Constant-round quantum advantage in communication complexity for total functions
An arXiv preprint reports a constant-round quantum communication protocol that achieves an advantage over classical randomized communication for a total Boolean function. The result is notable because prior quantum separations in communication complexity often used partial functions or unbounded rounds. It constructs an explicit function where quantum communication is more efficient.
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What this could mean
- 0–2 yearsPlausible
This could become a concrete benchmark for demonstrating quantum advantage in communication tasks on small-scale quantum processors within two years.
Constant-round quantum protocols map naturally to fixed-depth quantum circuits, which are executable on current noisy intermediate-scale devices. If the total function is explicit and the advantage persists for moderate input sizes, experimental groups could verify the separation using existing hardware.
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