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In context: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently said that “real” quantum computers would need a few more years, or even decades, to appear on the market. His comments hurt quantum-related stocks, so now he wants a do-over.
Jensen Huang didn’t expect his doubts about the immediate commercial viability of quantum computers to affect Wall Street-listed companies so drastically. As part of Nvidia’s recent “Quantum Day” event, the Taiwanese businessman and engineer invited guests to explain why his negative remarks were wrong.
Earlier this year, Huang said that a practical quantum computer would not be available for purchase for another 15 to 30 years, with 20 years being a more optimistic timeframe. On Thursday, he corrected his statement, saying that quantum computing has the potential to change everything. The technology is still incredibly complex to deliver, though.
Huang compared “pre-revenue” quantum companies to Nvidia, which needed more than 20 years to build a proper hardware and software business. He then joked about the market reaction, stating that he was surprised quantum computer companies were already publicly traded. The annual Nvidia GTC Conference included a panel with representatives from 12 different quantum computer companies and start-ups, showing that Nvidia is intensely interested in the quantum computing sector.
Nvidia is hands down the world’s largest fabless semiconductor company. Nvidia chips are used in powerful simulations to aid in designing and constructing quantum computers. Even though the company could do fine without the quantum business, Nvidia is still interested in supplying the industry and is excited to see where it goes.
Jensen Huang isn’t alone in expressing some (retracted) skepticism about the feasibility of quantum computing. In 2023, a Nature article stated that currently available quantum computers are good for “absolutely nothing” compared to the traditional binary computer architecture. The technology still needs a lot of breakthroughs, with quantum supremacy still being a dream far off into the future.
Huang also hinted that he wants to avoid making bold predictions about computing from now on. Some years ago, he said that “accelerated computing,” which includes Nvidia’s GPUs and other specialized chips, would replace traditional CPU-based computing for everything. Of course, he was wrong.
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