Spectacular Advances In Quantum Computing Highlight Both Progress And

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Jan 2, 2026, 4:00 PM

spectacular advances in quantum computing highlight both progress and

At the Q2B Silicon Valley conference, scientific and business leaders of the quantum computing industry hailed "spectacular" progress being made towards practical devices – but said that challenges remain Practical quantum computers are moving closer to reality Fully practical quantum computers haven’t arrived yet, but the quantum computing industry is ending the year on an optimistic note. At the Q2B Silicon Valley conference in December, which brings together quantum business and science experts, the consensus seemed to be that the future of quantum computing is only getting brighter. “On balance, we think it is more likely than not that someone, or maybe multiple someones, are going to be able to make a really industrially useful quantum computer, which is not something I... The goal of QBI is to determine which of the several currently competing approaches for building quantum computers can produce a useful device, which would also have to correct its own errors, or be...

The programme will run for several years and involve hundreds of expert evaluators. Taking stock of the programme after its first six months, Altepeter said the team identified “huge obstacles” in the way of each of the approaches, but he also expressed surprise that this didn’t disqualify... On December 10, I gave a keynote address at the Q2B 2025 Conference in Silicon Valley. This is a transcript of my remarks. The slides I presented are here. We are nearing the end of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, so designated to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of quantum mechanics in 1925.

The story goes that 23-year-old Werner Heisenberg, seeking relief from severe hay fever, sailed to the remote North Sea Island of Helgoland, where a crucial insight led to his first, and notoriously obscure, paper... In the years following, that framework was clarified and extended by Heisenberg and others. Notably among them was Paul Dirac, who emphasized that we have a theory of almost everything that matters in everyday life. It’s the Schrödinger equation, which captures the quantum behavior of many electrons interacting electromagnetically with one another and with atomic nuclei. That describes everything in chemistry and materials science and all that is built on those foundations. But, as Dirac lamented, in general the equation is too complicated to solve for more than a few electrons.

Somehow, over 50 years passed before Richard Feynman proposed that if we want a machine to help us solve quantum problems, it should be a quantum machine, not a classical machine. The quest for such a machine, he observed, is “a wonderful problem because it doesn’t look so easy,” a statement that still rings true. I was drawn into that quest about 30 years ago. It was an exciting time. Efficient quantum algorithms for the factoring and discrete log problems were discovered, followed rapidly by the first quantum error-correcting codes and the foundations of fault-tolerant quantum computing. By late 1996, it was firmly established that a noisy quantum computer could simulate an ideal quantum computer efficiently if the noise is not too strong or strongly correlated.

Many of us were then convinced that powerful fault-tolerant quantum computers could eventually be built and operated. Quantum computing has moved from theoretical curiosity to a field showing real promise for practical applications. At the recent Q2B Silicon Valley conference, leaders from science and industry described the progress as "spectacular." Yet, they also acknowledged that significant hurdles remain before quantum computers become widely useful. This post explores the latest developments, the challenges ahead, and what this means for the future of computing. Quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously thanks to a property called superposition. This allows quantum machines to process vast amounts of data in parallel, potentially solving problems that are impossible for classical computers.

Another key feature is entanglement, where qubits become linked so that the state of one instantly influences the state of another, no matter the distance. These properties give quantum computers the potential to revolutionize fields like cryptography, materials science, and complex optimization. The Q2B conference brought together experts who shared recent breakthroughs: Improved Qubit Quality: Researchers have developed qubits with longer coherence times, meaning they maintain their quantum state longer. This reduces errors and improves reliability. YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, New York – November 12, 2025 – At the annual Quantum Developer Conference, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled fundamental progress on its path to delivering both quantum advantage by the end of...

