D-Wave Qubits 2025| Reading Quantum Benchmarking Papers: How Not to be Fooled, Cathy McGeoch, D-Wave

Nowadays it seems like the quantum industry announces new breakthrough in quantum performance about every other week. And yet, confusion reigns in the nontechnical world about how important these announcements really are. This is because most of the published research papers supporting these announcements are intended to be read by other scientists: the breakthrough, although real, may not be relevant to the type of quantum performance that is interesting to practitioners.

At Qubits 2025, Cathy McGeoch, former principal scientist at D-Wave, delivered an insightful session on the critical examination of quantum benchmarking papers. The discussion provided attendees with the tools to properly evaluate quantum performance metrics, ensuring they are not misled by incomplete or misleading claims in the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing.

About Qubits:
D-Wave’s annual quantum computing conference highlighted how quantum solutions are addressing real-world challenges in logistics, manufacturing, financial services, life sciences, and more. The conference featured groundbreaking work in quantum-fueled AI, optimization, and materials science, along with insights into the latest quantum hardware and software from D-Wave’s development team. Attendees had the chance to participate in hands-on technical sessions designed to accelerate the adoption of quantum computing in your organization.

Quantum isn’t decades away. It’s here today. Quantum Realized, brought to you by D-Wave.

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