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A review by richardbakare
Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything by Michio Kaku
3.0
Michio Kaku’s “Quantum Supremacy” is a wonderful primer on all things quantum. Taking us through multiple fields of the sciences to establish building blocks of understanding in part one. He later builds up a frame of understanding in later parts on unified models and what makes the quantum model so hard to stabilize. Lastly, he finishes off this structure with broad strokes on the biggest challenges we face as a species and how the quantum computing era can solve them.
It’s Kaku’s deep dives into the practical and theoretical applications of quantum computing to solve long, perplexing problems that will draw most readers in. It’s his philosophical hope for how these machines ca. bring about a more vibrant future that will make most stay. Kaku is whimsical at times but generally adamant that the key to unlocking some of the universe’s greatest mysteries is ultimately the quantum computer. Making them the physicist’s equivalent to the philosopher’s stone.
Pragmatically, there are numerous impediments that remain in the way of achieving the quantum computing reality. Complex math problems, challenging constraints with superconductors, sustaining coherence, and so on. Luckily, will is not one of them. That surplus of spirit could be the existential concern that we all should worry about. The God like power that could be put into the hands of the most nefarious among us. This is a topic that Kaku completely passes over and hurts the book.
Especially given the recent turns against science funding and research in the US. That said, Kaku remains skillful at taking the very complex topic of Quantum Theory and distilling it down to digestible anecdotes for all audiences. Again, those nuggets of understanding are built carefully upon to bring every reader to a profound realization beyond quantum computing. This point being that Quantum Mechanics is the nexus point where almost all other fields of the science will converge as we make advances.
It’s Kaku’s deep dives into the practical and theoretical applications of quantum computing to solve long, perplexing problems that will draw most readers in. It’s his philosophical hope for how these machines ca. bring about a more vibrant future that will make most stay. Kaku is whimsical at times but generally adamant that the key to unlocking some of the universe’s greatest mysteries is ultimately the quantum computer. Making them the physicist’s equivalent to the philosopher’s stone.
Pragmatically, there are numerous impediments that remain in the way of achieving the quantum computing reality. Complex math problems, challenging constraints with superconductors, sustaining coherence, and so on. Luckily, will is not one of them. That surplus of spirit could be the existential concern that we all should worry about. The God like power that could be put into the hands of the most nefarious among us. This is a topic that Kaku completely passes over and hurts the book.
Especially given the recent turns against science funding and research in the US. That said, Kaku remains skillful at taking the very complex topic of Quantum Theory and distilling it down to digestible anecdotes for all audiences. Again, those nuggets of understanding are built carefully upon to bring every reader to a profound realization beyond quantum computing. This point being that Quantum Mechanics is the nexus point where almost all other fields of the science will converge as we make advances.