A pioneer in AI-powered computer vision, whose research helps power Google Maps, YouTube, and more, Hartmut Neven now leads Google’s efforts in quantum computing—the still-emerging science that aims to transform fields as diverse as pharmaceutical discovery and financial services by manipulating subatomic particles. In October 2019, his team published a paper stating that its processor, Sycamore, had achieved “quantum supremacy” by performing calculations in 200 seconds that would take 10,000 years with a conventional computer. The feat wasn’t without controversy—quantum rival IBM contended that its fastest supercomputer would take only two and a half days to do the same, downgrading the magnitude of Google’s claim—but it was still widely hailed as a landmark.
The quantum project has posed new challenges, such as how to cool a processor to near absolute-zero temperatures using liquid helium. But Neven has always thrived on the edge. He was among the first to…
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Source : fastcompany.com
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