University of Kwazulu-Natal

Quantum Supremacy A New Era In Computational Power

Bonisiwe Shabane
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quantum supremacy a new era in computational power

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean we’re suddenly living in the quantum era. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us? Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: Spend an afternoon reading about quantum computing, and it won’t take long until you stumble across the term “quantum supremacy.” While this is quite a lofty-sounding boast, the idea is relatively simple: If a...

Google first tried to claim the supremacy crown back in 2019, and researchers in China argued the same a year later. But in both cases, experts weren’t so sure if true supremacy had been achieved. In Google’s case, its Sycamore quantum computer completed a task in three minutes and 20 seconds that the company said would take a classical computer 10,000 years to complete. For decades, Moore’s Law has guided the exponential growth of computing power. But as silicon chips reach the limits of physical scalability, a new chapter in computational innovation is being written—one that doesn’t just accelerate performance, but redefines what’s computationally possible. Welcome to the era of Quantum Supremacy.

Quantum supremacy marks the point where a quantum computer outperforms the best classical supercomputers for a specific task. This isn’t about replacing classical machines just yet, but it is about showcasing a leap—proving that quantum processors can do what traditional systems simply cannot. In one pivotal experiment, a quantum processor completed a complex computation in 200 seconds—a task that would have taken the fastest classical supercomputer 10,000 years. That moment wasn’t just a milestone; it was the birth of a new paradigm. Unlike classical bits, which are binary (0 or 1), qubits operate in superposition, existing in multiple states simultaneously. When combined with entanglement and quantum interference, quantum computers can explore vast solution spaces in parallel—solving certain problems exponentially faster than any classical algorithm.

In quantum computing, quantum supremacy or quantum advantage is the goal of demonstrating that a programmable quantum computer can solve a problem that no classical computer can solve in any feasible amount of time,... Conceptually, quantum supremacy involves both the engineering task of building a powerful quantum computer and the computational-complexity-theoretic task of finding a problem that can be solved by that quantum computer and has a superpolynomial... Examples of proposals to demonstrate quantum supremacy include the boson sampling proposal of Aaronson and Arkhipov,[9] and sampling the output of random quantum circuits.[10][11] The output distributions that are obtained by making measurements in... For this conclusion to be valid, only very mild assumptions in the theory of computational complexity have to be invoked. In this sense, quantum random sampling schemes can have the potential to show quantum supremacy.[12] A notable property of quantum supremacy is that it can be feasibly achieved by near-term quantum computers,[4] since it does not require a quantum computer to perform any useful task[13] or use high-quality quantum...

In 1936, Alan Turing published his paper, "On Computable Numbers",[18] in response to the 1900 Hilbert Problems. Turing's paper described what he called a "universal computing machine", which later became known as a Turing machine. In 1980, Paul Benioff used Turing's paper to propose the theoretical feasibility of Quantum Computing. His paper, "The Computer as a Physical System: A Microscopic Quantum Mechanical Hamiltonian Model of Computers as Represented by Turing Machines",[19] was the first to demonstrate that it is possible to show the reversible... In 1981, Richard Feynman showed that quantum mechanics could not be efficiently simulated on classical devices.[20] During a lecture, he delivered the famous quote, "Nature isn't classical, dammit, and if you want to make... Nature Computational Science volume 5, pages 1093–1094 (2025)Cite this article

As quantum mechanics marks its centennial, this issue of Nature Computational Science features a Focus that outlines the impact of quantum mechanics in advancing computing technologies, while discussing the challenges and opportunities that lie... Quantum mechanics emerged in the early twentieth century when scientists sought to explain phenomena that classical physics could not elucidate, such as the discrete energy levels of the hydrogen atom. In 1900, Max Planck introduced the concept of energy quantization to explain blackbody radiation1, which is considered the birth of quantum theory. Later, Niels Bohr’s atomic model2,3, Werner Heisenberg’s matrix mechanics4, and Erwin Schrödinger’s wave equation5 collectively established a comprehensive framework for quantum mechanics that explained why electrons occupy discrete energy levels and exhibit wave–particle duality,... These breakthroughs also paved the way for modern computing technologies. This year marks the centennial of quantum mechanics, honoring Heisenberg and his contemporaries’ works on laying the foundation for modern quantum theory.

To celebrate the anniversary, this issue of Nature Computational Science presents a Focus that explores the profound impact of quantum mechanics on advancing computational capabilities. The first notable impact of quantum mechanics on computing was its provision of a theoretical framework to understand electron behavior in solids, which is essential for semiconductor design. By explaining how electrons move through crystal lattices and interact with impurities, quantum mechanics enabled precise doping strategies that control conductivity in materials. Between the 1940s and 1950s, this understanding led to the creation of p–n junctions, the building block of the transistor, a tiny electronic switch that serves as the physical basis for modern digital computing,... This fueled the later exponential growth of computing power, such as the spread of supercomputers. Quantum Supremacy represents a pivotal milestone in the field of quantum computing.

