Google on commercial applications of quantum computing: “We’re optimistic that within five years…”

Google plans to roll out commercial quantum computing applications within the next five years, reported Reuters. Hartmut Neven, founder and head of Google Quantum AI, said in a statement, "We’re optimistic that within five years we’ll see real-world applications that are possible only on quantum computers."
Google has been developing its quantum program since 2012 and has designed multiple quantum chips. By utilizing quantum processors, Google claims it solved a computing problem in minutes that would have taken a classical computer longer than the history of the universe.
Google’s quantum computing team recently announced further progress, reaffirming its goal of launching real-world applications within five years.
Quantum computing has been a topic of discussion for decades, promising machines that are exponentially more powerful than current computers. While traditional computers process data one number at a time, quantum computers use "qubits," allowing them to represent multiple numbers simultaneously. Governments and industries have been closely monitoring quantum computing’s potential to transform fields like cybersecurity, finance, and healthcare.
Much like artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing has often been viewed primarily by scientists. Before the rise of ChatGPT in 2022, AI breakthroughs were occurring quietly, without a clear understanding of when AI would become commercially viable.

Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang, on the other hand, believes quantum computing is still decades away from being practical. During a January analyst event at the CES trade show in Las Vegas, Huang predicted that practical quantum computers are around 20 years from being realized.
“If you kind of said 15 years… that’d probably be on the early side,” Huang said, “If you said 30, it’s probably on the late side. But if you picked 20, I think a whole bunch of us would believe it.”
Huang’s comments contributed to a drop of about $8 billion in the market value of several quantum computing stocks. However, the sector gained momentum in December last year when Google revealed that it had overcome a major challenge in quantum computing with its new chips.