Google says it has achieved quantum supremacy, but IBM disagrees

On Wednesday, Google said it had achieved quantum supremacy, which would be a major milestone in the history of science. According to the company, its 53-qubit quantum computer called Sycamore performed a 200-second calculation that the world's fastest supercomputer would take 10, 000 years to complete. And they did it because of their level of control over qubits.

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IBM does not consider Google's claim

IBM says the Mountain View giant's understanding of "quantum supremacy" is wrong. John Preskill, who popularized the term, said that "quantum supremacy" describes a situation in which quantum computers can do things that conventional supercomputers couldn't even try. But in the case of the Google test, that's not quite what happened.

For IBM, the ideal simulation of the task performed by Google can be performed on a classic supercomputer in 2 ½ days, and with much greater accuracy. This time could still be reduced.

Google's experience only served to show that a quantum computer could perform as expected but had no practical application. Still, the experiment is of relevant importance.

Google disputes

Google CEO Sundar Pichai compared the company's experiment to the Wright brothers' first flight: "The first plane flew for only 12 seconds, so there is no practical application of it, " he said. "But it showed the possibility of a plane being able to fly. "Although the example is interesting, we all know that the first" real plane "to fly with its own power was the 14-bis.

Although we have to wait a few more years, in theory, quantum supremacy could help accelerate the development of several other technologies we have today, such as more efficient batteries and more effective medicines.

Google says it has achieved quantum supremacy, but IBM disagrees via TecMundo