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IBM scientists discuss quantum computing breakthrough

Promise of exponentially increased computing power seen closer to reality

By Paul McNamara on Tue, 02/28/12 - 6:24am.

Technology news outlets are abuzz this morning with a report from IBM that its scientists have made great strides toward to bringing the theories of quantum computing to reality.  

From a Computerworld story on our site:

Scientists at IBM Research today said they have achieved a major advance in quantum computing that will allow engineers to begin work on creating a full-scale quantum computer.

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The breakthrough allowed scientists to reduce data error rates in elementary computations while maintaining the integrity of quantum mechanical properties in quantum bits of data, known as qubits.

The creation of a quantum computer would mean data processing power would be exponentially increased over what is possible with today's conventional CPUs, according to Mark Ketchen, the manager of physics of information at the IBM's TJ Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

In this video, the IBM researchers discuss what they're doing in layman's language:

And in this one, Ketchen explains how the researchers conduct experiments in an extreme low temperature lab, "which is really they key to this work." 

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