MIT's Aram Harrow Sees Useful 1,000-Qubit Quantum Computers Arriving Sooner
Updated
Updated · EL PAÍS USA · Jun 5
MIT's Aram Harrow Sees Useful 1,000-Qubit Quantum Computers Arriving Sooner
1 articles · Updated · EL PAÍS USA · Jun 5
Summary
Aram Harrow said he has been too pessimistic about quantum computing and now expects useful machines with thousands of qubits to arrive sooner than his earlier 10-to-15-year timeline.
25 years into the field, the MIT researcher said progress is being driven by steadily improving qubit quality and error correction, with noise rates falling year by year even as engineers work to scale up qubit counts.
Harrow said the breakthrough will be gradual rather than a single "quantum day," arguing the technology already exists but has not yet reached the point of clear economic impact.
He pointed to chemistry and materials simulation as the most likely early applications, while warning companies not to wait 10 years to replace vulnerable encryption schemes.
Harrow said quantum computing is unlikely to match AI's breadth or investment boom, but could still unlock narrower advances such as drug discovery, better superconductors and, indirectly, fusion research.
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Quantum Computing Nears Utility: The Race to 1,000+ Qubits and the Countdown to Practical Impact
Overview
The timeline for useful quantum computers is being revised as experts see rapid progress in the field. Recent breakthroughs in qubit quality, integration, and quantum error correction have brought the possibility of quantum machines performing tasks beyond classical computers much closer. It is now considered realistic that, within the next decade, quantum simulations will become valuable for areas like material science, chemistry, and high-energy physics. These advances are paving the way for commercial applications such as battery and photovoltaic development, showing that steady improvements in technology are accelerating the arrival of practical quantum computing.