The Strongest Quantum Computer Hegemony: Google Vs IBM, Who is the Real Winner?

(Source: Carlos Jones / Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Eric Lucero / Google)

At the end of October last year, Google announced that its chip, Sycamore, achieved "quantum hegemony" for the first time by performing tasks that traditional computers cannot. Google said that Sycamore used only 53 qubits to complete a difficult computing task in just a few minutes, which is impossible to complete in 10,000 years for the Summit supercomputer. Google said it was a major technological breakthrough, even comparing it to the Wright brothers ’first flight and the Soviet Union ’s launch of the first artificial satellite. This breakthrough opened a new era in the development of computers, with the most powerful supercomputer now in front of it It's just an abacus.

At a press conference held at the Santa Barbara Lab, the Google R & D team answered questions from reporters for nearly three hours. But their humor cannot hide the tension. Two days ago, researchers at Google ’s quantum competitor IBM questioned this finding seriously. The article they published mentioned that the results of Google researchers were miscalculated. IBM believes that Google's so-called "most advanced supercomputer takes about 10,000 years" to complete the task, in fact, traditional computers can be achieved in just a few days. When asked what he thought of IBM ’s doubts, Hartmut Neven, head of Google ’s quantum computing team, did not give a clear response.

In fact, we can treat this incident as an academic dispute. Even if IBM is correct, Sycamore's calculation speed is indeed 1,000 times faster than the Summit supercomputer. Google may only need a few months to build a larger quantum computer to justify itself. IBM's greater doubt is not because Google's quantum experiment was not as successful, but it was a meaningless test from the beginning. Unlike the field of quantum computing, IBM believes that "quantum hegemony" is not a historical highlight moment like the Wright brothers' first flight; in fact, IBM does not even believe that quantum hegemony can really be achieved.

IBM's definition of success is different. It calls it "quantum advantage." This is not only a difference in terms and science but also a different philosophy, which is deeply rooted in IBM's history. Among cultural, development, and development goals, IBM ’s revenue and profits have continued to decline for eight years, while the revenues of Google and its parent company Alphabet have been rising. Even in this case, the different development concepts of the two companies may decide who will be better in the field of quantum computing.