Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Quantum computers are big news, each week brings reports of fresh advances in stability and power. But for many people, the quantum world is mysterious and confusing. In this Outline we explain the differences between classical and quantum computing, and introduce readers to the basic terminology; explore the challenges faced by researchers and engineers as they attempt to build a working quantum computer; and give a flavour of how quantum computers could revolutionize science and technology.
The concept of computers that harness the laws of quantum mechanics has transformed our thinking about how information can be processed. Now the environment exists to make prototype devices a reality.
The promises of quantum computation are unique — and so are the challenges. Progress in physics, mathematics, computer science and engineering have brought quantum computers to a point where they start to challenge their classical counterparts. By Andreas Trabesinger; illustration by Visual Science.