The race to solve the biggest problem in quantum computing - New Scientist
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Quantum computers won’t be truly useful until they can correct their mistakesdavide bonaldo / Alamy Quantum computers are already here, but they make far too many errors. This is arguably the biggest obstacle to the technology really becoming useful, but recent breakthroughs suggest a solution may be on the horizon. Errors creep into traditional computers too, but there are well-established techniques for correcting them. They rely on redundancy, where extra bits are used to detect when 0s incorrectly swap to 1s or vice versa. In the quantum world, however, it is a lot more challenging. The laws of quantum mechanics forbid information from being duplicated inside a quantum computer, so redundancy must be achieved by spreading information across groups of qubits – the building blocks of quantum computers – and utilising phenomena that only exist in quantum settings, such as when pairs of particles become linked via quantum entanglement. These qubit groups are called logical qubits and figuring out the optimal way to build and use them is crucial for determining how best to eliminate errors. Advertisement Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.