String of ions may out-compute best quantum computers

Making a qubit is easy. Controlling how they communicate, however... (credit: NSF)

We will update this story with links to the preprint when it goes live on arXiv.org later today.

Usually, I reflexively delete press releases. This one was no different, but as the message vanished, the subject line registered—“IonQ… quantum computing.” It took a second, but I realized that the name might mean something I had never expected: a commercial, ion-based, quantum computer. A quick visit to the trash confirmed my suspicion.

After some negotiation, I was in receipt of a super-secret paper demonstrating the capabilities of IonQ’s new computer.