Comment on the Quantum Supremacy Claim by Google

2021/08/29 by Anirudh Reddy, Benjamin Perez-García, Reddy, Anirudh +5
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Computability, Logic, AI Algorithms #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Computing Algorithms and Architecture #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2108.13862

openalex publication_date 2021/08/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Quantum computation promises to execute certain computational tasks on time scales much faster than any known algorithm on an existing classical computer, for example calculating the prime factors of large integers. Recently a research team from Google claimed to have carried out such a task with a quantum computer, demonstrating in practice a case of this so-called quantum supremacy. Here we argue that this claim was not justified. Unlike other comments, our criticism is concerned with the missing verification of the output data of the quantum computation.

Citations

• Polynomial-Time Algorithms for Prime Factorization and Discrete Logarithms on a Quantum Computer
• A blueprint for demonstrating quantum supremacy with superconducting qubits
• Quantum Computing in the NISQ era and beyond
• Classical Simulation of Quantum Supremacy Circuits

Related

• What Have Google's Random Quantum Circuit Simulation Experiments Demonstrated about Quantum Supremacy?
• The Argument against Quantum Computers, the Quantum Laws of Nature, and Google's Supremacy Claims
• Google's Quantum Supremacy Claim: Data, Documentation, and Discussion
• The Road to Quantum Computational Supremacy
• Questions and Concerns About Google's Quantum Supremacy Claim