Quantum Computing in Supply Chain
Earlier this year I completed a certification on the Fundamentals of Quantum Computing from MIT. It was a fun course, we were able to write some OpenQuasm code and send it off to IBM’s Quantum Computer for processing. I currently work as a Technical Program Manager within the Microsoft Supply Chain, so naturally, I became very excited about the potential Quantum computing has to drastically change the world especially the Supply Chain world.
But first, let's define some quantum concepts that will shed some light on why I think this technology is so exciting: the Qubit, superposition, entanglement, quantum sensor and quantum simulation.
Qubit:
The Qubit is to Quantum computers what bits were to classical computers. In classical computers, bits were binary and could have a value of either 0 or 1. Think of a light switch, its either on or off. A qubit can have both 0 and 1 as values at the same time, think of a light dimmer switch.
Superposition:
According to Webster's Online Dictionary, superposition is "the combination of two distinct physical phenomena of the same type so that they coexist as part of the same event. I like to think of it mathematically to make more sense. When you solve the equation Y2 (Y squared) = 16, Y can be either 4 or -4. Both would be the correct answer. Or if you've seen the movie Superman 2 when the Man of Steel simultaneously appears opposite General Zod and his two cronies, that’s superposition.
Entanglement:
When qubits are entangled, they are connected in a way that one qubit provides the same information about the other qubit. This phenomenon occurs even over vast distances between the qubits.
Quantum sensor:
A device that can detect interactions between matter and energy at such extreme levels that it can do so with unprecedented accuracy. Measurement of magnetic and gravitational waves are some examples of the work a quantum sensor can do.
Quantum simulation:
Quantum simulation is the ability for Quantum Computers to perform calculations simultaneously on many possible states (superposition).
So how can this help with supply chain woes? Working in the Microsoft Supply Chain, I have noticed the enormous amount of data that is generated throughout the chain. Beginning with the orders given to our hardware vendors all the way to docking the hardware to our datacenters and finally cabling and configuring the network. There's many potential points of failure that can occur. Everything from a hardware failure to a delivery delay, can occur due to unforeseen circumstances…or maybe we just didn’t have the technology to see the unforeseen.
Maybe one day soon, we can run quantum simulations and discover when the best times for delivery of components less likely to be delayed due to weather patterns. In addition, it could help identify peak demand patterns in which decision makers can increase production capacity before those peak times and throttle after.
With all of this data, how can we securely communicate to the suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and Program Managers within the supply chain securely to coordinate this effort very quickly? This is where entanglement is important. Entanglement happens to be the cornerstone of Quantum cryptography. One day we may have the capability to securely communicate via entangled networks that will allow for information to be transmitted between these different nodes in the network quicker than our most powerful classical computers can do today.
One of the deployments I was managing, suffered a hardware failure in the form of a "line card”. A line card is an electronic component on a circuit board that can receive and transmit data. This had to be fixed quickly, and it was. But what if, hardware manufacturers can embed Quantum Sensors within hardware so that we can pre-emptively receive data that the hardware is about to go bad and replace it long before it fails?
The possibilities in a Quantum world seem endless and exciting. I look forward to taking this quantum leap in the near future.
