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D-wave claims to have built 128 qbit quantum computers which are commercially available?

What I don't understand is that have they really been able to do this given that the scientific community is still struggling to make a quantum computer realizable (from what I have gathered)?

If yes, then it means that they have solved many problems and have actually hit a milestone. Isn't that a really big event?

If no, then how has Google and NASA ordered a 512 qbit quantum computer from D-Wave? Corporations like Google will not invest $10 million if it didn't see something in it. Lokheed Martin bought the 128 qbit one for roughly the same price. How has nobody opened it up and shown that its not a quantum computer (maybe this is a naive question, but nevertheless)?

Also see: http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/hardware/google-and-nasa-buy-a-dwave-computer

The related question What can the D-Wave quantum computer do? is not in the light of the recent events which seem to give D-Wave more credibility, does not discuss why this is or is not a big event in the scientific community and was asked at a time when critism was all that was there. Quoting the wikipedia page on D-Wave:

"MIT professor Scott Aaronson, self-described "Chief D-Wave Skeptic", originally said that D-Wave's demonstrations did not prove anything about the workings of the computer. He said that a useful quantum computer would require a huge breakthrough in physics, which has not been published or shared with the physics community. Aaronson has since updated his views on his blog, announcing that he was "retiring as Chief D-wave Skeptic" in 2011, and reporting his "skeptical but positive" views based on a visit to D-Wave in February 2012"

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I think the current opinion is that D-Wave have demonstrated some quantum computing abilities but not all the features that a Quantum computer could be capable of. Their current system also performs the specific calculation ( a simulated annealing) slower than a conventional computer can.

That said - they are a genuine effort and certainly not cold-fusion/perpetual motion snake oil con.

Remember when government organisations like Nasa and pseudo-government outfits like major defense companies invest in something it can be for more political reasons that the actual deliverables. Or less cynically, that they are investing in the future.

Martin Beckett
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