Google makes strides in Quantum computing

According to reports published Wednesday in the scientific journal Nature, Alphabet Inc.’s Google has built a computer that reached “quantum supremacy.”

What does that mean?

Put simply, their quantum computer managed to solve a problem that would normally take the fastest conventional supercomputers 10,000 years in about … 200 seconds.

“This achievement is the result of years of research and the dedication of many people,” Google engineering director Hartmut Neven said in a blog post. “It’s also the beginning of a new journey: figuring out how to put this technology to work. We’re working with the research community and have open-sourced tools to enable others to work alongside us to identify new applications.”

While Google appears to have made strides, IBM said in a blog post-Monday that Google had overestimated the difficulty of the task, arguing that instead of 10,000 years the problem could be solved in just 2.5 days.

“We urge the community to treat claims that, for the first time, a quantum computer did something that a classical computer cannot with a large dose of skepticism,” IBM said.