’Munich is becoming a hotspot for quantum computing software’

Interview with Prof. Robert Wille on quantum computing software. Robert Wille, for Design Automation Most of us use software applications on a daily basis, for example when writing emails or surfing the internet. But how will future programs look like when new technologies such as quantum computers arrive on the scene? Prof. Robert Wille and his team are already developing the software of tomorrow today. In October, they are bringing the who's who of the software community together - for a forum to exchange ideas. In this interview, he explains what the forum is all about and what makes Munich such a unique research location. How does a quantum computer differ from a conventional one? In digital computers that we are familiar with, all programs operate on the basis of the binary states of 0 and 1. That is because these computers are electronic systems in which information is processed with the help of the two states, either "power on" (1) or "power off" (0). In contrast, quantum computers use entities of the "quantum world" such as ions or photons, which work based on the laws of quantum mechanics. Along with the two states, 0 and 1, they additionally permit "superpositions" - states which, in a sense, represent 0 and 1 at the same time. With these (and other) characteristics, it will be possible in the future to solve problems that existing computers have been unable to crack due to the enormous complexity. Can you give us an idea of what software for quantum computers might look like?