IBM scientists claim they've achieved 'quantum advantage' — and they've dared others to prove them wrong

Scientists at IBM and partner institutions say they've reached "quantum advantage" in a trio of experiments demonstrating quantum computing capabilities that even the fastest classical supercomputers can't match.

In a purported major milestone for quantum computing, the experiments show how these machines could perform useful computational tasks, such as computing chemical reactions, within minutes. By comparison, a supercomputer would take years.

In a statement, IBM representatives said these experiments show that quantum computers can provide trusted solutions more efficiently, more cheaply or more accurately than any classical computing method.

Trust and verification

At a July 28 news conference, representatives from IBM, Algorithmiq, Qedma, and the University of Chicago described three experiments demonstrating quantum advantage over classical computers in three different challenges.

Each used IBM's Quantum Heron R3 superconducting quantum computer system ru...