Photo: Erik Lucero
This 6-square-centimeter chip boasts four quantum bits, or qubits. These paired superconductors register bits not in terms of discrete ones and zeros but rather as both states at once. Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara say they have been able to make the qubits operate independently of each other, an important step in developing a scalable architecture. Experts say that quantum computers would need to have about 100 qubits before they could displace digital ones.











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Willie Jones
Willie Jones is an associate editor at IEEE Spectrum. In addition to editing and planning daily coverage, he manages several of Spectrum's newsletters and contributes regularly to the monthly Big Picture section that appears in the print edition.
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