Quantum Computer Researcher Warns That the Industry is Full of Ridiculous Hype
upstart writes:
Quantum Computer Researcher Warns That the Industry Is Full of Ridiculous Hype:
The nascent field of quantum computing generates a steady drumbeat of attention-grabbing headlines about the looming "quantum apocalypse," "quantum supremacy," and endless new investments in ventures that promise to finally crack the commercial capabilities of the tech wide open.
In an excoriating new essay for MIT Tech Review, though, prominent University of Maryland quantum researcher Sankar Das Sarma says that everybody needs to take a deep, deep breath.
The research is fascinating, he writes, and may well eventually lead to extraordinary breakthroughs. But the reality, according to his analysis, is that things are progressing slowly so far and we're unlikely to see anything world-changing from the tech in the near future.
"I am as pro-quantum-computing as one can be: I've published more than 100 technical papers on the subject, and many of my PhD students and postdoctoral fellows are now well-known quantum computing practitioners all over the world," Das Sarma wrote. "But I'm disturbed by some of the quantum computing hype I see these days, particularly when it comes to claims about how it will be commercialized."
Read more of this story at SoylentNews.