Some quantum computers might need more power than supercomputers - New Scientist

The El Capitan supercomputer uses enormous amounts of power – and some quantum computers might need even moreLLNL/Garry McLeod Large quantum computers may be able to solve problems impossible for even the best traditional supercomputers – but in order to do so, some of them might need far more energy than those supercomputers. Existing quantum computers are relatively small, with most having fewer than a thousand building blocks called qubits. They are also prone to making errors during operation because of how fragile those qubits are. This makes these computers incapable of solving the economically and industrially relevant problems they have been predicted to excel at, such as aiding drug discovery. Researchers largely agree that really useful quantum computers must have radically larger qubit counts and an ability to correct errors – making them fault-tolerant quantum computers (FTQCs). But getting there is still a formidable engineering challenge, partly because there are several competing designs. Advertisement Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.