Classical and quantum researchers compete using different strategies, with a healthy rivalry between the two. So far, no classical algorithm has dethroned the new algorithm, known as decoded quantum interferometry (DQI). A quantum algorithm that outperforms all known classical ones on optimization tasks would represent a major step forward in harnessing the potential of quantum computers. But at the same time, he cautioned that it’s still quite possible researchers will eventually find a classical algorithm that does just as well. The specific optimization problem that DQI tackles is roughly this: You’re given a collection of points on a sheet of paper.