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Wouldn't 500bn into quantum computing show better returns for civilization? Assuming it's about progress and ... not money.

esafak 2y ago
What is quantum computing being used for?
- rhubarbtree 2y ago
  True quantum computing in the sense that most people would imagine it, using individual qubits in an analogous (ish) way to classical computers, has not reached a useful scale. To date only “toy problems” to demonstrate theoretical results have been solved.
gpm 2y ago
We don't really know anything useful that can be done with quantum computers for civilization. They can break some cryptography... other than that... what are they good for? There's some highly speculative ideas about using them for chemistry/biology research, but no guaranteed return on investment at all. As far as I know... that's it.
- dwnw 2y ago
  Who can break crypto with quantum computing? That is total speculation.
  - gpm 2y ago
    I put the word "some" in front of "crypto" for a reason. There is some crypto that we know how to break with a sufficiently large quantum computer [0]. There is some we don't know how to do that to. I might be behind the state of the art here, but when I wasn't we specifically really only knew how to use it to break cryptography that Shor's algorithm breaks. [0] https://quantum-journal.org/papers/q-2021-04-15-433/ https://quantum-journal.org/papers/q-2021-04-15-433/
    - dwnw 2y ago
      Nope. Any crypto you can break with a real, physical, non-imaginary quantum computer, you can break faster with classical. Get over it. Shor's don't run yet and probably never will. You are misdirecting and you know it. I don't even need to discredit that paper. Other people have done it for me already.
      - rhubarbtree 2y ago
        This is incorrect. Whilst you may be sceptical about whether quantum computers can be realised, the theoretical result is sound. Recent advances in quantum error correction are a significant increase in confidence that quantum computers are practical. We can argue about timelines. I suspect it is too early for startups to be raising funds for quantum computers at this stage. Source: I worked in quantum computing research.
  - rhubarbtree 2y ago
    Shor’s algorithm can. What is speculative about that?
XorNot 2y ago
This is like asking whether $500 billion to fund warp drives would yield better returns. Money can't buy fundamental breakthroughs: money buys you parallel experimental volume - i.e. more people working from the same knowledge base, and presumably an increase in the chance that one of them does advance the field. But at any given time point, everyone is working from the same baseline (money also can improve this - by funding things you can ensure knowledge is distributed more evenly so everyone is working at the state of the art, rather then playing catch up in proprietary silos).
dwnw 2y ago
No.
deleted 2y ago
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esafak 2y ago

What is quantum computing being used for?

rhubarbtree 2y ago
True quantum computing in the sense that most people would imagine it, using individual qubits in an analogous (ish) way to classical computers, has not reached a useful scale. To date only “toy problems” to demonstrate theoretical results have been solved.

gpm 2y ago

We don't really know anything useful that can be done with quantum computers for civilization. They can break some cryptography... other than that... what are they good for? There's some highly speculative ideas about using them for chemistry/biology research, but no guaranteed return on investment at all. As far as I know... that's it.

dwnw 2y ago
Who can break crypto with quantum computing? That is total speculation.
- gpm 2y ago
  I put the word "some" in front of "crypto" for a reason. There is some crypto that we know how to break with a sufficiently large quantum computer [0]. There is some we don't know how to do that to. I might be behind the state of the art here, but when I wasn't we specifically really only knew how to use it to break cryptography that Shor's algorithm breaks. [0] https://quantum-journal.org/papers/q-2021-04-15-433/ https://quantum-journal.org/papers/q-2021-04-15-433/
  - dwnw 2y ago
    Nope. Any crypto you can break with a real, physical, non-imaginary quantum computer, you can break faster with classical. Get over it. Shor's don't run yet and probably never will. You are misdirecting and you know it. I don't even need to discredit that paper. Other people have done it for me already.
    - rhubarbtree 2y ago
      This is incorrect. Whilst you may be sceptical about whether quantum computers can be realised, the theoretical result is sound. Recent advances in quantum error correction are a significant increase in confidence that quantum computers are practical. We can argue about timelines. I suspect it is too early for startups to be raising funds for quantum computers at this stage. Source: I worked in quantum computing research.
- rhubarbtree 2y ago
  Shor’s algorithm can. What is speculative about that?

XorNot 2y ago

This is like asking whether $500 billion to fund warp drives would yield better returns. Money can't buy fundamental breakthroughs: money buys you parallel experimental volume - i.e. more people working from the same knowledge base, and presumably an increase in the chance that one of them does advance the field. But at any given time point, everyone is working from the same baseline (money also can improve this - by funding things you can ensure knowledge is distributed more evenly so everyone is working at the state of the art, rather then playing catch up in proprietary silos).

dwnw 2y ago

No.

deleted 2y ago

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