IBM Exec Predicts Quantum Computers Will Become Mainstream in Five Years

(WSJ.com) Arvind Krishna, IBM’s senior vice president of cloud and cognitive software, predicts that quantum computers will become mainstream within five years.
Krishna, a top executive in charge of emerging technologies at International Business Machines Corp., cited examples of practical benefits from quantum computing. He said batteries could last “a thousand times longer” and airplanes could become lighter. “All of these use cases, I think, will get solved in a few years,” Mr. Krishna said. “Pharmaceuticals and drug discovery is a much harder problem.”
Responding to criticism from researchers that the U.S. may be falling behind China and the European Union to invein quantum computing, Mr. Krishna said the U.S. is currently slightly ahead but does need to invest more. China is constructing a $10 billion research center for quantum applications. The European Union announced in 2016 that it is creating a €1 billion effort on four areas of quantum technology including computing and communication.
Krishna made his comments at The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival this week.