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Investing.com -- Analysts at Bank of America made the claim in a note on Wednesday that quantum computing “could be the biggest revolution for humanity since discovering fire.”
The firm’s analysts argued that it could reset global power structures and trigger an era of unprecedented innovation.
“A human would have to perform one sum every second for c.50 quintillion years to equal what a quantum computer can do in a single second,” BofA wrote.
The analysts described quantum computing as “a technology that can perform endless complex calculations in zero-time, warp-speeding human knowledge and development.”
While full quantum advantage has not yet been achieved due to error-prone systems, BofA said the technology is approaching maturity, with timelines for broad utility estimated between 2030 and 2033.
“The challenge is to increase the qubit number and quality,” analysts noted, pointing to next-generation chips and improved qubit fidelity as critical developments.
BofA sees a potential $2 trillion application market by 2035, though it added, “the real number could be global GDP,” given quantum’s potential to revolutionize encryption, drug discovery, logistics, deep learning, and materials science.
Crucially, the combination of quantum computing and generative AI could yield what BofA calls “Artificial Super Intelligence.” The firm said, “A QC with just 10 qubits could perform 100x more operations than a classical computer,” making it ideal for accelerating generative AI model training.
BofA warned that “whoever wins the ‘quantum race’ will gain an unprecedented geopolitical, technological and economic advantage.”
Government investments are rising fast, with over $42 billion announced globally. Of that, 35% has come from China, underscoring the high stakes of this emerging frontier.