The search for valuable applications of fault-tolerant quantum computers

Abstract: The ultimate dream of quantum computing, and the plan of record for many industrial efforts, is to build a fault-tolerant quantum computer. Such a device would be scientifically fascinating, but what valuable and classically intractable applications would it actually enable? The question is nuanced because the large overheads of quantum error-correction appear to preclude the possibility of a practical quantum advantage for the wide range of applications that realize only a modest (e.g., quadratic) speedup over classical algorithms. This talk will survey work of Google’s Quantum Algorithms & Applications team which seeks to answer this question by developing, compiling, and benchmarking the most promising applications of quantum computers that realize a super-quadratic speedup over classical methods. The talk will touch on applications in quantum chemistry, classical differential equations, optimization and machine learning.

quantum computing and informationMathematicsPhysics

Audience: researchers in the topic

Mathematical Picture Language Seminar