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Analysis and Technology

Useful quantum computers are edging closer with recent milestones

Google, Microsoft and others have taken big steps towards error-free devices, hinting that quantum computers that solve real problems aren’t far away

By Alex Wilkins

30 September 2024

An exhibition model of IBM’s Q System One quantum computer

Misha Friedman/Getty Images

Despite all the hype around quantum computers, they are still far too error-prone to be of real use. But recent experiments show that this may not always be the case, boosting the credibility of claims from companies like Google and IBM that we might get useful quantum computers as soon as 2029. These latest experiments represent key milestones and signal that we are entering a new age, say researchers.

“Suddenly, really useful devices seem tantalisingly close, in a way that they never have done before,” says Jamie…

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