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Real physical quantum computers exist, they just can't do anything useful yet, and in particular they haven't achieved fault tolerance. Quantum sensing took 46

Real physical quantum computers exist, they just can't do anything useful yet, and in particular they haven't achieved fault tolerance. Quantum sensing took 46 years before there was an application. The idea of quantum computers has only been around for 38 years (Deutch's paper was 1985). They seem highly analogous to me and I don't see what distinction you're trying to point to.

pyinstallwoes 3y ago
I see where you're coming from, jessriedel, but I must respectfully disagree with the assertion that "real physical quantum computers exist." In the common parlance, a "computer" is a device that can perform a set of operations or computations independently following programmed instructions. For a "real physical quantum computer" to exist by this definition, it should be able to carry out such operations using quantum phenomena, without any reliance on classical computing architecture for function, error correction, or result verification. What we currently have in the field of quantum computing doesn't fit this bill. The quantum systems we have today are not independent "computers" but rather more like "classical computers conducting quantum experiments." They're akin to people playing an MMO and running an imaginary computational architecture that only exists within the confines of the game rules. In this sense, they're creating and operating within an entirely simulated environment. This isn't to diminish the value of the research being conducted or the strides that are being made. But I would argue that the statement "real physical quantum computers exist" is, at this stage, a significant overreach. We may have precursors or tools that can manipulate quantum phenomena in interesting ways, but we're still a considerable distance from having an operational, standalone quantum computer in the full sense of the term.
- jessriedel 3y ago
  > For a "real physical quantum computer" to exist by this definition, it should be able to carry out such operations using quantum phenomena, without any reliance on classical computing architecture for function, error correction, or result verification. Nope, wrong. Plans for quantum computers have always included assistance from classical computers. This is like saying for a nuclear weapon to exist, it must have no conventional explosives, but in fact all nuclear weapons contain conventional explosives to initiate the nuclear reactions. You've made a number of incorrect claims here without admitting error, so I won't continue the conversation.

pyinstallwoes 3y ago

I see where you're coming from, jessriedel, but I must respectfully disagree with the assertion that "real physical quantum computers exist." In the common parlance, a "computer" is a device that can perform a set of operations or computations independently following programmed instructions. For a "real physical quantum computer" to exist by this definition, it should be able to carry out such operations using quantum phenomena, without any reliance on classical computing architecture for function, error correction, or result verification. What we currently have in the field of quantum computing doesn't fit this bill. The quantum systems we have today are not independent "computers" but rather more like "classical computers conducting quantum experiments." They're akin to people playing an MMO and running an imaginary computational architecture that only exists within the confines of the game rules. In this sense, they're creating and operating within an entirely simulated environment. This isn't to diminish the value of the research being conducted or the strides that are being made. But I would argue that the statement "real physical quantum computers exist" is, at this stage, a significant overreach. We may have precursors or tools that can manipulate quantum phenomena in interesting ways, but we're still a considerable distance from having an operational, standalone quantum computer in the full sense of the term.

jessriedel 3y ago
> For a "real physical quantum computer" to exist by this definition, it should be able to carry out such operations using quantum phenomena, without any reliance on classical computing architecture for function, error correction, or result verification. Nope, wrong. Plans for quantum computers have always included assistance from classical computers. This is like saying for a nuclear weapon to exist, it must have no conventional explosives, but in fact all nuclear weapons contain conventional explosives to initiate the nuclear reactions. You've made a number of incorrect claims here without admitting error, so I won't continue the conversation.