Julie Love, Microsoft Quantum Senior Director Disusses “Myth vs. Reality: A Practical Perspective on Quantum Computing

(Microsoft) Julie Love, Senior Director, Microsoft Quantum is the author of this blog discussing how to take a pragmatic perspective to cut through the hype and discuss the practicality of quantum computers, how to future-proof quantum software development, and the real value obtained today through quantum-inspired solutions on classical computers.
Dr. Matthias Troyer, Distinguished Scientist with Microsoft Quantum, explained this week at Q2B what will be needed for quantum computing to be better and faster than classical computing in his talk Disentangling Hype from Reality: Achieving Practical Quantum Advantage. People talk about many potential problems they hope quantum computers can help with, including fighting cancer, forecasting the weather, or countering climate change. Having a pragmatic approach to determining real speedups will enable us to focus the work on the areas that will deliver impact.
Developers and researchers want to ensure they invest in languages and tools that will adapt to the capabilities of more powerful quantum systems in the future. Microsoft’s open-source Quantum Intermediate Representation (QIR) and the Q# programming language provide developers with a flexible foundation that protects their development investments.
Love said we are already seeing how quantum-inspired optimization solutions can solve complex transportation and logistics challenges. An example is Microsoft’s collaboration with Trimble Transportation to optimize its transportation supply chain.
Many industries—automotive, aerospace, healthcare, government, finance, manufacturing, and energy—have tough optimization problems where these quantum-inspired solutions can save time and money. And these solutions will only get more valuable when scaled quantum hardware becomes available and provides further acceleration.

Love advises “How to Get Started”:
Explore Microsoft’s quantum-inspired optimization solutions, both pre-built Azure Quantum and custom solutions that run on classical and accelerated compute resources.
Learn how to write quantum code with Q# and the Quantum Development Kit. Write your first quantum program without having to worry about the underlying physics or hardware.
Azure Quantum will be available in preview early next year. Join us for our next Azure Quantum Developer Workshop on February 2, 2021, where you can learn more about our expanding partner ecosystem and the solutions available through the Azure Quantum service. Registration opens today.