D-Wave says its quantum computers can solve otherwise impossible tasks

Quantum computers can now solve problems with real-world applications faster than any ordinary computer, suggesting they could be commercially viable, say researchers at quantum computing firm D-Wave – though outside observers are more cautious.

It had long been hoped that quantum computers will be able to perform some tasks that are impractical or impossible on even the best supercomputers. Google was the first to demonstrate this “quantum supremacy” in 2019, but only for a somewhat contrived benchmark test with no practical use. Indeed, earlier this month, Google …