“There are many pillars to bringing truly useful quantum computing to the world,” said Jay Gambetta, Director of IBM Research and IBM Fellow. “We believe that IBM is the only company that is positioned to rapidly invent and scale quantum software, hardware, fabrication, and error correction to unlock transformative applications. We are thrilled to announce many of these milestones today.” IBM Quantum Computers Built to Scale Advantage IBM is unveiling IBM Quantum Nighthawk, its most advanced quantum processor yet and designed with an architecture to complement high-performing quantum software to deliver quantum advantage next year: the point at which a quantum... IBM researcher holds IBM Quantum Nighthawk chip (Credit: IBM)

Neng-Chun Chiu (from left), Simon Hollerith, Luke Stewart, Mikhail Lukin, Jinen (Tim) Guo, Mohamed Abobeih, and Elias Trapp. Veasey Conway/Harvard Staff Photographer Harvard physicists working to develop game-changing tech demonstrate 3,000 quantum-bit system capable of continuous operation One often-repeated example illustrates the mind-boggling potential of quantum computing: A machine with 300 quantum bits could simultaneously store more information than the number of particles in the known universe. Now process this: Harvard scientists just unveiled a system that was 10 times bigger and the first quantum machine able to operate continuously without restarting. New machines will use individual atoms as qubits

The goal of the quantum-computing industry is to build a powerful, functional machine capable of solving large-scale problems in science and industry that classical computing can’t solve. We won’t get there in 2026. In fact, scientists have been working toward that goal since at least the 1980s, and it has proved difficult, to say the least. “If someone says quantum computers are commercially useful today, I say I want to have what they’re having,” said Yuval Boger, chief commercial officer of the quantum-computing startup QuEra, on stage at the Q+AI... This article is part of our special report Top Tech 2026. Because the goal is so lofty, tracking its progress has also been difficult.

To help chart a course toward truly transformative quantum technology and mark milestones along the path, the team at Microsoft Quantum has come up with a new framework. Since 2023, the field has seen remarkable strides in hardware, algorithms, and practical applications. This article provides an overview of the key developments shaping the quantum computing landscape. One major breakthrough involves the development of hypercube network technologies, which enhance the scalability and performance of quantum systems. These networks are poised to overcome traditional limitations in communication between qubits, enabling more robust quantum computers. Khaleel, T.A.

(2024). Furthermore, integrated photonics has emerged as a promising avenue for scalable quantum computing with trapped ions. By combining advanced photonic components with ion traps, researchers are paving the way for more compact and efficient quantum devices. Mordini, C., & Mehta, K. (2024). The advent of quantum computers poses significant risks to classical cryptographic methods.

Recent studies emphasize the importance of developing post-quantum cryptographic algorithms to secure sensitive data against quantum threats. These efforts are critical for safeguarding global communication networks. Dymova, H. (2024). Governments and tech companies continue to pour money into quantum technology in the hopes of building a supercomputer that can work at speeds we can't yet fathom to solve big problems. Imagine a computer that could solve incredibly complex problems at a speed we can't yet fathom and bring about breakthroughs in fields like drug development or clean energy.

That is widely considered the promise of quantum computing. In 2025, tech companies poured money into this field. The Trump administration also named quantum computing as a priority. But when will this technology actually deliver something useful for regular people? NPR's Katia Riddle reports on the difference between quantum hype and quantum reality. KATIA RIDDLE, BYLINE: Tech companies like Google and Microsoft, as well as the U.S.

government, bet big on quantum computing in 2025. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Google Quantum AI is unveiling the first demonstration of verifiable quantum advantage. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Joining forces on quantum computing. Quantum computers have the potential to speed up computation, help design new medicines, break codes, and discover exotic new materials -- but that's only when they are truly functional. One key thing that gets in the way: noise or the errors that are produced during computations on a quantum machine -- which in fact makes them less powerful than classical computers - until... Daniel Lidar, holder of the Viterbi Professorship in Engineering and Professor of Electrical & Computing Engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, has been iterating on quantum error correction, and in a new...

The paper, "Demonstration of Algorithmic Quantum Speedup for an Abelian Hidden Subgroup Problem," was published in APS flagship journal Physical Review X. "There have previously been demonstrations of more modest types of speedups like a polynomial speedup, says Lidar, who is also the cofounder of Quantum Elements, Inc. "But an exponential speedup is the most dramatic type of speed up that we expect to see from quantum computers." The key milestone for quantum computing, Lidar says, has always been to demonstrate that we can execute entire algorithms with a scaling speedup relative to ordinary "classical" computers.

Spectacular Advances In Quantum Computing Highlight Both Progress And

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