Quantum computing has once again become the focus of attention in the tech debate following the recent statements by Niccolò de Masi, CEO of IonQ. De Masi stated that the quantum chips the company plans to develop will leave behind GPU architectures such as NVIDIA Blackwell before 2027. These statements arose during an interview with Bloomberg, after IonQ announced the acquisition of Oxford Ionics, thereby accelerating its roadmap toward the creation of a quantum chip with 10,000 physical qubits in two years.
The executive issued a bold forecast: if they manage to reach two million qubits by 2030, they will be able to solve problems that classical GPUs could not even tackle, even if they had the longevity of the universe. According to De Masi, by 2027, Blackwell chips will already seem obsolete, eclipsed by the capabilities of the new quantum chips powered by Oxford Ionics technology.
The question remains open: Will quantum computers be able to replace NVIDIA and AMD GPUs in the near future? Nowadays, quantum chips focus on very specific problems such as optimization and chemical simulation, while GPUs are essential for massive parallel processing, vital in fields such as artificial intelligence and video games.
A quantum chip is a complex array of physical and logical qubits. The first are superconducting circuits that store quantum information, whereas the second enables the execution of optimized algorithms to minimize errors, being crucial for improving computational power.
The comparison between quantum chips and classical GPUs is like comparing a Formula 1 car to a cargo truck: each technology has its own terrain. GPUs excel at parallel and predictable tasks, while quantum chips tackle problems of exponential complexity. Rather than replacing, the likely outcome is that both technologies will coexist, each optimized for different applications.
As for the impact on giants like NVIDIA and AMD, IonQ's statements come at a time when NVIDIA leads the AI market with its Blackwell architecture, and AMD competes with its Instinct GPUs. In order for a quantum chip to be able to displace these architectures, a complete ecosystem of software and applications that is still in development will be necessary. Large companies also invest in quantum technology, anticipating an increasingly complementary future.
IonQ's promises to reach 10,000 qubits in 2027 and two million in 2030 mark a milestone if fulfilled, but the scientific community warns of the significant technical challenges that still exist, such as quantum error correction and the need for cryogenic infrastructures. For now, these announcements should be viewed as a vision of the future rather than an imminent revolution in the GPU sector.
More information and references in Cloud News.
