Quantum computers harness unusual properties of quantum physics to solve certain problems far faster than conventional computers.
But a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could crack widely used forms of encryption protecting sensitive digital information globally.
Quantum computers won’t develop goals or outsmart humans.
This spring, Caltech spinout Oratomic published research suggesting a cryptographically relevant quantum computer could need dramatically fewer physical resources than earlier estimates.
No one knows exactly when quantum computers will become powerful enough to break today’s encryption.