Laptop challenges D-Wave claim of quantum computing supremacy
Physicists at the Flatiron Institute and Boston University have shown that a standard classical computer can solve a quantum dynamics problem that D-Wave Quantum previously described as impossible for conventional machines. Their findings challenge D-Wave’s widely publicized claim of quantum supremacy announced in March 2025.
The study, published on May 21 in the journal Science, used a tensor network algorithm to simulate the quantum annealing dynamics of disordered spin systems. Researchers said the simulations achieved a level of precision comparable to results produced by D-Wave’s Advantage2 prototype processor, which contains more than 5,000 qubits. Joseph Tindall from the Center for Computational Quantum Physics carried out many of the calculations on a laptop using ITensor, a software library designed for tensor network computations.
Tindall described tensor networks as a way to compress the wave function into interconnected mathematical structures that dramatically reduce computational demands. The simulations matched theoretical predictions and aligned with results previously reported by quantum computing researchers, all without relying on a quantum computer. The work suggests that recent advances in classical algorithms may narrow the gap between conventional and quantum systems more than previously expected.
D-Wave had argued earlier this year that its quantum annealing processor could simulate programmable spin glass dynamics in minutes, while the Frontier supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory would require nearly one million years and consume more electricity than the world produces annually. D-Wave chief executive Alan Baratz called the achievement the first practical demonstration of computational quantum supremacy on a real-world problem.
The claim immediately triggered debate within the scientific community. Earlier criticism pointed out that another research group had already managed to solve part of the same benchmark problem on a classical supercomputer in just over two hours. The latest work from the Flatiron team extends that challenge by reproducing the full benchmark using modest hardware rather than specialized supercomputers.
Researchers said the new approach adapts mathematical techniques first developed in the 1980s and applies them to modern tensor network methods. The findings do not eliminate the potential value of quantum computers, but they redefine the threshold required to demonstrate a genuine quantum advantage. The result also reflects the ongoing competition between quantum and classical computing, where advances in one field rapidly drive innovation in the other.
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