Last month, in a potential watershed moment in computing history, Google announced a new quantum chip that can perform in minutes what would take today’s most advanced supercomputer some 10 septillion years—longer than the age of the universe itself. Now, in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, Google executives Charina Chou, James Manyika, and Hartmut Neven consider the far-reaching implications of this breakthrough and the high-stakes global race it has accelerated.
Quantum computers won’t just crack today’s most sophisticated encryption—they could revolutionize everything from clean energy to drug discovery to financial markets. But as quantum AI moves from theoretical possibility to demonstrated reality, Chou, Manyika, and Neven warn, U.S. leadership in developing the industry is far from assured. “If the United States and its allies fail to make these efforts a central strategic goal,” they write, “they could lose diplomatic influence, military might, and the ability to provide oversight of a powerful new technology.”
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