Quantum computing ‘KPIs’ could distinguish true breakthroughs from spurious claims - Nature

Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Whatsapp X Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Claims of leaps in quantum computing are made almost daily, but progress is hard to judge when each research group uses its own mixture of hardware, algorithms and evaluation metrics, making it near impossible to compare systems. Now, researchers are trying to make it easier to chart the performance of quantum machines. Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription 27,99 € / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 51 print issues and online access 185,98 € per year only 3,65 € per issue Learn more Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Nature 649, 15-16 (2026) doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-04063-8 ReferencesLall, D. et al. Preprint at arXiv https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2502.06717 (2025).Download references Reprints and permissions Related Articles Quantum computers: what are they good for? Microsoft claims quantum-computing breakthrough — but some physicists are sceptical Fresh ‘quantum advantage’ claim made by computing firm D-Wave Google uncovers how quantum computers can beat today’s best supercomputers Underdog technologies gain ground in quantum-computing race This billion-dollar firm plans to build giant quantum computers from light. Can it succeed? The AI–quantum computing mash-up: will it revolutionize science? Physicists in China challenge Google’s ‘quantum advantage’ Quantum computer makes first high-energy physics simulation Subjects Quantum information Mathematics and computing Latest on: Quantum information Mathematics and computing Parity-doublet coherence times in optically trapped polyatomic molecules Article 11 FEB 26 Single-shot parity readout of a minimal Kitaev chain Article 11 FEB 26 Large-scale quantum communication networks with integrated photonics Article 11 FEB 26 OpenClaw AI chatbots are running amok — these scientists are listening in News 06 FEB 26 ‘It means I can sleep at night’: how sensors are helping to solve scientists’ problems Spotlight 04 FEB 26 Quantum computers will finally be useful: what’s behind the revolution News Feature 04 FEB 26 Jobs Faculty Positions in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS), Westlake University Positions are open at all ranks, including tenured Associate, Full, and Chair Professors, as well as tenure-track Assistant and Associate Professors. Hangzhou, Zhejiang (CN) Westlake University Junior Group Leaders in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (F/M) The Paris Brain Institute seeks to recruit Junior Group Leaders in the fields of AI, data science and computational sciences to address key challenges Paris, Ile-de-France (FR) Institut du Cerveau Multiple Faculty and Postdoctoral Positions in Ultrasound Medicine and Engineering Seeking global talents at all levels (Distinguished, Leading, Young Scholars, Postdocs). Chongqing (CN) State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, Chongqing Medical University.

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