They will not run Shor's algorithm and crack encryption but the class of problems they can tackle is still has very real world applications.
In fact, the factoring problem has a particularly nice algorithm in the adiabatic regime. It's just a multiplication circuit, where you clamp the outputs and "run it backwards" to deduce the inputs. It's not Shor's algorithm, but D-Wave is way ahead of the (gate-model quantum) competition in terms of factoring.
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I'm a quantum architect, not a rocket doctor, but you've got this. ;)
They will not run Shor's algorithm and crack encryption but the class of problems they can tackle is still has very real world applications.
In fact, the factoring problem has a particularly nice algorithm in the adiabatic regime. It's just a multiplication circuit, where you clamp the outputs and "run it backwards" to deduce the inputs. It's not Shor's algorithm, but D-Wave is way ahead of the (gate-model quantum) competition in terms of factoring.