Quantum Computing's Classical Problem, Classical Computing's Quantum Problem

Abstract

Tasked with the challenge to build better and better computers, quantum computing and classical computing face the same conundrum: the success of classical computing systems. Small quantum computing systems have been demonstrated, and intermediate-scale systems are on the horizon, capable of calculating numeric results or simulating physical systems far beyond what humans can do by hand. However, to be commercially viable, they must surpass what our wildly successful, highly advanced classical computers can already do. At the same time, those classical computers continue to advance, but those advances are now constrained by thermodynamics, and will soon be limited by the discrete nature of atomic matter and ultimately quantum effects. Technological advances benefit both quantum and classical machinery, altering the competitive landscape. Can we build quantum computing systems that out-compute classical systems capable of some $10^{30}$ logic gates per month? This article will discuss the interplay in these competing and cooperating technological trends.

Post-proceedings of Quantum Horizons, Taipei, Oct. 2012. 10 pages, no figures

References in corpus (7)

• Quantum algorithm for solving linear systems of equations
• Exponential algorithmic speedup by quantum walk
• Quantum Algorithms for Quantum Field Theories
• Evading quantum mechanics
• A Depth-Optimal Canonical Form for Single-qubit Quantum Circuits
• Limits on Efficient Computation in the Physical World
• Architecture of a Quantum Multicomputer Optimized for Shor's Factoring Algorithm