Breakthroughs in scalability, error correction, and infrastructure have accelerated the quantum computing roadmap faster than expected.
Quantum computing has become a topic of interest to many in the science and technology community. A recent QuEra survey of 927 experts in the field of quantum computing found that 74.9% believe that quantum computers will become a superior alternative to classical computers within the next 10 years.
More than half of those surveyed said the pace of quantum computing is faster than they expected, including 55% of academics. However, the most important question that many people are concerned about is: “When will quantum computing really bring value?”
Currently, many laboratories around the world, including IBM, Google, Microsoft, D-Wave and QuEra, have operational quantum computing systems. However, the main challenge lies in scaling up and practical applications of this technology.
For quantum computers to be valuable, they need to solve problems that conventional computers cannot and be profitable. In 2019, theoretical physicist Mikhail Dyakonov argued that quantum computers would never succeed due to challenges with noise, scalability, and efficiency.
However, this view does not fully reflect recent advances in the field of quantum computing. Currently, research groups around the world are focused on solving specific challenges related to the development of practical quantum computers.
Major challenges remain in scalability, error correction, and hardware performance, but QuEra's research shows that significant progress has been made in overcoming these barriers.
One of the biggest challenges in the past has been infrastructure. For example, one of IBM's first attempts at building a gate-based quantum computer resulted in a complex and expensive system.
However, the situation has changed dramatically. Now with the development of error correction technology, fault tolerance and infrastructure, quantum computers can operate at room temperature and have demonstrated quantum superiority in some cases.
Quantum computers are not designed to replace conventional computers, but to solve complex computational problems that are beyond the capabilities of classical computers. They could play a major role in improving weather forecasting, transportation, and finance in the future.