction involves encoding logical qubits into multiple physical qubits to protect against errors. Actually, the process uses redundancy and specific quantum error correcting codes, like the surface code, to detect and correct errors without measuring the quantum information directly, thereby preserving the qubit’s quantum state.

0:11:44 – Kimberly King

Do we know how quantum computing will affect our everyday lives in the future?

0:11:51 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Actually it will not affect the life directly, but it will affect the whole world. Like we have to think about the bank, our accounts, how to keep them all safe. It is faster, it is doing calculations so fast. So that way I said, it is not personal use, it is for government and big company use.

0:12:20 – Kimberly King

Okay, interesting.

0:12:21 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Yeah.

0:12:23 – Kimberly King

And what excites you most about the future of quantum computing?

0:12:27 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

What excites me more, most about the future of quantum computing is its potential to revolutionize fields like artificial intelligence, which I am actively working in. Quantum computing- yeah, this is my field, it is artificial intelligence. Quantum computing actually can significantly enhance machine learning models by solving optimization problem faster, exploring vast data sets efficiently and enabling breakthroughs in areas like natural language processing and generative AI.

0:13:14 – Kimberly King

Wow, and you’re right in it. I mean, this is moving along so quickly, isn’t it? But boy, you must be in your briar patch thinking and working with AI and integrating this into quantum computing.

0:13:27 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Yeah, I’m looking forward to that.

0:13:30 – Kimberly King

Oh well, congratulations for making such a difference and for teaching our you know the future of quantum computing and we really appreciate you joining us today, and if you want more information, you can visit National University’s website at nu.edu. And again, doctor, thank you so much for your time and great work on everything you’re doing.

0:13:51 – Doctor Shatha Jawad

Thank you for having me. I appreciate that. Thank you so much.

0:13:58 – Kimberly King

You’ve been listening to the National University Podcast. For updates on future or past guests, visit us at nu.edu. You can also follow us on social media. Thanks for listening.