01 | Dead and Alive: Battle for quantum supremacy
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, I'm Alicia Simmons. And I'm Lee Boucher.
As historians, we've spent years digging into the lives of people who've changed history, for better or for worse.
So naturally, we are extremely qualified to gossip about them.
And because they're dead, they can't sue.
In our podcast, we sift through Australia's most notable and notorious characters, giving you our unfiltered takes.
Find it by searching for The Dead Kansu on ABC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.
Almost a decade ago, two of the world's tech heavyweights started an all-out war.
Google and rival tech giant IBM are embroiled in a fight over quantum computing amid claims of a major breakthrough.
The competitors here are Google and IBM. The battlefield is quantum computing. The outcome could decide the direction of a technology that may hail a second computer age. And of course, make those involved lots and lots of money.
Are we entering the era of computers with limitless power? And could they eventually help solve some of our biggest challenges?
In 2019, Google, by its own account, declared a major victory.
Google now claims it's achieved quantum supremacy.
Quantum supremacy.
This moment when a quantum computer can do something that no classical computer can for the first time.
After Google's announcement, one expert suggested quantum computing had taken flight.
For Google, quantum supremacy was this milestone. In their words, it would be like the Wright Brothers moment for quantum computing.
This first flight moment is exactly why Google attempted to conquer the quantum space in the first place.
When you show that a quantum computer can be as or more powerful than the best classical computer, that gets people's attention.
However, not everyone is impressed by Google's claims.
IBM published their own thing saying that Google had got it wrong.
This stash between Google and IBM isn't just a one-off. It represents 30 years of history trying to build a quantum computer that's actually useful.
You want to show it that this is not just a little bit better, but a lot better.
For decades, it's been argued that quantum computers will be so much more powerful than even our most juiced-up supercomputers, transforming society from how we cure disease to how we grow food or get around our cities. The story of quantum computing is much wilder than you think. There are nerdy physicists who became Silicon Valley CEOs, spies cracking defense codes, computers you can walk inside of, and one question ringing in the ears of governments, universities, and venture capitalists around the world. Will the multi-billion dollar bet of quantum computing pay off?
This is Dead and Alive, a new series of science fiction for ABC Radio National. I'm science journalist Jacinta Bowler, and I'm here to find out if quantum computers will change the world. Episode one, the battle for quantum supremacy. Before we get into all the juicy quantum drama, we need to know why ordinary computing isn't enough and why we're reaching for something better. And for that, we're making a quick pit stop about an hour outside of Melbourne to meet livestock and cropping farmer Scott Young. Great to meet you.
What sparked the rivalry between Google and IBM in quantum computing?
Thank you for doing this.
No worries. I still don't know what I'm doing.
Scott doesn't quite understand why I'm here. And I don't really blame him.
Something about quantum science show that's coming up.
Scott isn't a quantum physicist, but he understands the problems that they're trying to solve. And one of those problems is that the computers we use today aren't very good at simulating nature at its smallest scale. Let's take one of Scott's lovely sheep here. On a big scale, a sleeping sheep will remain at rest unless pushed. A jumping sheep goes up but must come down. This is what's known as classical physics, which governs the world we can see with the naked eye. Can you describe what this farm looks like for those listening?
Yeah, so it pretty much looks like wide open spaces with a few remnant gum trees about the property, a few sheep running around at the moment.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–4:06
2
What sparked the rivalry between Google and IBM in quantum computing?
4:06–7:14
3
What does quantum supremacy mean and why is it significant?
7:14–7:58
4
How did Google claim to achieve quantum supremacy?
7:58–11:47
5
What are the criticisms surrounding Google's quantum supremacy claims?
11:47–13:56
6
How does quantum computing promise to solve real-world problems?
13:56–25:46