They say one votes through one’s actions. Where you spend your money is where cast your vote. For example, if you want to support the recycling effort then you would buy only products that somehow support the recycling effort.
Would it be possible that someone may in this way cast a vote in favour of some human endeavour while not supporting that endeavour? Yes, that is often the case (I think) when it comes to earning your money. People find themselves in work situations where they are effectively supporting the activities of the organization that they work for even though in their hearts they are not really in favour of the activities associated with the organization.
For a long while I was under the impression that this situation is valid for the current so-called quantum revolution. There are many people doing research in this field, but I was doubtful whether they all really believe that this “revolution” is a real thing. There is a large amount of hype surrounding the expectations of these technologies. Most people working in this field must be aware of the fact that not all the promises are realistic.
Perhaps, part of this notion was based on my one skepticism about this field. I was thinking that most if not all of these new quantum technologies are just activities being pursued for the sake of getting research funding and ego trips.
Well now I’m starting to form a different picture of the situation. The difference come from seeing the efforts made by commercial companies. The way that such companies approach the challenges is very different from the way that academic researchers do it. While the academic approach is often purely for the wow-factor of what is being achieved, the industry must do this in a sustainable way. When they market a product, it must work according to specification and keep on working for a reasonable time after being sold. As a result, the industry is far more serious when is comes to the design and implementation of these systems than any academic researcher would ever be.
So it is when I saw the seriousness with which a commercial enterprise is addressing the challenges of quantum computing that I realize that this is not going to be something that will just blow over after some time. We are very likely to see a world where quantum computers enter our lives in the not too distant future. Yes, there are still challenges, but they are not insurmountable. What the specific details of the technology are going to be I cannot tell you, but I can see that the way quantum computing is being addressed gives it a very high chance of success.
Are you ready for that? How is that going to change our lives? That remains to be see.
Flippiefanus 