In 2019, Google’s Sycamore quantum processor performed a task in 200 seconds, which Google estimated would take a supercomputer 10,000 years. This was claimed as the first experimental quantum supremacy, but was later challenged by IBM arguing their supercomputer could do it in 2.5 days.

On March 12, 2025, D-Wave announced a breakthrough, claiming to achieve quantum supremacy by using quantum annealing technology on a practical problem. Something that would take classical supercomputers millions of years and the world’s annual electricity consumption, D-Wave Advantage2 quantum computer solved in minutes. This time it’s not just another theoretical experiment, but a real-world solution and a validated breakthrough published in Science. D-Wave successfully simulated programmable spin glasses, one of the hardest challenges in material physics, which has critical applications in medicine, semiconductors and sensors.

The D-Wave Advantage2 operates on the principle of quantum annealing, a process that seeks the optimal solution by minimizing the system’s energy among numerous possibilities. Starting from a superposition state, where all possible answers are considered simultaneously, the system gradually adjusts its parameters to converge on the lowest energy state, representing the optimal solution.

While D-Wave’s breakthrough is peer-reviewed and impressive, it has sparked some controversy among researchers who question how broadly useful the result truly is. Critics argue that the demonstrated speedup applies to a narrow physics problem—simulating spin glasses—rather than mainstream business applications like logistics or finance. Questions remain about how easily real-world problems can be mapped to quantum annealers. Despite these concerns, the peer-reviewed result stands as a significant step forward, even as the discussion around what counts as “useful quantum supremacy” continues. Looking optimistic into the future.