The 100-meter dash

The 100-meter dash, a sprint, is one of the most exciting events in the Olympics. It crowns “the fastest man, and the fastest woman, on earth”.

But how fast is fast?

• Millions and millions of people can complete the 100-meter dash in less than 20 seconds.
• In the recorded history of the world, the 100-meter race was completed in under 10 seconds only 158 times.
• Usain Bolt of Jamaica is the men’s world record holder, 9.58 seconds. Florence Griffith-Joyner holds the women’s record, 10.49 seconds

It follows that no one has ever been able to run 100 meters in less than 9 seconds. There is a limit to human ability. If you want to go any faster, you’ll probably need help, perhaps in the shape of a car.

How about quantum?

Thousands of people in the world can design quantum circuits with five qubits.

We estimate that 100 people in the world — perhaps a few hundred — can design a quantum circuit with 25 qubits

How many people can design circuits with a thousand qubits? Probably none.

Just like in the 100-meter dash, there is a limit to human ability. If you want to design a circuit with hundreds of qubits — to take advantage of larger quantum computers that are just a couple of years away — you’ll need help, perhaps in the shape of a software platform for Quantum Algorithm Design that allows you to focus on the high-level model instead of the low-level gate implementation. These are the same principles used to design billion-transistor chips, applied to quantum.

Originally published at https://www.classiq.io.