Abstract: Claims of quantum advantage increasingly depend not only on asymptotic scaling, but also on how runtime is defined and which classical baselines are used. In this talk, I will discuss two recent works that revisit these issues from complementary perspectives. First, we reconsider reported scaling advantages in approximate QUBO optimization and show that replacing PT-ICM with a stronger classical reference based on simulated bifurcation largely closes the previously reported quantum-classical gap, while also illustrating how conclusions drawn from small problem sizes can be misleading. Second, we introduce experimentally grounded, end-to-end runtime definitions for digital and analogue quantum computing and use them to reassess recent advantage claims under more realistic benchmarking assumptions. The main message is that credible quantum-classical comparisons must be full-stack. Runtime estimates should include relevant system-level overheads, performance should be measured with operationally meaningful metrics, and quantum methods should be compared against strong classical implementations rather than weak reference points.
Remote guests are invited via Zoom:
Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84248911743?pwd=ZsiAOQbRgYCm5IFsArOnb18Fj5IsZh.1Meeting ID: 842 4891 1743
Passcode: 394021
Date: Jun 17, 2026 2 PM CET, Room D
