Quantum computing differs from classical computing, which is defined by binary code — 1s and 0s. With quantum computing, there are units called qubits that aren’t limited to that binary state and have the ability to store dramatically more information. In 2015, Google said that its project with NASA using a D-Wave machine performed certain tasks 100 million times faster than conventional processors.
Critical to D-Wave’s future is getting this technology into the hands of everyday developers. Until now, researchers at Google, NASA, Lockheed Martin and the Los Alamos National Laboratory have used D-Wave machines, which cost millions of dollars, in complex experiments to see if quantum computing can solve problems in drug discovery, cybersecurity and space exploration.
By mid-year, D-Wave’s technology will be available in the public cloud for the first time through one of the big three vendors — Amazon, Microsoft or Google — Brownwell told CNBC. He’s not yet able to announce which one will host the service, but said the goal is to eventually be available on multiple platforms.
“I want to be an arms merchant for the cloud providers,” Brownwell said. “Once one of them has this capability, all of them will want to have it.”
