3.7 Decades of Quantum Computing

Systems Conversation with Edward Dahl, D-Wave Systems

Since Richard Feynman’s suggestion in 1982 that computers built from quantum building blocks could be more powerful, there has been much research in models of quantum computing, implementations, and algorithms. Shor’s discovery of a quantum factoring algorithm motivated further activity, though significant practical barriers to implementation remain. Quantum annealing has proved to be a more practical alternative and has come further in terms of applicability to real-world problems. Proto-applications for this approach exist today and will come closer to economic viability with near-term improvements in qubit count, interconnectivity, and control.