# A NASA Perspective on Quantum Computing: Opportunities and Challenges

## TL;DR

This paper discusses the potential and challenges of quantum computing from a NASA perspective, emphasizing the current state, future opportunities, and the importance of hardware development for practical problem-solving.

## Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of quantum computing opportunities and challenges, highlighting NASA's perspective on hardware progress and the need for empirical testing of quantum algorithms.

## Key findings

- Quantum algorithms have shown provable advantages over classical algorithms.
- Empirical testing of quantum heuristics is becoming feasible with emerging hardware.
- Special-purpose quantum hardware is emerging, paving the way for practical applications.

## Abstract

In the last couple of decades, the world has seen several stunning instances of quantum algorithms that provably outperform the best classical algorithms. For most problems, however, it is currently unknown whether quantum algorithms can provide an advantage, and if so by how much, or how to design quantum algorithms that realize such advantages. Many of the most challenging computational problems arising in the practical world are tackled today by heuristic algorithms that have not been mathematically proven to outperform other approaches but have been shown to be effective empirically. While quantum heuristic algorithms have been proposed, empirical testing becomes possible only as quantum computation hardware is built. The next few years will be exciting as empirical testing of quantum heuristic algorithms becomes more and more feasible. While large-scale universal quantum computers are likely decades away, special-purpose quantum computational hardware has begun to emerge that will become more powerful over time, as well as some small-scale universal quantum computers.