In late October 2019, Google CEO Sundar Pichai likened the latest result from the companys quantum computing hardware lab in Santa Barbara, California, to the Wright brothers first flight.
One of the labs prototype processors had achieved quantum supremacyevocative jargon for the moment a quantum computer harnesses quantum mechanics to do something seemingly impossible for a conventional computer. In a blog post, Pichai said the milestone affirmed his belief that quantum computers might one day tackle problems like climate change, and the CEO also name-checked John Martinis, who had established Googles quantum hardware group in 2014.
Heres what Pichai didnt mention: Soon after the team had first got its quantum supremacy experiment working a few months earlier, Martinis says, he had been reassigned from a leadership position to an advisory one. Martinis tells WIRED that the change led to disagreements with Hartmut Neven, the longtime leader of Googles quantum project.
Martinis resigned from Google early this month. Since my professional goal is for someone to build a quantum computer, I think my resignation is the best course of action for everyone, he adds.
A Google spokesman did not dispute this account, and says that the company is grateful for Martinis contributions and that Neven continues to head the companys quantum project. Parent company Alphabet has a second, smaller, quantum computing group at its X Labs research unit. Martinis retains his position as a professor at the UC Santa Barbara, which he held throughout his tenure at Google, and says he will continue to work on quantum computing.
Googles quantum computing project was founded by Neven, who pioneered Googles image search technology, in 2006, and initially focused on software. To start, the small group accessed quantum hardware from Canadian startup D-Wave Systems, including in collaboration with NASA.
Everything you ever wanted to know about qubits, superpositioning, and spooky action at a distance.
The project took on greater scale and ambition when Martinis joined in 2014 to establish Googles quantum hardware lab in Santa Barbara, bringing along several members of his university research group. His nearby lab at UC Santa Barbara had produced some of the most prominent work in the field over the past 20 years, helping to demonstrate the potential of using superconducting circuits to build qubits, the building blocks of quantum computers.
Qubits are analogous to the bits of a conventional computer, but in addition to representing 1s and 0s, they can use quantum mechanical effects to attain a third state, dubbed a superposition, something like a combination of both. Qubits in superposition can work through some very complex problems, such as modeling the interactions of atoms and molecules, much more efficiently than conventional computer hardware.
How useful that is depends on the number and reliability of qubits in your quantum computing processor. So far the best demonstrations have used only tens of qubits, a far cry from the hundreds or thousands of high quality qubits experts believe will be needed to do useful work in chemistry or other fields. Googles supremacy experiment used 53 qubits working together. They took minutes to crunch through a carefully chosen math problem the company calculated would take a supercomputer on the order of 10,000 years, but does not have a practical application.
Martinis leaves Google as the company and rivals that are working on quantum computing face crucial questions about the technologys path. Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft, as well as Google offer their prototype technology to companies such as Daimler and JP Morgan so they can run experiments. But those processors are not large enough to work on practical problems, and it is not clear how quickly they can be scaled up.
When WIRED visited Googles quantum hardware lab in Santa Barbara last fall, Martinis responded optimistically when asked if his hardware team could see a path to making the technology practical. I feel we know how to scale up to hundreds and maybe thousands of qubits, he said at the time. Google will now have to do it without him.
More Great WIRED Stories
Read more:
Google's Head of Quantum Computing Hardware Resigns - WIRED
- The Quantum Computer Revolution Is Closer Than You May Think - National Review - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- Time Crystals Could be the Key to the First Quantum Computer - TrendinTech - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- quantum computing - WIRED UK - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- Chinese scientists build world's first quantum computing machine - India Today - May 3rd, 2017 [May 3rd, 2017]
- Here's How We Can Achieve Mass-Produced Quantum Computers - ScienceAlert - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- D-Wave partners with U of T to move quantum computing along - Financial Post - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Team develops first blockchain that can't be hacked by quantum computer - Siliconrepublic.com - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Telstra just wants a quantum computer to offer as-a-service - ZDNet - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Research collaborative pursues advanced quantum computing - Phys.Org - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Market Forecast 2017-2022 | Market ... - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Is Real, and D-Wave Just Open ... - WIRED - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- FinDEVr London: Preparing for the Dark Side of Quantum Computing - GlobeNewswire (press release) - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Purdue, Microsoft to Collaborate on Quantum Computer - Photonics.com - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Scientists May Have Found a Way to Combat Quantum Computer Blockchain Hacking - Futurism - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Microsoft and Purdue work on scalable topological quantum computer - Next Big Future - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- HYPRES Expands Efforts in Quantum Computing with Launch of European Subsidiary SeeQC - Business Wire (press release) - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- From the Abacus to Supercomputers to Quantum Computers - Duke Today - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- Accenture, Biogen, 1QBit Launch Quantum Computing App to ... - HIT Consultant - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- The US and China "Quantum Computing Arms Race" Will Change Long-Held Dynamics in Commerce, Intelligence ... - PR Newswire (press release) - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing Technologies markets will reach $10.7 billion by 2024 - PR Newswire (press release) - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- A Hybrid of Quantum Computing and Machine Learning Is Spawning New Ventures - IEEE Spectrum - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- KPN CISO details Quantum computing attack dangers - Mobile World Live - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Get ahead in quantum computing AND attract Goldman Sachs - eFinancialCareers - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Accenture, 1QBit partner for drug discovery through quantum ... - ZDNet - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Toward optical quantum computing - MIT News - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Quantum computing, the machines of tomorrow | The Japan Times - The Japan Times - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Its time to decide how quantum computing will help your ... - June 18th, 2017 [June 18th, 2017]
