Quantum Computing

We all rely on classical computers for everyday tasks but there's a point at which no matter how many powerful chips you connect together. They become impractical to perform highly complicated roles. Computer scientists from around the world have since the 1980s been pursuing the next big development, the creation of a quantum computer and they're now closer than ever. Essentially a quantum computer is different to a classical one in the way that it stores and handles information. In a classical computer you'll be familiar with bits that can either be a one or a zero but in a quantum computer they use qubits which can be in a one or a zero quantum state or a superposition of both. What this means is that a quantum computer is able to solve any problem a classical one can and vice versa and in some situations we'll be far more efficient in doing so.

One of the more interesting things about quantum computers is that they won't actually always be the better choice and researchers are still exploring the situations when they will offer an advantage, but the biggest hurdle right now is building one that's large and stable enough to see how well it can perform.