What is a quantum computer good for? Absolutely nothing — yet
The Trump administration wants a useful quantum computer in two years. Microsoft wants one in three. Independent researchers cry hype.
by Sophia Chen
Jun 30, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC
To this day, we have yet to see a quantum computer conclusively perform a single useful task. Existing machines are simply too small and error-ridden to solve commercially relevant problems. That hasn’t stopped Donald Trump’s science adviser from promising a “quantum computer powerful enough for scientific discovery by 2028” and Trump from issuing a new executive order to speed up the US quantum computing industry in its competition with China, both on June 22nd.
Companies drive the hype, too. In June, Microsoft announced a new quantum computing chip named Majorana 2. It claimed the chip was a hardware advancement that accelerates its timeline to a “scalable, practical quantum computer” by 2029. But independent experts swiftly criticized the announcement....
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