- Israel Enters Quantum Computer Race, Placing Encryption at Ever-Greater Risk - Sputnik International - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Prototype device enables photon-photon interactions at room ... - Phys.Org - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Dow and 1QBit Announce Collaboration Agreement on Quantum Computing - Business Wire (press release) - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Imperfect crystals may be perfect storage method for quantum computing - Digital Trends - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Dow Chemical, 1QBit Ink Quantum Computing Development Deal - Zacks.com - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Google on track for quantum computer breakthrough by end of 2017 - New Scientist - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- USC to lead project to build super-speedy quantum computers - USC News - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- The Quantum Computer Factory That's Taking on Google and IBM ... - WIRED - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- The weird science of quantum computing, communications and encryption - C4ISR & Networks - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Multi-coloured photons in 100 dimensions may make quantum ... - Cosmos - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Global Quantum Computing Market Growth at a CAGR of 35.12 ... - PR Newswire (press release) - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Qudits: The Real Future of Quantum Computing? - IEEE Spectrum - IEEE Spectrum - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- New method could enable more stable and scalable quantum ... - Phys.Org - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Quantum computers are about to get real | Science News - Science News Magazine - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Quantum Computing - Scientific American - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Australia's ambitious plan to win the quantum race - ZDNet - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- How quantum mechanics can change computing - The Conversation - The Conversation US - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- UNSW joins with government and business to keep quantum computing technology in Australia - The Australian Financial Review - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- UNSW launches Australia's first hardware quantum computing company with investments from federal and NSW ... - OpenGov Asia - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- Finns chill out quantum computers with qubit refrigerator to cut out errors - ZDNet - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- Hype and cash are muddying public understanding of quantum ... - The Conversation AU - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- IEEE Approves Standards Project for Quantum Computing ... - insideHPC - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- Silicon Quantum Computing launched to commercialise UNSW ... - ZDNet - August 24th, 2017 [August 24th, 2017]
- The Era of Quantum Computing Is Here. Outlook: Cloudy ... - January 30th, 2018 [January 30th, 2018]
- The Era of Quantum Computing Is Here. Outlook: Cloudy | WIRED - February 6th, 2018 [February 6th, 2018]
- Quantum computing in the NISQ era and beyond - February 6th, 2018 [February 6th, 2018]
- What is quantum computing? - Definition from WhatIs.com - February 6th, 2018 [February 6th, 2018]
- Quantum computers - WIRED UK - February 19th, 2018 [February 19th, 2018]
- Is Quantum Computing an Existential Threat to Blockchain ... - February 21st, 2018 [February 21st, 2018]
- What is Quantum Computing? Webopedia Definition - March 25th, 2018 [March 25th, 2018]
- Quantum Computing Explained - WIRED UK - April 15th, 2018 [April 15th, 2018]
- Quantum computing: A simple introduction - Explain that Stuff - June 2nd, 2018 [June 2nd, 2018]
- What are quantum computers and how do they work? WIRED ... - June 22nd, 2018 [June 22nd, 2018]
- How Quantum Computers Work - July 22nd, 2018 [July 22nd, 2018]
- The reality of quantum computing could be just three years ... - September 12th, 2018 [September 12th, 2018]
- The 3 Types of Quantum Computers and Their Applications - November 24th, 2018 [November 24th, 2018]
- Quantum Computing - VLAB - January 27th, 2019 [January 27th, 2019]
- Quantum Computing | Centre for Quantum Computation and ... - January 27th, 2019 [January 27th, 2019]
- Microsofts quantum computing network takes a giant leap ... - March 7th, 2019 [March 7th, 2019]
- IBM hits quantum computing milestone, may see 'Quantum ... - March 7th, 2019 [March 7th, 2019]
- Quantum technology - Wikipedia - March 13th, 2019 [March 13th, 2019]
- Quantum Computing | D-Wave Systems - April 18th, 2019 [April 18th, 2019]
- Microsoft will open-source parts of Q#, the programming ... - May 7th, 2019 [May 7th, 2019]
- What Is Quantum Computing? The Complete WIRED Guide | WIRED - May 8th, 2019 [May 8th, 2019]
- The five pillars of Edge Computing -- and what is Edge computing anyway? - Information Age - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Moore's Law Is Dying. This Brain-Inspired Analogue Chip Is a Glimpse of What's Next - Singularity Hub - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Experts Gather at Fermilab for International Workshop on Cryogenic Electronics for Quantum Systems - Quantaneo, the Quantum Computing Source - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Princeton announces initiative to propel innovations in quantum science and technology - Princeton University - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Detecting Environmental 'Noise' That Can Damage The Quantum State of Qubits - In Compliance - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Quantum Computing beginning talks with clients on its quantum asset allocation application - Proactive Investors USA & Canada - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- What is quantum computing? The next era of computational evolution, explained - Digital Trends - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- IT sees the Emergence of Quantum Computing as a Looming Threat to Keeping Valuable Information Confidential - Quantaneo, the Quantum Computing Source - October 23rd, 2019 [October 23rd, 2019]
- More wrong answers get quantum computers to find the right one - Futurity: Research News - October 23rd, 2019 [October 23rd, 2019]