The Case Against Quantum Computing

Thread Starter

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,325
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-i...e-faster-more-efficient-and-decently-accurate
Commodore 64 claimed to outperform IBM's quantum system — sarcastic researchers say 1 MHz computer is faster, more efficient, and decently accurate
A paper released during the SIGBOVIK 2024 conference details an attempt to simulate the IBM ‘quantum utility’ experiment on a Commodore 64. The idea might seem preposterous - pitting a 40-year-old home computer against a device powered by 127-Qubit ‘Eagle’ quantum processing unit (QPU). However, the anonymous researcher(s) conclude that the ‘Qommodore 64’ performed faster, and more efficiently, than IBM’s pride-and-joy, while being “decently accurate on this problem.”

At the beginning of the paper, the researchers admit that their ‘Qommodore 64’ project is “a joke,” but, sadly for IBM, its proof of quantum utility was also built upon shaky foundations, and the Qommodore 64 team came up with some convincing-looking benchmarks. There was some controversy about IBM’s claims at the time, and we are reminded it took just five days for the quantum experiment to be simulated on an ordinary MacBook M1 Pro laptop. The jokey Quantum Disadvantage paper (PDF link, headlining section starts at page 199) ports this experiment to a machine packing the far more humble MOS Technology 6510 processor.
In conclusion, the researcher(s) asserts that the ‘Qommodore 64’ is “faster than the quantum device datapoint-for-datapoint… it is much more energy efficient… and it is decently accurate on this problem.” On the topic of how applicable this research is to other quantum problems, it is snarkily suggested that “it probably won’t work on almost any other problem (but then again, neither do quantum computers right now).” Overall, it is difficult to know whether the results are entirely genuine, though a lot of detail is provided and the linked research references in the paper seem genuine.
 

Thread Starter

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,325
Whomever gets the first Q computer might be the ruler of the planet. They would not want the opposition to get one too. This is some serious stuff here. We might be looking at world domination at some point.
Right. :eek: Quantum computers won't change anything about humans because their practical usefulness is limited to a narrow set of operations.

When world governments do something like this, most of the time it's to hide expensive screwups, like a massive waste of money on the QM computer hype train.

https://jackkrupansky.medium.com/wh...r-be-able-to-fulfill-most-of-the-d8f45a47b221
 
Last edited:

MisterBill2

Joined Jan 23, 2018
27,528
Consider what would happen when the A.I. super-fast computer becomes "self aware" and decides that it is so much smarter than humans that it should be in charge. The very stuff of science-fiction horror movies suddenly becoming real. I already have to deal with the computer in the car believing that I leave the parking lights on by accident.
 
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