Get with the quantum program

We stand at the threshold of the age of quantum computing. These fantastical machines, which promise to provide the kind of computing power that silicon chip makers can only dream of, are taking their first steps into commercial reality. At the moment, these infant quantum computers barely match a smartphone in terms of molecular modelling, but it’s clear that these capabilities will advance quickly.

One of the most interesting aspects in the development of these machines from an academic curiosity into something really useful is the difference in the way they are programmed, and the kind of problems they are likely to be directed towards. Quantum computers will not supersede the traditional transistor-based computer on your desktop, but for tackling the problems for which they are suited, nothing else will come close.