I’d claim this highlights just quite how established quantum supremacy is. Specifically, they just did the work using quantum computers because they were the be

I’d claim this highlights just quite how established quantum supremacy is. Specifically, they just did the work using quantum computers because they were the best tool for the job. We’ve moved on from the question of “are they good for anything”? In the field of quantum simulation they’re manifestly useful. “Useful”, however, doesn’t need to be transitive. It’s perfectly possible for it to be useful to perform research without the research itself being useful.