“toughest challenges, such as world hunger or the dangerous effects of climate change”
How does quantum computing address world hunger or climate change? Convincing humans to not use fossil fuels or to eat less beef doesn’t need Shor’s algorithm.
How does quantum computing address world hunger or climate change? Convincing humans to not use fossil fuels or to eat less beef doesn’t need Shor’s algorithm.
Regarding the world hunger and climate change claim. I think they are referring to the fact that quantum computers can simulate quantum chemistry more efficiently compared to classical computers. This article [0] talks about how quantum computers will be used for quantum chemistry; specifically nitrogen fixation.
[0]: https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i43/Chemistry-quantum-comput...
My concern is magic tech solutions to easily solved problems allow lazy humans to keep polluting and point to some phantasmagorical silver bullet in the not too distant future...which inevitably comes much much later than expected.
In short, at current CO2 emission growth rates, the Antarctic ice sheets will melt long before QC allows chemists to produce emission free petroleum use or planet scale carbon capture and sequestration. Let's use those future tools for Mars colonization in 2150, but for now, for our kids' sakes, let's stop making throwaway plastic baubles by the tons, relying on petroleum based fertilizers for Big Mac production, and fix the many very solvable behavioral problems with today's tech.
EDIT: typo