Google's Quantum Processor Solved a 10,000-Year Calculation in 200 Seconds

[Tsing]

It's official: Google has attained quantum supremacy. According to today's post on the AI Blog (and Nature article, "Quantum Supremacy Using a Programmable Superconducting Processor"), the search giant's 54-qubit processor ("Sycamore") managed to solve a computation that would have taken the world's fastest supercomputer 10,000 years in just 200 seconds.

Quantum-computing rival IBM has refuted Google's breakthrough, however, claiming that its Summit machine can do the same calculation in a still-practical 2.5 days. ("Quantum supremacy" is defined by many experts as "the moment a quantum computer performs a calculation that, for all practical purposes, a classical computer can’t match.")

Google stands by their 10,000 year estimate, though several computer experts interviewed for this article said IBM is probably right on that point. “IBM’s claim looks plausible to me,” emailed Scott Aaronson of the University of Texas, Austin. So assuming they’re right, is 2.5 days a practical amount of time? Maybe it is for some tasks, but certainly not for others.

 

[Grimlakin]

I have to say though that that is **** impressive.

Questions.
1. How much energy did it use to complete that calculation. Including the energy used to maintain the near absolute zero temperature for the CPU.

 

[raz-0]

So assuming they’re right, is 2.5 days a practical amount of time? Maybe it is for some tasks, but certainly not for others.

Yeah, but given that the supercomputer can likely do traditional computing tasks very fast as well, and unless something changed, quantum computers are particularly bad at some things we have gotten quite fast at computing, they really do need to blow the traditional architectures out of the water.

It's also important that they don't just make the claim by tossing a problem at it that differentiates based on some other architectural choice than quantum calculation.

 

[DejaWiz]

2.5 days vs 200 seconds...OK, IBM.

Can't wait for a Qubit architecture GPU so that we can finally game with full path-tracing at 1080p 60 FPS!

 

[Strelok]

2.5 days vs 200 seconds...OK, IBM.

Can't wait for a Qubit architecture GPU so that we can finally game with full path-tracing at 1080p 60 FPS!

I mean there’s a huge difference between 2.5 days and 10000 years. Impressive, but not as impressive as google is making it out to be.

 

[Zarathustra]

I think your discussion link for this one is dead.

 

[northrop]

How long before they stick it in their Pixel?

 

[David_Schroth]

So, I have two questions about this thing:

1. Can it run Crysis?
2. Can we now compute the question to the ultimate answer?

 

[xGryfter]

So, I have two questions about this thing:

1. Can it run Crysis?
2. Can we now compute the question to the ultimate answer?

1. No
2. 42?