If solved
Quantum Computers for Chemistry
Fault-tolerant quantum computers simulate molecules and materials exactly: catalysts, batteries and drugs are designed on the computer.
Open in the interactive tree →Chemical bonds obey quantum mechanics, and the effort to compute them on classical machines explodes with molecule size. A fault-tolerant quantum computer could directly calculate enzymes such as nitrogen fixation or battery materials. This would probably be the first economically useful application.
What it brings
- Catalysts for fertilizer production at room temperature instead of Haber-Bosch
- New battery and solar materials
- Targeted drug design
- A search for new superconductors
Prerequisites
More in Electronics & Computing · If Solved
- Post-Silicon Computers2040s?