The Power Hunger Of Quantum Computers Threatens To Upend The Industry

The voracious appetite of quantum computers for power has emerged as a pressing concern, one that threatens to upend the calculations of those building these futuristic machines. As Olivier Ezratty, a leading voice at the Quantum Energy Initiative (QEI), an international organisation, has astutely observed, the energy consumption of large-scale Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computers (FTQCs) could rival, or even surpass, that of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

At the Q2B Silicon Valley conference in Santa Clara, California, Ezratty presented preliminary estimates that have sent shockwaves through the industry. According to his calculations, several FTQC designs, when scaled up to 4000 logical qubits, would require a staggering amount of power – up to 200 megawatts, to be precise.

To put this into perspective, the world’s fastest supercomputer, El Capitan, at the Lawrence _rmore National Laboratory in California, guzzles around 20 megawatts of electrical power, enough to power a small city. Ezratty’s research, as reported in New Scientist, suggests that the energy footprint of FTQCs could vary wildly, ranging from a relatively modest 100 kilowatts to a whopping 200 megawatts.