Things get weird at the atomic scale.
The rules of classical physics governing the objects we can see and touch break down. Particles can occupy two places at once or connect across vast distances, conditions known as superposition and entanglement (or what Albert Einstein dismissively described as “spooky action at a distance.”)
Scientists have explored for decades the theoretical possibilities of applying quantum mechanics to computing. But D-Wave Systems has been working to push the field into the practical realm, using an approach known as “adiabatic quantum computation.” The Burnaby, British Columbia, company, founded in 1999, released what it describes as the first commercial quantum computer in 2010.
Conventional computers deal with binary bits of information, 1s or 0s. But a quantum computer manipulates what are known as qubits (or quantum bits), which can be 1s and 0s at the same time, leveraging the power of superposition. Such a machine depends on entanglement as well, performing many operations on the same data simultaneously.
No one can really say for certain where those helpful distant qubits are operating. The leading bet among physicists is the many-worlds interpretation, which would suggest quantum computers offload processing to parallel universes. (No, seriously — read this!)
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