D-Wave Claims to Achieve ‘Quantum Supremacy’ — Some Researchers Disagree

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According to a peer-reviewed paper published on March 12 in the journal Science, D-Wave claims to have performed a materials simulation that surpasses the capabilities of even the most advanced classical supercomputers. Specifically, D-Wave said its annealing quantum computer solved a difficult materials simulation problem that would take millions of years on the Frontier supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. D-Wave states in its related press release that the achievement is “the world’s first and only demonstration of quantum computational supremacy on a useful problem.”

However, some researchers have challenged this assertion, insisting that traditional computing methods may already achieve comparable results. Moreover, some experts take issue with the usage of the ...