One of computing’s wildest dreams is becoming a reality.
We techno geeks have probably been thinking about computer capabilities since we first laid eyes on HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Coincidentally, this movie came out only four years after the first supercomputer was developed in 1964.
And just recently our minds are blown once again…
If you caught Netflix’s new movie AfrAId this past weekend, AIA the digital family assistant (a supercomputer) tries to endear itself to the mother of the family by helping with her doctoral dissertation by reading her previous thesis… in .007 seconds.
How? Quantum computing.
The AI was calculating everything in the house using all the tech at its disposal … chores … schedules … even the hostile takeover of a company!
Watching the drama play out from the comfort of my living room, it struck me that even Hollywood was beginning to realize the world-changing potential of quantum computing…
Our Quantum Future Arrived Sooner than Expected
When I told the audience at our Total Wealth Symposium in Orlando this February that quantum computing would be the biggest breakthrough of the second half of this decade, I didn’t think the trend would take off as quickly as it did.
I underestimated the fact that technology comes at us faster than we can think…
During my presentation, I shared this key visual:
Source: IONQ Analyst Day 2023 Presentation
As you can see, human progress moved along at a glacial pace throughout most of our history.
Then it started to pick up during the Industrial Age, thanks to electric power, assembly-line manufacturing and automobiles.
The information age only increased the speed of progress from there — but that still pales in comparison to what’s coming once Quantum becomes a reality.
And tech giant Google just achieved what many thought impossible: a quantum computer that can complete calculations beyond the reach of traditional supercomputers.
Their latest machine, powered by a chip called Willow, performed a calculation in under five minutes that would take today’s most powerful supercomputer 10 septillion years — longer than the age of the universe itself.
This breakthrough ends years of debate over quantum supremacy, a milestone Google first claimed in 2019. Back then, critics questioned their achievement, and advancing classical computers eventually matched their quantum computer’s capabilities.
But this is a whole new kind of breakthrough — and the benefit benefit for investors will be enormous…
Google Turns Quantum Computing into A Reality
At the heart of this achievement lies the mind-bending world of quantum mechanics. While traditional computers process information in bits (1s and 0s), quantum computers use quantum bits, or “qubits.”
These qubits harness quantum mechanics’ strange properties, allowing them to exist in multiple states simultaneously. To make this work, Google chills exotic metals to nearly 460 degrees below zero.
More significant than raw computational power is Google’s mastery of error correction — a challenge that has plagued quantum computing since its conception in the 1980s. They’ve crossed the “error correction threshold,” a milestone scientists have pursued for decades.
In market terms, this is like moving from proof-of-concept to a scalable product.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. As Google pushes forward, other tech giants including Microsoft, Intel and IBM are developing their own quantum systems. There are also smaller startup companies nipping at their heels.
Meanwhile, China has committed over $15.2 billion to quantum research.
This isn’t just a technological race — it’s a battle for market dominance.
Each company takes a different approach. While Google, IBM and Intel work with superconducting qubits, other labs experiment with light particles or trapped ions.
From an investment perspective, this diversity of approaches presents both opportunities and risks.
Despite this breakthrough, we’re not quite there yet.
The calculation Google’s machine performed was designed specifically to test quantum capabilities — not to solve real-world problems. The technology still makes too many errors for practical applications.
Yet as Harvard physics professor and QuEra co-founder Mikhail Lukin stated: “What has happened over the last year shows that it is no longer science fiction.” When quantum computers reach their potential, they’ll revolutionize everything from drug discovery to artificial intelligence.
They might also crack current encryption methods, adding urgency to the global race for quantum supremacy.
As I told my audience in Orlando, quantum computing represents the next great technological frontier.
And the smart money is already positioning for this shift. The quantum future isn’t some distant possibility — it’s unfolding right now, and the market implications are impossible to ignore.
Until next time,
Ian King
Chief Strategist, Strategic Fortunes