About this episode

The episode discusses the announcement of quantum supremacy by Google and the ensuing debate with IBM over its validity.

Google announces it has achieved something game changing — quantum supremacy. But not everybody agrees. The company claims its quantum computer called Sycamore has solved a problem that no classical computer could manage in hundreds of thousands of years. IBM wants this stricken from history. A war of words breaks out as two tech giants race to build a useful quantum computer that could change how the world works. Got feedback? Email us sciencefriction@abc.net.au Guests: Scott YoungCropping and livestock farmer in Ballan, Victoria Gideon LichfieldJournalist, former editor-in-chief of WIRED and MIT Technology Review Professor John Martinis2025 Nobel laureate in Physics Credits: Presenter: Jacinta Bowler Producer: Fiona Pepper Senior Producer: Shelby Traynor Executive Producer: Petria Ladgrove Sound Engineer: Tim Jenkins Archives Research: Lisa Chidlow, Michael Osmond This story was made on the lands of the Wurundjeri, Gadigal and Menang Noongar peoples. More information Quantum supremacy using a programmable superconducting processor On “quantum supremacy” - IBM

People in this episode

Host: Jacinta Bowler

Guests: Scott Young, Gideon Lichfield, Professor John Martinis

Topics covered

• quantum supremacy
• technology
• competition
• Google
• IBM
• quantum computing

Keywords

• quantum supremacy
• Google
• IBM
• quantum computer
• Sycamore
• technology race

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Google, IBM

Places: Ballan, Victoria, Wurundjeri, Gadigal, Menang Noongar

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