The race is on to find the first practical use for quantum computing. It is likely to pale in comparison to the ultimate potential of the technology: to power a computer that can take on any problem at blistering speed. But many in the field believe a less ambitious milestone will be reached within two years, triggering a rush to be the first to bring it into the mainstream.
Since 1982, when physicist Richard Feynman first outlined how the weird properties of quantum mechanics could be harnessed to revolutionise computing, much of the attention has been fixed on the point at which a quantum system far outstrips today’s “classical” systems — something known as quantum supremacy.
Google claimed to have reached this milestone two years ago. However, its demonstration did not take on a practical problem — a calculation that would have been impossible for a classical computer to solve — and IBM and others soon showed that classical computers could be adapted to counter some of the supposed advantages of Google’s system.