Quantum Timeline From Feynman's idea to Quantum Supremacy

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John Preskill coins the term "quantum supremacy"

Mar 26, 2012

In a paper posted in March 2012, based on a talk at the 2011 Solvay physics conference, Caltech physicist John Preskill used "quantum supremacy" for the point where controlled quantum systems can do tasks beyond the reach of ordinary computers, whether or not those tasks are useful.

Why it matters

The term set the target for the race that led to Google's 2019 claim. Preskill later wrote that the word proved controversial; the alternative "quantum advantage" is also widely used.

John Preskill · Caltech

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Related

Sources (3)

  • arXiv (John Preskill) Quantum computing and the entanglement frontier
    Primary sourceMar 26, 2012
    “we hope to hasten the day when well controlled quantum systems can perform tasks surpassing what can be done in the classical world. One way to achieve such "quantum supremacy" would be to run an algorithm on a quantum computer which solves a problem with a super-polynomial speedup relative to classical computers”
  • Quanta Magazine (column by John Preskill) Why I Called It 'Quantum Supremacy'
    Independent coverageOct 2, 2019
    “In 2012, I proposed the term "quantum supremacy" to describe the point where quantum computers can do things that classical computers can't, regardless of whether those tasks are useful.”
  • IBM Research Blog On "quantum supremacy"
    Independent coverageOct 22, 2019
    “Because the original meaning of the term "quantum supremacy," as proposed by John Preskill in 2012, was to describe the point where quantum computers can do things that classical computers can't, this threshold has not been met.”

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