Researchers have overcome a significant hurdle in quantum computing

Researchers have overcome a significant hurdle in quantum computing

Researchers at ETH Zurich have succeeded, for the first time, in quickly and continuously correcting errors in digital quantum systems.

They have overcome an important hurdle on the road to practical quantum computing, which previous error correction methods were unable to do.

Universities and companies around the world are all working on quantum computing.



Quantum computers are seen as a beacon of hope for future information processing. However, uncertainty exists as to whether, or not, they will ever be able to replace conventional computers because quantum computers have a problem: they are extremely error-​prone, and error correction is very demanding.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have now succeeded in overcoming an important hurdle: for the first time, they have been able to automatically correct errors in quantum systems to such an extent that the results of quantum operations can be used in practice. “The demonstration that errors in a quantum computer working with quantum bits (qubits) can be corrected quickly and repeatedly is a breakthrough on the road to building a practical quantum computer,” says Andreas Wallraff, Professor at the Department of Physics and Director of the Quantum Center at ETH Zurich. The scientists have just published a paper