Google declined to comment to Bloomberg, but it hasn't been shy about wanting to make its quantum computing practical. It's really down to specifics: it's now clearer how Google will take those first steps toward commercial quantum computer use.

However it achieves that goal, it'll likely want to hurry. IBM is already offering access to a specialized quantum computing platform, and it's building a general-purpose quantum computer for business use. Microsoft is interested in the subject, too. There's a chance that the first company to make a viable business out of quantum computing will have a major (if short-term) advantage over its rivals, since it'll have processing power that its competition just can't match. Google may be a cloud superpower now, but there's no guarantee that it'll maintain that stature in the quantum era.