Analysis: D-Wave going public is huge for quantum computing
Has quantum computing finally arrived?
What’s a D-Wave?
D-Wave,in its own words, is:
And, also according to D-Wave, it’s “the only company developing both annealing quantum computers and gate-model quantum computers.”
That all sounds awesome. But it’s difficult to judge where the semantics end and the value begins when it comes to the field of quantum computing in general.
There’s a lot of debate as to what constitutes a legitimate quantum computing system. And even more over whether anything demonstrated so far actually qualifies.
IBM and Google have been arguingover which deserves to be credited with achieving “quantum advantage” first (a nebulous term to describe the point at which a specific type of quantum computer can perform functions no classical system could). Arguably,neither really has.
And, even when there’s not an industry debate waging overwhich company has the most qubits(a quantum computing term somewhat analogous to “fastest processor” in classical terms), the mainstream media’s coverage of major quantum computing milestones can be a bit confusing.
Canada, for example, will soon receive itsfirst “universal quantum computing system” courtesy of IBM.
But D-Wave’s been building quantum computers in Canada since the company was founded in 1999. So what gives?
The short version of an explanation would be that “quantum computing” is a moving target that’s dependent on context.
On the outside, you have giant research ideas about building massively powerful systems capable of solvingliterally everypossible problem we can imagine.
In this space, you’ll see Google getting a lot of press for its work on things such astime crystalsthat could potentially revolutionize the field of quantum computing —maybe even within the next 30-100 years.
And on the inside you’ve got companies such as D-Wave that build systems which exploit quantum effects to tackle specific, difficult problems head-on.
These are the kinds of problems that can take traditional computer systems hours, days, or even months to accomplish. We’re talking about things like optimizing shipping at massive scale or creating ultra-efficient and safe factory environments.
They might not seem like the sexiest problems to solve, but they’re the kind that are so hard some businesses simply don’t even try.
What’s this mean for big business?
D-Wave’s always been a bit of a hybrid itself. With one foot firmly in the research world and another pounding the pavement because there’s money to be made solving problems today, its public entry signifies a huge commitment to expansion.
That’s a bit of a no-brainer, but the company’s only justrecently ventured into “gate-based quantum computing,” which is a form of the technology that some experts feel more accurately describes a pure quantum computing paradigm.
(If you’re curious, here’sa handy articleon ZDNet explaining the difference between annealing and gate-based quantum computing systems)
What this means, realistically, is that D-Wave is ready to compete with the other half of the industry.
According totoday’s press release, D-Wave considers its dual-system approach to be one of its biggest advantages:
What does this mean for the field of quantum computing?
Our first question was: how will this impact D-Wave’s work in the field of quantum computing research?
The company isa prolific publisher of researchon quantum systems, often in cooperation with public institutes or through the use of government funding.
Neural reached out to D-Wave to ask about its future research endeavors. A company spokesperson said:
As far as the implications for other corporations in the same marketplace, it’s difficult to imagine a competition paradigm for quantum computing so soon.
At some point just about all of these companies can expect to see some overlap in customer inquiries, as corporations that don’t currently employ quantum computing systems start to explore cloud-based quantum-as-a-service solutions ahead of any eventual full-stack integration.
But we’re not talking about a heads-up battle, such as iOS competing with Android. When you’re trying to solve problems that have until now been considered unsolvable, it takes more than just good hardware and software. The companies working in this space have to provide fine-tuned, bespoke solutions for their clients.
Yet, it’s almost certain that today’s deal is a net positive for the entire industry. As we like to say here at Neural: a rising tide lifts all vessels.
D-Wave going public sends a clear signal to the next generation of quantum computing startups that the future, for them, is now.
However, it’s not all good news.
For those who are late to this party, there’s one less trophy to be earned. D-Wave may not have the market cornered yet, but it’s laid claim to thecoolest possible stock market IDa quantum computing company could have.
Per today’s press release:
A D-Wave spokesperson had this to say:
Story byTristan Greene
Tristan is a futurist covering human-centric artificial intelligence advances, quantum computing, STEM, physics, and space stuff. Pronouns:(show all)Tristan is a futurist covering human-centric artificial intelligence advances, quantum computing, STEM, physics, and space stuff. Pronouns: He/him
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