In Finland, John Martinis predicts a useful quantum computer in 5–10 years

In Finland, quantum computing pioneer John Martinis said that a large quantum computer with one million qubits could emerge within the next five to ten years. Such a machine could be useful for drug development and the search for new materials, and could also potentially break a significant portion of modern encryption systems.

Martinis's forecast was reported by YLE News. The idea of a computer using the principles of quantum mechanics was proposed by physicist Richard Feynman back in 1981. It took nearly two decades to create the first quantum bit, or qubit. Since then, the number of qubits on silicon wafers has grown, as have expectations for creating a useful quantum computer.

The foundation for superconducting qubits

In the mid-1980s, Martinis, John Clarke and Michel Devoret demonstrated that phenomena of the quantum world can be used and controlled in man-made electrical circuits. Their work became the foundation for modern superconducting qubits, on which the hardware of quantum systems from Google, IBM and the Finnish company IQM is based.

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Janne Lehtinen, founder and chief technology officer of the Finnish quantum company SemiQon, noted that Martinis's achievements changed the understanding of the entire industry. Lehtinen also said that he met with Martinis the day before the announcement that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. The meeting concerned possible cooperation between SemiQon and Qolab, a quantum company founded by Martinis.