[ExI] A Working Quantum Computer by 2017?

[William Flynn Wallace]

But the ones we care most about tend to be simulations, and this is where
quantum computers could shine.   anders

This may be too complicated to answer:  what, if any, ways are there to
validate simulations?  Well, let the world go by and see what really
happens, I suppose.  What else?  Do real world experiments?  In short, why
trust simulations?   We should primie facie distrust them (like the null
hypothesis).  At least two problems arise:  GIGO for one.  Not putting in
crucial variables (because you don't know that they are crucial) is another.

bill w

bill w

On Sun, Sep 4, 2016 at 5:10 PM, Anders <anders at aleph.se> wrote:

> On 2016-09-04 18:16, John Clark wrote:
>
> ​
> Maybe, but not every computer scientist would agree. The people at
> Microsoft's
> ​ ​
> Quantum Architectures and Computation
> ​ ​
> Group
> ​ ​think
>  a 100 Qubit quantum computer could
> ​ ​
> simulate nitrogen fixation, something of enormous industrial and
> agricultural importance.
>
>
> Nice paper. Also manages to show a real problem that is a low-hanging
> fruit if we get quantum computers.
>
> ​I don't think Google and Microsoft would be spending millions of dollars
> on it if they thought quantum computers would never have a practical
> application.​ If they end up being able to do nothing but factor large
> numbers that alone would be enough to make them be of great interest to the
> NSA, but I have a hunch they can do much more.
>
>
> I never said that they were useless (if they work), just that the problem
> class they solve is a more specific one than what we solve (slowly) using
> our current computers.
>
> Most computations done today are likely sorting, matrix operations and
> searching. But the ones we care most about tend to be simulations, and this
> is where quantum computers could shine.
>
> --
> Dr Anders Sandberg
> Future of Humanity Institute
> Oxford Martin School
> Oxford University
>
>
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>
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