IBM unveils first quantum computer in Germany
It is Germany's first quantum computer, and it is capable of bending the laws of physics and computing in order to work. IBM hopes to have a quantum computer that is 37 times faster in two years.
The quantum computer is to be housed in Ehningen, which is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of Stuttgart. It will be operated by Germany's Fraunhofer research institute. It is the company's first quantum computer in use outside of the US.
Regular modern computers process functions in a binary fashion, carrying out tasks that use fragments of data that are only ever a 1 or 0. Quantum computers use subatomic particles to perform calculations at far greater speeds than existing supercomputers, and data can be both a 1 and 0 at the same time. The data fragments on a quantum computer, known as qubits (short for "quantum bits"), significantly boost its computing power.
The machine is housed in a 9-foot (2.7 meter) tall glass cube to shield the qubits from noise and other physical disturbances, to which they can be sensitive.
