QUANTUM, BROADLY CONSIDERED Speaker Series 
William D. Oliver, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
"Realizing the Promise of Quantum Computation" 
 

In what ways do unresolved questions in physics and mathematics shape the possibilities of quantum research? What can the history of semiconductors teach us about the future of quantum research? How do government investments shape research priorities? And what happens when scientific breakthroughs encounter markets?

During the 2025–2026 academic year, the Institute’s Schools will collaboratively host a speaker series examining these questions through multidisciplinary perspectives, including at the intersection of quantum science, mathematics, technology policy, and the history of science.

This Institute-wide initiative seeks to foster scholarly dialogue on the present moment in quantum research, a moment defined by both deep theoretical uncertainty and intensifying strategic interest. Scientific and technical challenges remain formidable, even as government investment and private-sector activity create new incentives and new pressures for development. Commercial applications are still largely speculative. The predominant focus on quantum computing may also overshadow nearer-term breakthroughs in sensing, communication, and scientific instrumentation, while critical questions endure about viability, scaling, and broader social impact. These dynamics make this an opportune moment for scholarly examination of the fields' epistemic assumptions, institutional contexts, and possible futures.

On November 14, 2025, IAS will host Professor William D. Oliver, who will present, “Realizing the Promise of Quantum Computation.” The lecture will take place in the West Building Lecture Hall at 10:30 a.m.  Quantum computers are fundamentally different than conventional computers. They promise to address certain problems that are practically prohibitive and even impossible to solve using today’s supercomputers. The challenge is building one that is large enough to be useful. In this talk, Oliver will provide an overview of contemporary quantum computing at an intuitive level, including the technology, the promise, the hype, and the challenges ahead associated with realizing useful quantum computers at scale. 

William D. Oliver is Professor of Physics and Henry Ellis Warren (1894) Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. He serves as the Director of the Center for Quantum Engineering, Associate Director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics, and Principal Investigator with the Engineering Quantum Systems Group. His research interests include the materials growth, fabrication, design, and measurement of superconducting qubits, as well as the development of cryogenic packaging and control electronics. Oliver is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Fellow of the IEEE. He serves on the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee, the US Committee for Superconducting Electronics, and is an IEEE Applied Superconductivity Conference Lead Editor.

Suggested Readings: 

• Quantum technology
  • Choi, S., W. S. Moses, and N. Thompson. "The Quantum Tortoise and the Classical Hare: A Simple Framework for Understanding Which Problems Quantum Computing Will Accelerate (and Which It Will Not)." 2023.
  • Financial Times. (2024, December 15). Scientific breakthrough gives new hope to building quantum computers.
• Business of quantum computing
  • Phaal, R., E. O'Sullivan, M. Routley, S. Ford, and D. Probert. "A Framework for Mapping Industrial Emergence." Technological Forecasting and Social Change 78, no. 2 (2011): 217–30.
  • Ruane, J., W. D. Oliver, and A. McAfee. "Quantum Computing for Business Leaders." Harvard Business Review, January–February 2022.
• National security
  • Howell, S. "The quest for qubits: Assessing U.S.-China competition in quantum computing." Center for a New American Security, (May 28, 2024).
  • National Science and Technology Council. "Advancing International Cooperation in Quantum Information Science and Technology." 2024.
  • NATO. "Summary of NATO’s Quantum Technologies Strategy." 2024.

QUANTUM, BROADLY CONSIDERED is a speaker series organized by the Science, Technology, and Social Values Lab, under the direction Professor Alondra Nelson. This speaker series is a program of the Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Society Initiative, which was established in 2021 by Professors Didier Fassin, Helmut Hofer, Myles Jackson, Nathan Seiberg, and Akshay Venkatesh to foster dialogue across the Institute's Schools.

Supported by the Ford Foundation, Kavli Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Rita Allen Foundation, and the Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Collaborative Research.

Register below to attend.