(Bloomberg) – NVIDIA Corp. CEO Jensen Huang said he didn’t realize that when his earlier comments caused the industry’s stock to crash, he didn’t realize that there were publicly traded quantum computing companies.
“My first reaction was that I didn’t know they were public. How can quantum companies be public?” Huang said at an event on Thursday, focusing on technology that is still fainting.
“Very useful” quantum computers may have been decades, leading to stock capitulations in IONQ Inc. and other companies, executives said in January. Part of NVIDIA’s week-long GTC conference was Thursday’s event – some of these companies were invited to discuss their prospects with Huang on the stage.
The purpose of the quantum computing industry is to use the unique properties of subatomic particles to process data much faster than traditional semiconductor-based electronics. The technical difficulties in building practical systems mean that the field is still in the experimental stage. In addition to quantum takeaway, companies such as Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc. are also trying to find practical uses for quantum systems.
Companies on the stage at Thursday’s event include IONQ and D-WAVE Quantum Inc. Huang said the new form of computing is natural because it is so novel that it will take many years to develop. He said the companies might be able to convince him that quantum computing is happening faster than he expected. “But I don’t know,” he joked.
“The whole meeting will be like a therapy session for me,” he said.
The six company leaders on the stage gave him various answers. Some believe that quantum computers have been used to solve difficult scientific problems. Others think the technology is closer to helping advance traditional computing.
Executives also said it is not unreasonable to spend ten years honing the technology that will have such a huge impact. Loic Henriet, who runs French company Pasqal, believes the term “quantum computing” is misleading. Quantum processors will help act as accelerators—work with traditional computers, rather than replacing them, he said.
– Assistance with Ed Ludlow.
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