Affiliation:
1. Université Grenoble Alpes, Quantum Photonics, Electronics and Engineering Laboratory, Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, Institut d’ingénierie et de management, Interdisciplinary Research Institute of Grenoble, Grenoble 38000, France
Abstract
Quantum computers have been proposed to solve a number of important problems such as discovering new drugs, new catalysts for fertilizer production, breaking encryption protocols, optimizing financial portfolios, or implementing new artificial intelligence applications. Yet, to date, a simple task such as multiplying 3 by 5 is beyond existing quantum hardware. This article examines the difficulties that would need to be solved for quantum computers to live up to their promises. I discuss the whole stack of technologies that has been envisioned to build a quantum computer from the top layers (the actual algorithms and associated applications) down to the very bottom ones (the quantum hardware, its control electronics, cryogeny, etc.) while not forgetting the crucial intermediate layer of quantum error correction.
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences