Yes, Virginia, Quantum Computing Is Real

For years we have heard the term "Quantum Computing" always used in a future tense. It was one of those things that scientists were working on in a lab somewhere that would never be finished in our life time. Reminds me of a 3D Realms game.

Similar to the long overdue Duke Nukem title, we have been given a taste of what is to come. D-Wave introduced the world's first commercially viable quantum computer this week. It is by no means ready to be put to work in the mainstream, but it's a leap in the right direction.

The idea behind quantum computing is that there are certain problems that current computers simply cannot solve, but quantum computers could. The company stresses that digital computing will not be replaced by this new technology, but rather one day they will work together to perform tasks. It will likely be some time before we start seeing this technology incorporated into everyday devices.

World's First Commercial Quantum Computer Demonstrated [via dwavesys]