Technology won’t save us from climate change, but it could help – and if quantum computing would hurry up, the leap forward in processing power could help expand our understanding of our changing world, reveal how to reduce the impact of carbon emissions and spark innovations that make a real-world difference.
Rather than have bits that are either on or off, as in standard binary systems, quantum computing uses physics that allows particles to be in multiple states (see box, p128). That means quantum bits (qubits) give this type of computer an exponential jump in processing power. Vital milestones have been reached – Google laid claim to reaching quantum supremacy in 2020, which means its system managed an equation that a standard computer couldn’t do.
It’s well worth the effort, argues Philipp Ernst, senior expert in the innovation practice at McKinsey, and Niko Mohr, partner at McKinsey Dusseldorf, who have identified five ways that quantum computing could be put to practical use addressing climate change. These five quantum-powered solutions could slash a whopping seven gigatons of carbon emissions by 2035, helping to keep the globe on track to warm by 1.5°C and nothing more, the widely agreed upon target to avoid catastrophe.
That doesn’t mean existing climate change mitigation efforts should halt, as there are lots of reasons the arrival of quantum computing could be delayed. But when we develop
