Quantum computing research is coming of age. Recent engineering advances in quantum bit, or qubit, systems have led to a steady stream of successful physics experiments that demonstrate the computational capabilities of small numbers of qubits. Companies are tackling the difficult task of advancing beyond small, lab-scale, proof-of-principle devices to build scalable quantum computing systems that utilize those capabilities. The ultimate goal of a full quantum computing system of commercially relevant scale—thousands to millions of logical qubits—is to harness the power of quantum mechanics inside a technology capable of solving real-world problems that are intractable for classical computers.
Historically, quantum computing research has existed in the realm of physics and mathematics and has concentrated on two fundamental areas: qubits and quantum algorithms. Qubit research has focused on the creation, operation, and performance benchmarking of qubits in experimental devices. Those efforts have been guided by the DiVincenzo criteria, which list the...
