Kicking Off the Quantum Decade

Quantum computing has made great strides in recent years and is poised for a takeoff in the coming years. Look for tech developers, investors and governments to kick off the quantum decade with fresh momentum this year.

Passing the “quantum supremacy” milestone set the stage for the next ten years of quantum computing development. Quantum supremacy refers to the point in development at which a quantum computer can outperform a classical computer. A report from Google and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) late last year claimed that current quantum computing capabilities have reached this point.

In an experiment performed by Google, a quantum computer conducted a test calculation within 200 seconds, whereas “a state-of-the-art supercomputer would require approximately 10,000 years to perform the equivalent task.” Although the test calculation is not particularly relevant to solving a major humanitarian challenge, it evidences quantum computing’s proven advantage over classical computing, confirming the technology’s imminent potential in 2020 and beyond.