A real reason for papers such as this, even with seemingly bombastic claims as "supremacy" with modest improvements, is to prove real progress at a time where Q

A real reason for papers such as this, even with seemingly bombastic claims as "supremacy" with modest improvements, is to prove real progress at a time where QIS funding is sharply ramping up by DOE/DOD/(NSA/CIA) while also identifying core areas for improvement (where to spend that money). $300MM has been set aside for DOE QIS alone (with more of a focus on simulation), and that is likely to ramp up with papers like this, probably somewhere over $1B over the next 5 years for DOE Science alone. Throw in DOD/NSA and the number is easily going to be in the $5-10B total over the next 5-10 years, assuming there's no quantum winter.