Here’s why 100 qubit quantum computers could change everything
By Tristan Greene
At 100 qubits a single quantum computer processor would, theoretically, be more powerful than all the supercomputers on the planet combined. We may be closer to that milestone than you think and the world isn’t ready.
Quantum computers are spooky devices that don’t follow the normal rules of physics. Instead of bits, like classical computers, they use qubits. You can read our primer on the topic here.
One of the biggest barriers to advancing quantum computer hardware is dealing with all the noise generated by those qubits, they’re hyperactive compared to regular bits, so it’s hard to figure out what’s going on with them.
But a series of advancements in error-correction and noise-supression have recently paved the way forward. And, if history is any indicator, we can expect a usable 100 qubit processor as early as this year.
What’s this mean?
As far as doom and gloom goes, the people screaming about killer robots might have it wrong. The Washington Post reports “quantum computers may be more of an imminent threat than AI.”
Quantum brute-force would, theoretically, make classical encryption obsolete. And that means we need to prepare the current computers and networks…
