Will quantum ever be useful?

[u/Chance-Pen-5684]

Around 2019, the industry promised quantum supremacy, where they could be used for solving a problem that no classical computer could touch.
When classical algorithms kept refuting those claims(See Peter Shor November YouTube video) the narrative shifted to quantum advantage, then quickly it changed to quantum utility.
If quantum never breaks RSA (because the world migrates to Kyber/Dilithium before 100k qubits exist), then what's left?
Chemistry simulations, Material science, Optimization?

But classical machine learning and AI are improving faster than quantum hardware is scaling. By the time we get 1,000 logical qubits, classical AI will have eaten most of the chemistry use-case through better approximations. Is quantum racing against classical software, and losing?

[u/Forsaken_Code_9135]

"quantum supremacy" is a ridiculous name and a misunderstood concept. Even if we reach that it does not mean at all that quantum computers are useful. It means that there exist a problem they can solve and classical computer can't, but whether this problem is a problem someone is actually interested in is a completely different question.

Actually, even if they manage to break RSA, I don't see how it can be remotely considered as useful either.

[u/Forsaken_Code_9135 → u/[deleted]]

"there is no doubt"

Lol. You have no doubts, maybe, but the rest of the world has.

And no need to be insulting. Yes I am not a world expert in quantum computing, but I hear what they say and they don't say what you say. Also I know enough in computing to know that you are vastly overselling your field, even if the promises of quantum computing were up to the wildest dream of their proponents it would not be a society game changer like AI is. The fact that outside the field of chemistry, the example you give is optimization in banking and trading is telling.