The 2019 paper “Quantum supremacy using a programmable superconducting processor” asserted that Google’s Sycamore quantum computer, with 53

The Case Against Google’s Claims of “Quantum Supremacy”: A Very Short Introduction. | Combinatorics and more

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2024-12-09 23:00:14

The 2019 paper “Quantum supremacy using a programmable superconducting processor” asserted that Google’s Sycamore quantum computer, with 53 qubits and a depth of 20, performed a specific computation in about 200 seconds. According to Google’s estimate, a state-of-the-art classical supercomputer would require approximately 10,000 years to complete the same computation.

There are valid reasons to question both of these claims in the context of Google’s 2019 experiment. In my view, these claims may reflect serious methodological mistakes rather than an objective scientific reality. I do not recommend treating Google’s past or future claims as a solid foundation for policy-making decisions.

A.2) Moreover, the Google team was aware that better classical algorithms existed. They had developed more sophisticated classical algorithms for one class of circuits and subsequently changed the type of circuits used for the “supremacy demonstration” just weeks before the final experiment.

A.3) The 2019 Google paper states, “Quantum processors have thus reached the regime of quantum supremacy. We expect that their computational power will continue to grow at a double-exponential rate.” It is surprising to encounter such an extraordinary claim in a scientific paper.