It refers to the point at which a quantum computer can perform a calculation that is practically impossible for even the most powerful classical supercomputers. This concept is not just a theoretical milestone; it is a profound leap toward a future where complex problems in cryptography, drug discovery, material science, and optimization could be solved in seconds rather than... Traditional or classical computers operate using bits, which are binary values of 0 or 1. These bits form the fundamental unit of information, and everything from text processing to video rendering is computed through logical operations on these bits. Classical computers are incredibly efficient for many types of problems, but they hit a computational wall when confronted with problems that scale exponentially with size — such as factoring large prime numbers or simulating... Quantum computers utilize qubits, which differ fundamentally from bits.

A qubit can exist in a state of 0, 1, or both simultaneously due to a principle known as superposition. Furthermore, qubits can be entangled, meaning the state of one qubit is directly related to the state of another, no matter the distance between them. This allows quantum computers to perform a vast number of computations simultaneously. Quantum computing is not just faster; it is a different paradigm of computation altogether — one that taps into the probabilistic and parallel nature of quantum mechanics. In 2019, Google’s quantum computer Sycamore performed a calculation in 200 seconds that would take the world’s most powerful supercomputer 10,000 years to complete. This groundbreaking achievement marked the beginning of Quantum Supremacy—a point where quantum computers surpass classical computers in solving complex problems exponentially faster.

But what does Quantum Supremacy really mean, and how will it reshape industries in 2025? As we stand on the edge of a technological revolution, understanding Quantum Supremacy is crucial for businesses, researchers, and governments. In this deep-dive, we explore:✅ What Quantum Supremacy is and how it works✅ How Quantum Computing differs from classical computing✅ The real-world industries that will be transformed by 2025✅ Challenges and ethical concerns of... Quantum Supremacy refers to the moment when a quantum computer performs a task that is impossible for even the most powerful classical supercomputer. 💡 Key Principles Behind Quantum Computing: The world of quantum computing has sparked a debate that has the potential to reshape our understanding of computational power: the Quantum Supremacy Debate.

This debate centers around the concept of Quantum Supremacy, the point at which quantum computers can perform tasks beyond the reach of classical computers. The B.S./A.S.S. framework, standing for Before Singularity and After Singularity/Superposition, provides an ideal lens through which to explore this debate. Before we can fully explore the Quantum Supremacy Debate, it’s crucial to understand the B.S. era – the time before quantum computers could outperform classical computers. In the B.S.

era, classical computers, based on bits that take on a value of either 0 or 1, reigned supreme. These binary digits, or ‘bits,’ are the building blocks for all the complex calculations that a classical computer performs. However, the nature of these bits limits the computational power of classical computers. Imagine a vast library filled with books, where a classical computer is like a person who reads each book one by one. If the library is big enough, this process becomes inconveniently slow and arduous. After Singularity/Superposition (A.S.S.)

Enter the After Singularity/Superposition (A.S.S.) era, the realm of quantum computing. Quantum computers operate on qubits that, thanks to the principle of superposition, can exist in a state of 0, 1, or both at the same time. This property allows quantum computers to process vast amounts of information simultaneously.

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Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean we’re suddenly living in the quantum era. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us? Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: Spend an afternoon reading about quantum computing, and it won’t take long until you stumble across the term “quantum supremacy.” While this is quite a lofty-s...

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Google first tried to claim the supremacy crown back in 2019, and researchers in China argued the same a year later. But in both cases, experts weren’t so sure if true supremacy had been achieved. In Google’s case, its Sycamore quantum computer completed a task in three minutes and 20 seconds that the company said would take a classical computer 10,000 years to complete. For decades, Moore’s Law h...

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Quantum supremacy marks the point where a quantum computer outperforms the best classical supercomputers for a specific task. This isn’t about replacing classical machines just yet, but it is about showcasing a leap—proving that quantum processors can do what traditional systems simply cannot. In one pivotal experiment, a quantum processor completed a complex computation in 200 seconds—a task that...

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In quantum computing, quantum supremacy or quantum advantage is the goal of demonstrating that a programmable quantum computer can solve a problem that no classical computer can solve in any feasible amount of time,... Conceptually, quantum supremacy involves both the engineering task of building a powerful quantum computer and the computational-complexity-theoretic task of finding a problem that ...

In 1936, Alan Turing Published His Paper, "On Computable Numbers",[18]

In 1936, Alan Turing published his paper, "On Computable Numbers",[18] in response to the 1900 Hilbert Problems. Turing's paper described what he called a "universal computing machine", which later became known as a Turing machine. In 1980, Paul Benioff used Turing's paper to propose the theoretical feasibility of Quantum Computing. His paper, "The Computer as a Physical System: A Microscopic Quan...