Google’s Quantum Computer Just Flunked Its First Big Test

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When the D-Wave 2 was first released last year, it was accompanied by a tidal wave of hype. The machine was a self-proclaimed quantum computer, commercially available to anyone with $15 million to spend, and attracting the attention of everyone from NASA to the NSA. One of the computer’s buyers was Google, which launched a new lab to test the device’s powers more rigorously than they’d ever been tested before. This October, the lab announced a major discovery, providing stronger evidence for quantum effects within the D-Wave 2 than anyone had previously found. As D-Wave had claimed, its device really was quantum-powered — and Google’s big research bet seemed to be paying off.

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