--- title: "Oxford Physicist Unloads on Quantum Computing Industry, Says It’s Basically a Hype Bubble" description: "Oxford quantum physicist Nikita Gourianov is likening the emergence of qantum computers to a financial bubble in a commentary piece for the Financial Times. In other words, it's far more hype than substance. It's a scathing, but also perhaps insightful, analysis of a burgeoning field that still has a lot to prove.   Despite billions […]" date: "2022-09-03" modified: "2022-09-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/oxford-physicist-unloads-quantum-computing" categories: - "Computing" - "Quantum Computing" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "quantum computers" - "quantum computing" - "the digest" --- # Oxford Physicist Unloads on Quantum Computing Industry, Says It’s Basically a Hype Bubble ![Oxford quantum physicist Nikita Gourianov is likening the emergence of qantum computers to a financial bubble in a commentary piece for the Financial Times.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Seriously Though Oxford quantum physicist Nikita Gourianov tore into the quantum computing industry this week, comparing the "fanfare" around the tech to a financial bubble in a [searing commentary piece]() for the *Financial Times*. In other words, he wrote, it's [far more hype than substance](). It's a scathing, but also perhaps insightful, analysis of a burgeoning field that, at the very least, still has a lot to prove. ## Cashing In Despite billions of dollars being poured into quantum computing, Gourianov argues, the industry has yet to develop a single product that's actually [capable of solving practical problems](). That means these firms are collecting orders of magnitude more in financing than they're able to earn in actual revenue — a growing bubble that could eventually burst. "The little revenue they generate mostly comes from consulting missions aimed at teaching other companies about 'how quantum computers will help their business,'" Gourianov wrote for the *FT*, "as opposed to genuinely harnessing any advantages that quantum computers have over classical computers." Contemporary quantum computers are also "so error-prone that any information one tries to process with them will almost instantly degenerate into noise," he wrote, which scientists have been [trying to overcome]() for years. Gourianov also took aim at other assumptions about the field, arguing that [fears over quantum computers]() being able to crack even the securest of cryptographic schemes are overblown. Notably, the piece comes just weeks after a group of researchers found that a conventional computer [was indeed able to rival Google's Sycamore quantum computer](), undermining the tech giant's 2019 claims of [having achieved "quantum supremacy."]() ## Pure Hype Despite the industry's less-than-stellar results, investors are still funneling untold sums into quantum computing ventures. "In essence, the quantum computing industry has yet to demonstrate any practical utility, despite the fanfare," Gourianov wrote. "Why is then so much money flowing in? Well, it is mainly due to the fanfare." The money, he argues, is coming from investors who typically don't have "any understanding of quantum physics," while "taking senior positions in companies and focusing solely on generating fanfare." In short, Gourianov believes it's only a matter of time until the "bubble will pop" and the "funding will dry up" — at which point, it's already too late. **READ MORE:** [The quantum computing bubble]() \[*Financial Times*\] **More on quantum computers:** *[UK Military Wants to Install Quantum Computers in Tanks for Some Reason]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()