Gil Kalai (Hebrew University / Reichman University): Why noise may doom quantum computers

Yuval Boger interviews mathematician Gil Kalai about his long-standing skepticism regarding scalable quantum computing. Kalai explains two main arguments behind his theory: correlated noise that may defeat quantum error correction and complexity-based limits on NISQ devices achieving quantum supremacy. They discuss experimental claims such as Google’s 2019 result, potential tests of Kalai’s conjectures, and the implications for the future of quantum research. The conversation also explores how Kalai hopes the community will evaluate bold claims and what scientific insights could emerge if quantum computing ultimately fails. Yuval Boger: Hello, Gil. Thank you for joining me today. Gil Kalai: Hi, hi, Yuval. Nice to be here. Yuval: Great to have you. So who are you and what do you do? Gil: So I’m a mathematician. I am a retired professor from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Right now I’m a professor of computer science in Reichman University in Herzliya. For many years I also was an adjunct professor at Yale University. So I’m mainly a professor. Yuval: And how did you get into quantum? Is that because of complexity theory? Is that because of some other reasons? Gil: I got into quantum in 2005. I think my part was an interest…