Quantum Research Could Bring Computing Leap

Quantum computing, which leverages the principles of quantum physics, could deliver machines with vastly greater processing power than the silicon-based computers used today. Performance of these machines could be many magnitudes faster than any computer ever built and solve problems that are currently implausible to approach in areas such as cryptography, medicine, and artificial intelligence. Microsoft has a research facility dedicated to quantum computing, and other companies and organizations such as Amazon, D-Wave, Google, and NASA are exploring the field. However, quantum computing is a mostly theoretical endeavor and major research breakthroughs are required before the theory becomes reality.

Quantum Particles Do Multiple Things Simultaneously

Quantum physics theory focuses on the behavior of atomic and subatomic particles, which demonstrate characteristics that differ in illogical ways from classical physics laws observed in larger objects. For example, a principle of the theory called superposition suggests that a particle can exist in multiple physical states at the same time.