文章将计算复杂性界定为输入到输出的转换：从计算机上容易的乘法，到更困难得多的反向任务——质因数分解；而资讯通常以由 0 和 1 组成的位元字串编码。文中强调，经典复杂性理论长期以来都在比较经典机器与量子机器如何处理这些经典端点，并把讨论放在一个日期为 February 17, 2026 的当前研究脉络中。在这样的背景下，Henry Yuen 主张，这个框架忽略了输入与输出都是量子态而非经典字串的问题。
一个核心发展是提出「fully quantum」复杂性理论，以处理传统模型几乎无法发声的任务。文章指出，30 多年来理论学者使用标准复杂性工具来辨识量子加速，但这个新议程延伸到既有领域之外。Yuen 是 Columbia University 教授，也是 2020 年传统复杂性理论里程碑证明的共同作者；文中将他呈现为这一转向的领导者，并以访谈发言强调：若只允许量子计算出现在经典流程的中间，可能是一种人为限制。
其影响兼具科学与概念层面：新理论可能更好地分类本质上量子的问题，并对量子密码学等领域，乃至访谈框架中提到的与黑洞相关问题，具有下游关联。传记资料也支撑了研究路径非典型的叙事：Yuen 出生于 1989，在 Southern California 的家族餐馆长大，且是 1970s 逃离种族灭绝的柬埔寨难民之子。从量化角度看，时间线跨越多个十年（1970s 到 2026），关键里程碑在 1989 与 2020，凸显了从经典基础走向 fully quantum complexity 雄心的长期成熟弧线。
The article frames computational complexity around input-output transformations, from easy multiplication on a calculator to the much harder reverse task of prime factorization, with information typically encoded as bit strings of 0s and 1s. It highlights that classical complexity theory has long compared how classical versus quantum machines process these classical endpoints, and it situates the discussion in a current research context dated February 17, 2026. Against that backdrop, Henry Yuen argues that this framework omits problems where both inputs and outputs are quantum states rather than classical strings.
A central development is the proposal of a “fully quantum” complexity theory to handle tasks that traditional models are effectively silent on. The piece notes that for over 30 years, theorists used standard complexity tools to identify quantum speedups, but this new agenda extends beyond that established domain. Yuen, a Columbia University professor and co-author of a landmark 2020 proof in traditional complexity theory, is presented as leading this shift, with interview remarks emphasizing that allowing quantum computation only in the middle of a classical pipeline may be an artificial restriction.
The implications are scientific and conceptual: a new theory could better classify inherently quantum problems, with downstream relevance to areas such as quantum cryptography and even black-hole-related questions referenced in the interview framing. Biographical data also support the narrative of unconventional pathways in research: Yuen was born in 1989, grew up in a family restaurant in Southern California, and is the child of Cambodian refugees who fled genocide in the 1970s. Quantitatively, the timeline spans multiple decades (1970s to 2026), with key milestones at 1989 and 2020, underscoring a long maturation arc from classical foundations to fully quantum complexity ambitions.