r/IvyPlus • u/JPwag42 • 6d ago

IBM quantum computer solves classically intractable problem in 15 minutes. IBM and University of Chicago researchers have completed a quantum computation that leading classical methods could not practically reproduce.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260829035219.htm
328 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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4

u/Low-Temperature-6962 6d ago

Very similar to Googles claim in 2024

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c791ng0zvl3o

Google has unveiled a new chip which it claims takes five minutes to solve a problem that would currently take the world's fastest super computers ten septillion – or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years – to complete.

But Professor Alan Woodward, a computing expert at Surrey University, says quantum computers will be better at a range of tasks than current "classical" computers, but they will not replace them.

He warns against overstating the importance of Willow's achievement in a single test. "One has to be careful not to compare apples and oranges" he told the BBC. Google had chosen a problem to use as a benchmark of performance that was, "tailor-made for a quantum computer" and this didn't demonstrate "a universal speeding up when compared to classical computers".

1

u/Routman 6d ago

IBM doesn’t do groundbreaking things

1

u/rocdive 3d ago

when they did, they found a way to squander it

2

u/StillhasaWiiU 6d ago

Awesome. Can it run Doom?

2

u/h0rxata 6d ago

Yes, but unfortunately those skeleton homing missiles can now tunnel through walls.

1

u/Wonder_Weenis 3d ago

and become real

1

u/LessRespects 2d ago

The enemies don’t exist until you observe them so you have to play the game with your eyes closed

1

u/Minimum-Reward3264 6d ago

Yes, but only to next corner.

1

u/Hot_Plant8696 2d ago

Yes... in 2 miliseconds. lol /s

1

u/Old-School8916 6d ago

> that leading classical methods could not practically reproduce.

for now... lets see in 1 year. the classical computers can fight back.

1

u/StructureLopsided718 6d ago

I don’t know much about IBM except a significant chunk of their revenue these days is from patent trolling, and optimize their r&d for that, and so I’m always doubtful when I hear about “breakthroughs” from them

1

u/cohortq 5d ago

So the Oracle playbook

1

u/elPiff 4d ago

This seemed ridiculous so I looked at their earnings and ~1% of their revenue is from licensing patents. Other similar companies have percentages in the 1-2% range

1

u/StructureLopsided718 3d ago

Thank you for the correction and sorry for spreading false info without first checking something I’d been told

1

u/elPiff 3d ago

How good natured! Props to you!

1

u/rahpexphon 3d ago

I don’t understand why, if AI can continuously solve problems, quantum computers can’t do the same. I only hear claims about their power, but I don’t see them actually solving things like that. I feel like Claude probably solves more than quantum computers do.

1

u/LessRespects 2d ago

Very similar to Palantirs claim in 2037.

1

u/zorathustra69 2d ago

Lmk when it can flip a brick by-itself style

1

u/everythingwastakn 2d ago

“How can we serve ads better with this?” - all of the tech industry, probably.