The Race to Dominate Quantum Computing’s ‘Gilded’ and Subsequent ‘Golden’ Age

(Economist) Quantum computing, which holds the promise of outclassing even the world’s fastest supercomputers, has huge potential. This Economist overview clearly delineates why the technology needs to be taken seriously. Quantum computing prototypes are functioning even though it is not clear what shape the machines will eventually take. A lively ecosystem of software startups has sprung up. Big corporations, venture capitalists and national governments are investing, providing the money for a growing number of new firms. Neither is it clear which organizations or countries will dominate although the article discusses the major contemporary players.
Carlota Perez, an economic historian, says revolutionary technologies always go through a “gilded age”, often accompanied by an investment bubble that pops, before entering a “golden age” of widespread deployment. The Economist gives us little reason to believe that quantum computing will deviate from that path.