24 February 2018
Quantum computing technology is still in its infancy, but new programming languages designed for quantum computers are already being developed.
For example, Microsoft recently unveiled Q# (pronounced Q sharp), a new quantum computing language. Other similar high-level quantum programming languages include QCL and Quipper.
Quantum computers use quantum bits or “qubits” as opposed to the classical binary digits 0 and 1. This creates vast amounts of parallel processing power.
However, quantum computing possesses limitations that does not exist in classical programming. For instance, quantum programs cannot have loops that repeat a sequence of instructions.
To deal with such issues, Q# works in conjunction with a couple of classical languages. Developers can write their main programs in familiar languages and then use a Q# program when they want to engage quantum processing power.