Quantum Computing's Classical Problem, Classical Computing's Quantum Problem

摘要

Tasked with the challenge to build better and better computers, quantumcomputing and classical computing face the same conundrum: the success ofclassical computing systems. Small quantum computing systems have beendemonstrated, and intermediate-scale systems are on the horizon, capable ofcalculating numeric results or simulating physical systems far beyond whathumans can do by hand. However, to be commercially viable, they must surpasswhat our wildly successful, highly advanced classical computers can already do.At the same time, those classical computers continue to advance, but thoseadvances are now constrained by thermodynamics, and will soon be limited by thediscrete nature of atomic matter and ultimately quantum effects. Technologicaladvances benefit both quantum and classical machinery, altering the competitivelandscape. Can we build quantum computing systems that out-compute classicalsystems capable of some $10^{30}$ logic gates per month? This article willdiscuss the interplay in these competing and cooperating technological trends.