AWS’s Simone Severini Believes the Challenge of Quantum Computing is Overcoming High Error Rates

Insider Brief

• At the Saudi GAIN Summit, Simone Severini, General Manager for Quantum Technologies at AWS, underlined quantum computing’s potential for rapid calculations in specific areas but noted it’s still in early development.
• He stressed that the primary challenge is overcoming hardware errors, which requires significant investment and time.
• Severini is optimistic about future applications, particularly in simulating physics and material science, with the field fostering new interdisciplinary studies.

At the Saudi GAIN Summit, Simone Severini, General Manager for Quantum Technologies at Amazon Web Services and professor at University College London, gave his views into this exciting technology and its potential impact.

Severini defines quantum computing as “a type of computers that use quantum physics to perform calculations.” The promise of these machines lies in their ability to “perform calculation much faster than any other type of computer,” albeit for specific problems. This potential for exponential speedup in certain areas has sparked intense interest and investment in the field.

However, Severini cautions that the technology is still in its early stages, particularly when it comes to applications in artificial intelligence.

“If we think about it the interface between quantum computation and artificial intelligence is still very early days,” he said.

The primary challenge in quantum computing, according to Severini, is hardware development.

“Building a quantum computer is very difficult because quantum computers are prone to errors,” he explained. Overcoming these errors requires substantial investment and patience.

Despite these challenges, Severini is optimistic about the future applications of quantum computers. He predicts that their most significant impact will be in simulating physics and molecular dynamics.

“We will be able to discover new materials with these computers,” he stated, paying attention to the potential for breakthroughs in material science.

Beyond its technological implications, quantum computing is also influencing education. Severini made it clear that the field “has generated a novel interplay between physics and computer science that didn’t exist before,” leading to new interdisciplinary courses and areas of study.