However, because of superposition, they can also be both of the two states – 1 and 0 at the same time. In a classic computer system, a bit would have to be in one state or the other – 1 or 0.

For decades, the pursuit of quantum computing has struggled with the need for extremely low temperatures, mere fractions of a degree above absolute zero (0 Kelvin or –273.15°C).

A quantum computer came up with better answers to a physics problem than a conventional supercomputer. A model of the interior of a quantum computer at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in ...