Hello, Quantum World! by Jules May

Quantum computers leverage quantum effects like superposition and entanglement to solve certain complex problems more efficiently than classical computers

The number of stable qubits in quantum computers has grown significantly, reaching around 150 useful stable bits, with quantum volume doubling approximately every 18 months

Major tech companies like IBM, Google, Amazon and Microsoft are developing quantum computers and making them available through cloud services

Key applications include:

• Breaking current encryption methods
• Chemical and molecular modeling
• Financial modeling and optimization
• AI and machine learning
• Secure quantum communication

Quantum states cannot be copied or measured without collapsing them, enabling quantum encryption that is theoretically unbreakable

Programming quantum computers involves:

• Initializing qubits into superposition states
• Applying quantum gates for rotations and entanglement
• Measuring results which collapses quantum states

Current limitations include:

• Need for extremely cold temperatures (near absolute zero)
• Limited qubit stability and coherence time
• High error rates requiring error correction

Active development is happening in:

• Increasing number of stable qubits
• Higher temperature operation
• New quantum algorithms
• Hardware architectures and engineering

Field is rapidly advancing with new breakthroughs, growing commercial availability, and increasing practical applications

Understanding quantum computing basics is becoming important as it moves from theoretical to practical implementation