Quantum Supremacy: How the Quantum Computer Revolution Will Change Everything

In this disappointing outing, theoretical physicist Kaku (The God Equation) argues that quantum computers (machines that compute on atoms rather than transistors) will transform the modern world. Quantum computers, he explains, are “100 trillion times faster than an ordinary supercomputer” because rather than relying on binary code, they process data based on the infinite ways that an atom’s spin can occur in relation to a magnetic field, making them capable of complex computations that remain out of reach for digital computers. Despite Kaku’s best efforts, readers will likely be left scratching their heads at the descriptions of how different models of quantum computing work, with one that involves “ion traps” in which atoms spin upward or downward and another that takes advantage of the polarization of light. Kaku’s speculation on how quantum computing will help combat climate change, currently incurable diseases, the energy crisis, and world hunger doesn’t say much about the technology; instead, he details the challenges each presents and concludes with the jejune conjecture that increased computing power might solve them. Difficult to grasp and carrying a whiff of ungrounded techno-utopianism, this is a rare misfire for Kaku. (May)