Quantum computers promise an incredible leap forward in terms of performance, but a lot of that promise is still locked away as potential.
The quantum computers we have today are relatively small-scale, limited prototypes of what might eventually be possible.
The qubits inside quantum computers can be 1, 0, or anywhere in between (existing in a superposition), until they're measured – and that's where the exponential upgrade in calculations comes from.
It was collective behavior emerging across the quantum system," says physicist Haining Pan, from the University of Florida.
Quantum computers won't become standard household gadgets like regular computers any time soon, but they will help in high-level, incredibly complex information processing tasks: testing drug development, forecasting the weather, simulating materials, powering AI, and much more.