Video: https://www.tiktok.com/@distilledscience/video/7557042189868518686
Transcript
New quantum science just dropped from Harvard, and wow! I'll distill the important bits for you. Or should I say, qubits? For decades, quantum computers have held the promise of changing everything from finance to physics, but they've always had a fatal flaw. They couldn't stay on. Which I guess is important? The fundamental units, called qubits, would literally escape the system, causing even the most advanced machines to crash after just 13 seconds. This atom loss was a massive bottleneck, turning these potentially revolutionary devices into a little more than fleeting fireworks. And this technical problem has really been a roadblock for humanity. We need quantum computers that can run for days to help tackle some of society's most challenging problems right now. For example, accurately simulating the complex chemistry needed to design new medicines is something that would take a normal computer thousands of years, but a quantum computer just days. As long as quantum computers keep crashing, life-saving drugs, and many other cool discoveries remain stuck on the horizon. But now Harvard physicists have solved it. that can run continuously. Using a system of optical tweezers and an atomic conveyor belt, the machine essentially heals itself, replacing lost cubits on the fly faster than they can escape. They've already run it for over two hours, and in theory could run it forever. There are still other challenges to solve, but this breakthrough might shrink the timeline until we get truly powerful quantum computers down from five years to only two or three. And don't worry about this power breaking all encryption. Experts have been preparing for this for years, and new post-quantum I'll keep you updated.
Additional notes
❓What is quantum computing? 👇 Quantum computing is a new kind of computing that uses the rules of quantum physics (ie the weird behavior of tiny particles) to process information. Regular computers store data as bits that are either 0 or 1; quantum computers use qubits, which can be 0, 1, or a mix of both at the same time (called superposition). Multiple qubits can also link together in a special way (entanglement), letting the machine explore many possibilities in parallel. By carefully steering the probabilities with quantum operations, a quantum computer can, for some tasks, find useful answers much faster than a normal computer (like factoring huge numbers, searching certain databases, or simulating molecules). The catch is qubits are extremely fragile—tiny disturbances cause errors—so building large, stable, error-corrected machines is very hard. If we solve that, quantum computers could help design new medicines and materials, optimize complex systems, and tackle problems that are out of reach today. 📚 New Study DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09596-6 Perspective on the Current State-of-the-Art of Quantum Computing for Drug Discovery Applications - DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c005741321600 #science #stem #tech #quantumcomputing #edutok
References
- Harvard quantum-computing atom-loss/qubit-loss study. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09596-6, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09596-6
- Perspective on the Current State-of-the-Art of Quantum Computing for Drug Discovery Applications. DOI listed in workbook: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c005741321600, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jctc.2c005741321600